If you are a Fort Campbell-area retiree or Gray Area retiree, the September 2026 DFAS Retiree Newsletter is primarily a household-planning reminder: review the information that helps organizations reach you and process payments, organize documents for tax season, and understand the topics that may affect your next retirement decision. The newsletter does not replace your personal DFAS records or individualized professional advice.
The DFAS Retired & Annuitant Pay September 2026 quarterly Retiree Newsletter, delivered by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, addresses a new mailing address for Survivor Benefit Plan direct remittance payments, a change in the servicing bank for the Direct Express Card program, tax-season preparation, Gray Area Retiree retirement categories, and updates from several pay and support partners. You can review the newsletter at dfas.mil/retireenews. DFAS also provides a downloadable PDF that retirees can share within the military retiree community.
Which newsletter items may require your attention?
The safest way to read the newsletter is to separate awareness items from information you may want to verify against your own records.
The two topics most likely to deserve an immediate household check are:
- The new mailing address for SBP direct remittance payments.
- The change in the servicing bank for the Direct Express Card program. Direct Express will now be serviced by Fifth Third Bank, N.A.
This does not mean every retiree must take action. Your next step depends on whether you use the applicable payment method, send direct remittances, or maintain information that may be affected by the change. However, a stale mailing address or outdated banking detail can create avoidable payment problems if an organization cannot reach you or the information on file does not match your current situation.
Confirm the specifics with DFAS Retired & Annuitant Pay and your own records. Do not rely on a forwarded message, an old envelope, or an assumption that your household information is current.
Why should you verify your mailing address and banking information now?
Retirement often creates more than one address, account, or household contact point. You may move from installation housing, keep a second residence, change banks, update a mailing address, or begin using a different method to manage household finances.
A short verification review can help you identify:
- Whether your current mailing address is reflected in the records that matter to you.
- Whether your banking information is current and accurate.
- Whether your household knows where official DFAS correspondence is expected to arrive.
- Whether you have saved the official DFAS retiree-newsletter page rather than relying on an older PDF.
- Whether a surviving spouse or other household member knows where to confirm information if needed.
The Direct Express servicing-bank change is an awareness item for many readers, but it is still worth understanding which card or account information your household actually uses. Confirm details with DFAS or the official Direct Express resources before changing anything.
Do not provide sensitive account information through an unsolicited email, text, or phone call. For benefit-specific questions, use DFAS Retired & Annuitant Pay, Military OneSource, or the official contact information associated with your account.
What does the newsletter say about tax-season preparation?
The September newsletter includes a tax-season preparation article with tips for having the information needed to complete a filing. For a Clarksville-area household, the useful planning takeaway is to begin gathering documents before tax preparation becomes urgent.
Your checklist may include:
- Year-end income documents and retirement-pay records.
- Interest, dividend, or investment statements.
- Records related to charitable contributions.
- Property-tax, mortgage-interest, or closing documents, if applicable.
- Health-care and insurance records that your tax professional asks you to provide.
- Records for a home sale, purchase, rental property, or relocation-related transaction.
- Prior-year returns and notices that may help your qualified tax professional prepare the current filing.
- Secure copies of documents for a spouse or trusted household organizer.
This is an organizational checklist, not tax advice. The documents you need depend on your circumstances. Ask a qualified tax professional about filing requirements, deductions, reporting, and any questions involving retirement income or a home transaction.
Why does the Gray Area Retiree article matter?
The newsletter includes a Spotlight article for Gray Area Retirees explaining Regular, Non-Regular, and VA Disability Military Retirement.
That topic matters to someone who has completed a qualifying period of service but is between approximately 20 years of service and age 60, is not yet receiving retired pay, and is trying to plan the years between leaving service and the start of retirement pay. The newsletter is useful because it places those retirement categories side by side for readers who may be comparing terminology or trying to understand which official explanation applies to their circumstances.
Do not use a general article to determine your eligibility, payment amount, start date, or benefits. Confirm the specifics with DFAS and your own records. If you have questions involving a service record, retirement status, or VA matter, use the appropriate official resource or speak with a qualified professional.
What pay-partner updates are included?
The newsletter also includes partner news covering:
- Veterans’ Group Life Insurance, including a VGLI Premium Holiday item.
- Customer Connect Portal.
- FEDVIP.
- Military OneSource.
- myAuth.
- Uniformed Service ID Cards.
- News from the Air Force Assistance Fund.
- News from the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.
These are awareness items rather than a reason to assume that every reader qualifies for, needs, or should change a particular benefit or account. Read the applicable item, then confirm the details with the named organization and your personal records.
If a question involves coverage, enrollment, premiums, eligibility, deadlines, or a claim, contact the organization responsible for that program. DFAS can address DFAS Retired & Annuitant Pay matters, while Military OneSource and the other named partners can address their own services.
How can the newsletter connect to a Clarksville-area retirement decision?
Fort Campbell retirees often weigh more than benefits administration when deciding where to live next. Clarksville and the surrounding Montgomery, Stewart, Christian, and Todd County area can offer a practical combination of installation proximity, familiar military-community connections, access to VA and military medical resources, and housing choices that range from established neighborhoods to newer construction.
Some retirees look for single-level homes, low-maintenance townhomes, or communities marketed toward older adults. Others prefer acreage, a smaller home, or a rental while they decide whether to stay. You can review local options through Haus’s Montgomery County communities guide and its article on 55+ and active-adult communities in Clarksville.
The area’s cost of living is often part of the comparison with national averages, but your actual budget will depend on housing, insurance, health care, transportation, utilities, and maintenance. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, and certain retirement-income treatment differs from Kentucky. If you are comparing Clarksville with Oak Grove or Hopkinsville, confirm the tax treatment of your specific income and situation with a qualified tax professional.
How might mortgage rates affect a retiree’s housing choice?
A retiree deciding whether to remain in a current home, right-size, relocate closer to family, or purchase with cash may also consider financing conditions.
According to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey dated October 1, 2026, the national benchmark averages were:
- 30-year fixed: 7.28%
- 15-year fixed: 6.60%
These are national benchmark averages, not quotes for any borrower. Your available rate and loan terms may differ.
For illustration only, a representative $300,000 30-year loan at 7.28% has estimated monthly principal and interest of approximately $2,052. At a rate that is one-quarter percentage point lower, approximately 7.03%, the estimated principal-and-interest payment would be about $2,002. A difference of roughly $50 per month. This excludes taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance, HOA dues, closing costs, and other expenses.
The illustration is not a loan offer or financial advice. A lender can provide a payment estimate based on your actual loan amount, credit profile, down payment, loan program, and other factors.
What does Randy Whetsell hear from Fort Campbell retirees?
Randy Whetsell, Principal Broker of Haus Realty & Management, holds the Tennessee Silver Level Veteran Ready Business designation for 2025–2026. He says retirees commonly want to understand the lifestyle and financial tradeoffs before choosing a location.
“The questions we hear most often are whether it makes sense to stay close to Fort Campbell, whether Clarksville or Oak Grove better fits the household’s next chapter, and how much home the retiree really wants to maintain,” Whetsell says. “Some clients want a single-level home near familiar services. Others want to downsize, move closer to family, or sell first and make a cash purchase. The right answer begins with understanding the household’s priorities, not with pressure to choose one path.”
Haus can help you compare staying in Clarksville, considering Southern Kentucky, right-sizing, or preparing to sell. The firm’s military relocation resources are focused on Tennessee and Kentucky housing decisions for military-connected households.
What should Fort Campbell retirees do after reading the newsletter?
Use the September 2026 newsletter as a planning prompt:
- Read the full issue at dfas.mil/retireenews.
- Compare the new SBP direct-remittance mailing address with your records, if applicable.
- Review your banking or Direct Express information without assuming a change is required.
- Build a tax-season document folder.
- Read the Gray Area Retiree article if you are not yet receiving retired pay.
- Direct benefits questions to DFAS or the applicable partner organization.
- Speak with a qualified tax professional or attorney when your question involves tax or legal interpretation.
- Evaluate your housing plans separately from your benefits questions.
If you are considering a move, request a Haus retiree relocation consultation for a no-pressure conversation about staying, right-sizing, or selling in the Clarksville area after retirement. You can contact Haus Realty & Management to begin that conversation.
Frequently asked questions about the September 2026 DFAS retiree newsletter
What changed in the September 2026 DFAS Retiree Newsletter?
The issue addresses a new SBP direct-remittance mailing address, the Direct Express servicing-bank change to Fifth Third Bank, N.A., tax-season preparation, Gray Area Retiree retirement categories, and partner news.
Does every retiree need to change banking information?
Not necessarily. Whether any action is appropriate depends on your payment method and records. Confirm your situation with DFAS and the official program resources.
Why should a Gray Area Retiree read this issue?
The newsletter’s Spotlight article explains Regular, Non-Regular, and VA Disability Military Retirement. It may help readers understand the terminology while they confirm their own circumstances with DFAS.
Can Haus answer DFAS or tax questions?
No. Haus can discuss local housing decisions, including staying, right-sizing, selling, or relocating. Benefit-specific questions should go to DFAS or the applicable partner, and tax questions should go to a qualified tax professional.
Where can I find the downloadable newsletter PDF?
The September 2026 quarterly newsletter and its downloadable PDF are available through DFAS Retired & Annuitant Pay’s retiree-newsletter page.
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