Orders come in, and suddenly there's a long list of things to handle before your service member leaves: paperwork, money, the car, the kids, the dog, and the question nobody likes to say out loud, "what if something comes up while you're gone?" A deployment binder pulls all of it into one place, so the spouse or family member at home isn't digging through emails and drawers at 2 a.m.
This checklist works for deployments, long TDY trips and PCS moves, for active duty, Guard and Reserve families, and for parents of service members who want to be ready to help. Every unit and branch does things a little differently, so use your unit's family readiness resources and your installation's legal assistance office as your main sources.
Before they go: a timeline
90 days out
- Check ID cards for everyone in the family. Note expiration dates.
- Confirm family members are enrolled in DEERS and that contact information is current.
- Make an appointment with the installation legal assistance office to talk about powers of attorney and a will.
- If your service member is a single parent or part of a dual-military couple, start on the Family Care Plan early. It can take time to line up caregivers and signatures.
- Review life insurance beneficiaries, including SGLI, and update them if your family has changed.
60 days out
- Go through every bill together. Decide what's on autopay, what the spouse at home will pay, and how allotments are set up.
- Make sure both of you can access the accounts you'll need, or have the authority to.
- Schedule car maintenance, and note when registration and insurance renew.
- Write down household upkeep: who handles repairs, when filters get changed, how the sprinkler or alarm system works.
30 days out
- Sign powers of attorney and any other documents. Make copies.
- Collect key contacts (see below) and put them on one page.
- Talk about communication: how often you'll try to connect, what to do if you can't, and what not to share online.
- Prepare the kids. Make a countdown calendar, record a bedtime story, or write letters they can open later.
7 days out
- Confirm everything is signed and copies are where they belong.
- Walk through the binder together one last time.
- Plan something simple and fun as a family.
The documents tracker
These are the papers the spouse at home is most likely to need. For each one, write where the original is, where copies are, and when it expires.
- Military ID cards for all family members
- Powers of attorney. A general POA gives broad authority; a special (or specific) POA covers one task, like selling a car or signing a lease. Some businesses will only accept a special POA, and every POA should be checked for its expiration date. Legal assistance offices can explain which you need.
- Will and where the original is kept
- Life insurance policies and beneficiaries
- Family Care Plan, if required
- Birth and marriage certificates, Social Security cards, passports
- Vehicle titles, registration and insurance
- Lease or mortgage documents and renters or homeowners insurance
Key contacts to write down
- Unit family readiness group or family readiness contact
- Rear detachment or the unit's point of contact for families
- Chaplain
- Installation legal assistance office
- How to send an official emergency message to your deployed service member (many families use the American Red Cross for this; write down the current steps and the information they'll ask for)
- Military OneSource and your installation's family support center
- Doctors, schools, child care, the landlord or property manager, a trusted neighbor
Running the home while they're away
Money
Write down every bill, its due date, how it's paid and who to call about it. Keep account details to the bank name and last 4 digits; never write full account numbers or passwords in the binder.
Kids
Note school contacts, routines, who can pick them up, and what helps each child when they miss their parent. A countdown calendar and a "letter to my kid" from the deployed parent can mean a lot.
Pets
List the vet, feeding routine, medicines and a backup caregiver in case the parent at home gets sick or has to travel.
Health
Keep a short health page for each family member, plus a medical ID wallet card with emergency contacts, allergies and medicines.
Communication and OPSEC
Agree on what's okay to post. A good rule: don't share dates, locations, unit movements or return dates online, and follow your unit's OPSEC guidance. Keep sensitive details out of the binder too.
PCS moves
- As soon as orders arrive, schedule your move through the official moving portal and your installation's transportation office.
- Make a household goods inventory before packers arrive. Photograph or film valuables and note serial numbers.
- Keep a "do not pack" box with documents, medicines, chargers and a few days of essentials.
- At the new base: register the kids for school, find new doctors, update your address everywhere, and connect with the new family readiness contacts.
Homecoming
Reunions are happy and also an adjustment. Routines have changed, kids have grown, and the parent at home has been running everything. Talk about how to share responsibilities again, go slow, and use the support resources on your installation if things feel hard. Review the binder together and update what changed.
One binder for all of it
A binder with tabs works: a 90/60/30/7-day pre-deployment checklist, key contacts, a documents and POA tracker with expiration dates, money while deployed, kids, pets, a communication plan, a PCS move timeline, a household goods inventory and a homecoming checklist. For the medical part of being prepared, get the free ER-Ready Kit: the one-page Emergency Health Summary, the "Where should I go?" guide and interpreter wallet cards, in English and Spanish.
The Ambos Health team
General information, not legal or financial advice. For powers of attorney and wills, use your installation's legal assistance office or an attorney.