Navy has Enlistment Dependency Limits

Navy Dependency Waiver

January 7th, 2011

If you are enlisting into the Navy with dependents (dependent definition) in an entry level paygrade (E-1 to E-4), historically some encounter family hardships due to financial situations soon after enlisting. Navy Recruiting Command wants to eliminate from consideration those who cannot balance the demands of family and service, or who would experience a financial hardship at the onset of naval service. You can use the chart below to determine your potential eligibility based on the current instructions.

FOR ACTIVE DUTY
IF YOU ARE AND HAVE: THEN YOU ARE: NUMBER OF
DEPENDENTS AND
WAIVER LEVEL
Unmarried or Divorced
(NPS
and PS)		 No dependents Eligible No waiver required
Custody of dependents Ineligible No waiver authorized
No custody of dependents Eligible with appropriate level waiver 1 or 2= NRD CO
3 = CNRC
4 or more = Ineligible
Married
(NPS and PS)		 Spouse only Eligible No waiver required
Married
(NPS enlisting in paygrades E1 to E4 and PS enlisting in paygrades E1 to E4 with broken service)		 Minor/non-minor dependents Eligible with appropriate level waiver 2 = NRD CO
3 or 4 = CNRC
5 or more = Ineligible
Married
(NPS enlisting in paygrades E5 and above and PS enlisting in paygrades E5 and above with broken service)		 Minor/non-minor dependents Eligible with appropriate level waiver 2 or 3 = Eligible
4 = NRD CO
5 = CNRC
6 or more = Ineligible
Married
(PS enlisting under continuous service)		 Minor/non-minor dependents Eligible No waiver required
NRD – Navy Recruiting District; CNRC – Commander, Navy Recruiting Command; PS – Prior Service; NPS – Non Prior Service

If one is required, the dependency waiver process starts with the Enlistee Financial Statement (Enlistee Financial Statement Form 1130/13). Incidentally, everyone enlisting with dependents will complete an Enlistee Financial Statement, even if a waiver is not required, and you will be interviewed by a Navy Recruiting Zone Supervisor or person higher in the chain-of-command prior to enlistment processing.

The interviewer will:

  1. Determine if you are handling present personal and financial affairs in a mature, competent, and responsible manner.
  2. Determine if you can meet current and expected financial obligations within the first six-months of naval service.
  3. Counsel you concerning potential problems that may be experienced at the onset of enlistment relating to financial matters and the assignment to possible dependent restricted tours.

NOTE: A prior bankruptcy is not by itself a disqualifier for enlistment eligibility; however, it may affect the job you are qualified for because of the various security clearance requirements.

During the interview, your Enlistee Financial Statement will be reviewed with you either face-to-face or telephonically. The interviewer and chain of command will become suspicious of entries that are missing or unrealistic. All questionable areas must be resolved.

You will not be enlisted if it appears they are unable to meet current and expected financial responsibilities within the first six-months of naval service.

Completing the Enlistee Financial Statement:
The Enlistee Financial Statement is for use by all applicants with dependents. Prior to preparation, you shall sign the Privacy Act Statement on the Enlistee Financial Statement. The financial statement will be prepared in your own handwriting.

No special criteria for the amount of monthly expenditures to be entered for housing, food, utilities, etc. can be established due to the variation in circumstances present in each individual case; however, for the benefit of those who must determine whether a dependency waiver is to be granted, questionable or unrealistic entries must be fully explained. An example of a questionable entry would be $100 per month for food when the applicant has three dependents. While use of food stamps could explain the low amount, this must be explained in detail and attached to the form.

A realistic breakdown of monthly expenditures for most families would include additional categories that are not indicated on the financial statement (e.g., clothing, automobile expenses that are not included in car payments [gas, oil, tires, tune-ups, insurance, etc.], entertainment, miscellaneous). Entry of these expenses are especially applicable when your income is reported at $500 or $600 per month or more, and monthly expenditures total $300 or $400 per month. The absence of these additional expenses is even more noticeable when little or no savings and/or checking account balances are indicated. In order for the total debt and total monthly payment data to have greater relevance for personnel reviewing the financial statement, each outstanding debt, and the monthly payment for each debt, must be indicated.

Signature of your spouse is mandatory, unless you are legally separated, spouse resides outside the geographical area or refuses to sign. If this is the case, note the reason in item 16 of the form.

Note: If you are in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) over 90 days or you acquire dependents while in DEP, you are required to complete an updated Enlistee Financial Statement prior to shipping to boot camp. Changes in dependency status must be reviewed, and if necessary, waived by the appropriate authority.


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148 Responses to “Navy Dependency Waiver”

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  1. NCCM(ret) says:
    September 30, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    Helen,

    CNRC dependency waivers are difficult and a lot of work for the recruiter – CNRC has been considering dependency waivers for up to 4 dependents, but your local command may have put further restrictions on running them. That said, if possible, I would recommend that you pursue the Reserve as it would give you and your husband much more flexibility when it comes to assignments/locations that would keep ya”ll located close enough not to cause an issue for your children because there is no guarantee you will be co-located with your husband.

  2. Mohira says:
    November 13, 2011 at 8:44 pm

    My husband and I have filed for bankruptcy chpter 7 since last year 2011 and have had successfully been discharged of debts. I had just passed my physical and am waiting for a financial interview. Hubby works for the DOD and we have two children, therefore I have 3 dependents as I was told. What will I most likely be interviewed about and am I likely to get approved? what will they ask me or interview me about?

  3. NCCM(ret) says:
    November 14, 2011 at 7:54 am

    Mohira,

    Normally the interview would happen the day that you went to MEPS for the physical – I would ask your recruiter why one has not been completed yet.

    The questions will attempt to determine the stuff listed in the middle of this post under, “The interviewer will”. If your current finances are in order and will remain that way, you should be OK.

  4. joseph says:
    November 15, 2011 at 4:13 am

    my friend got married in vegas and didn’t realize he was legally married till 1 day before he leaves till boot-camp. is there anything he can do? any information would be great. he is really stressing out about what could happen.

    i am also concerned if he would be facing any drastic charges. he filled out his forms to the best of his knowledge and he does not want to be charged as a liar, he is afraid to tell his recruiter tomorrow but i think it would be in his best interest if he did. thank you, i hope u get this in time.

  5. NCCM(ret) says:
    November 15, 2011 at 7:19 am

    Joseph,

    He needs to tell his recruiter ASAP. Get the paperwork completed/added – he needs his marriage certificate and financial statement – if there are no children or other dependents involved that would force a waiver, then he may be able to leave for boot-camp on time.

  6. joseph says:
    November 15, 2011 at 8:49 am

    thank you for the fast reply! however seince he was not aware of this, i dont think he has a birth certificate (or atleast not the offical one) can this be processed while he is in boot camp? and can he get charged with that military law? he is considering quitting dep and just trying to reenlist later.

  7. NCCM(ret) says:
    November 15, 2011 at 11:01 am

    Joseph,

    People get married all the time. Getting a birth certificate doesn’t take long – he won’t have any problem as long as he isn’t beyond waiverable limits for dependents. Don’t sweat it, and tell the recruiter!

  8. joseph says:
    November 15, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    thank you NCCM, he told his recruiter and he was instructed that since it was not a certified copy he can order one after boot camp and try to process it at A-school, does this sound right? His recruiter also told him if they question it, simply explain that you did not have the proper legal paperwork at the time. i understand there is a credit check for married couples will this effect him in any way? sorry i have a lot of questions, he is my best friend and i want to make sure he knows some good advice. he is very nervous and in a haze trying to get ready to ship out. thank you.

  9. Mohira says:
    November 30, 2011 at 8:30 pm

    I’ve been waiting for a financial interview and 3dependent waiver for three weeks now? I’ve passed the physical. Does the waiver have to get approved first before getting the financial interview which I was told will be done over the phone. Is the interview done afar from TN or will it be locally done by navy personnel in my area? How long is the waiver wait?

  10. NCCM(ret) says:
    November 30, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    Mohira,

    It should not take this long, and again, the waiver authority in Tennessee WILL NOT contact you. Has your recruiter followed up to see where your package is? The person in charge of waiver processing at NRD LA should be able to tell your recruiter where it is, exactly.

  11. Mohira says:
    November 30, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    I was told I’m not the only one whose waiver is getting to be approved. They said to just wait for the phone call. Does the waiver get approved first then interview afterwards? I’ve been calling the recruiter every week for three weeks now, said don’[t konw anyting but just wait for the call?

  12. NCCM(ret) says:
    November 30, 2011 at 9:23 pm

    Mohira,

    The phone interview will happen before the waiver can be sent to TN because the local Commanding Officer, or someone he delegated, has to interview you and complete a recommendation for the waiver package.

  13. Martin says:
    December 10, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    Hello, my son is 20 and is interested in a Navy carreer. He has a 9-month old daughter who lives with the mother in another state. He made a high enough score on the A test. From this blog though I gather he will still need a NRD CO dependant waiver. Is this correct and is it difficult/time consuming to acquire approval? If the mother has filed child support documents will this suffice? Thanks for your response in advance.

  14. NCCM(ret) says:
    December 10, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    Martin,

    CO waivers are usually completed the same day the person is at MEPS to complete their physical. The child support order should suffice, but of course the order has to be reviewed by the Navy processors to be certain.

  15. kristen says:
    December 11, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    My husband is trying to enlist in the Navy right now and we were told we needed the dependency waiver for him to enlist. We currently have 2 children, but I’m pregnant, which we haven’t discussed with the recquriter yet. I worry that his waiver will be denied since we are both currently unemployeed. Currently, we both draw unemployment and are searching for work but we survive off our $480 a week. which is less that $2000 a month. We really have no bills other than our utilities since my mom and dad pay all of our other bills, ie. cell phone and internet. Should we just discontinue working with the requriter or continue and hope for the best?

  16. NCCM(ret) says:
    December 11, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    Kristen,

    The debt ratio the waiver authority will be concerned with is your current debt against an estimate of what you will be making while in the service.

    You should disclose the fact you are pregnant to the recruiter – whether you have 3 or 4 dependents the waiver authority is the same – currently, there is 4 (you and three children).

  17. Kristen says:
    December 14, 2011 at 5:35 pm

    we finished our financial waiver today for a crnc waviver. Ab out how long does it take to get your approval? Also will someone be contacting us for an on the phone interview?

  18. NCCM(ret) says:
    December 14, 2011 at 5:52 pm

    Kristen,

    I assume you were at the MEPS and had your physical today? If so, and you had an interview (either over the phone or in person) with the local waiver authority then you will have to wait about three days for your physical’s lab results to come back before your waiver package can be sent to CNRC. This Friday is the last processing day until after the New Year, so if my assumptions are true, you may hear back about your waiver before Christmas, but you will not be able to process until January. Now, if you have completed your physical and your labs are back, you may hear about your waiver by Friday as CNRC will try not to leave any unanswered waivers before the holiday break.

    CNRC will not contact you, the local interview is all that is required.

  19. Kristen says:
    December 14, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    The navy recruiter told us the crnc review had to be done before meps and the phisical. Goodness…. Perhaps we need to talk to someone else!

  20. NCCM(ret) says:
    December 14, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    Kristen,

    Is there custody documents that have to be reviewed to determine who has custody of a dependent? Whatever the case, a waiver cannot be done until you are otherwise qualified to have one, meaning that your ASVAB and physical has to be completed before the waiver can happen.

  21. Kristen says:
    December 14, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    No, my husband and I are still married so they must not be waiting for custody papers. Hummm I guess I will call the recruiter tomarrow and find out exactly what the plan is. Maybe he wanted to review the paper work before we take the next step for meps.

  22. Daniel says:
    December 19, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    hello,
    i was curious how long it generally takes to get a dependency waiver passed for two dependents. I am married and have one child. I have taken the asvab and received a 94% AFQT score. I also have turned in the proper paper work to be eligible for E3 enlistment. My recruiter says that i need to receive a phone call from Command and to keep my phone on me. It has been two weeks and still no call. Starting to feel that i am being pushed aside due to my age being 29.

  23. NCCM(ret) says:
    December 19, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    Daniel,

    For a two dependent waiver, you should complete the waiver the same day you go to the MEPS for your physical. My guess is that it has less to do with your age and more to do with the fact that the Navy is not processing anyone until after the holidays (the Navy portion of the MEPS is closed until January 3, 2012). You need to pin your recruiter down and get a better answer than, “wait for a phone call.” http://www.navycs.com/blogs/2011/10/14/the-voelker-rule

  24. Daniel says:
    December 19, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    thank you soo much. this explains alot and i will be sure to ask about it.

  25. Daniel says:
    December 19, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    Um one more thing. was told that i couldn’t go to meps for my physical till after my dependency waiver was passed.

  26. NCCM(ret) says:
    December 19, 2011 at 3:13 pm

    Daniel,

    It is unorthodox, not to mention the poor use of his time, for a commanding officer to consider a waiver before an applicant is otherwise fully qualified (ie., physically, mentally, etc.), so it is more likely that you are waiting on the Division Chief to contact you to go over your debt to ensure everything is in order before you proceed; that said, more specific times and expectations should have been set for you.

  27. Daniel says:
    December 19, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    i have talked to the Divison cheif already and called again today (after i got your messagae) to see what is going on. however, that may have been a bad move on my part. but i was informed that it is on commands desk and that they are still doing waivers during the shut down. but processing won’t take place till jan 3rd anyway so even if i get my waiver passed i still can’t fininsh processing till after the holidays anyway.

  28. NCCM(ret) says:
    December 19, 2011 at 4:10 pm

    Daniel,

    Right, the earliest you can process is January 3rd.

    You should do fine. Relax, and enjoy the Holidays!

  29. Samantha says:
    January 10, 2012 at 2:56 pm

    Hi,

    My husband is currently trying to join the Navy. We have 2 children so that would make 3 dependents from what I understand. We have been waiting nearly 3 months to get a waiver from our recruiter. We turned in all of his paperwork around the beginning of November and as of last week he was just getting his Police/Driving record check started. He has already taken the ASVAB and the recruiter said he has to wait and cannot go to MEPS until after we get an answer about whether his waiver is approved or denied. From what I have been reading from peoples previous posts and your replies is that he should be going to MEPS first then seeing if he gets an approval on his waiver. Am I understanding this correctly? Either way can you tell me what we should do? He’s 28 and we really need to know one way or the other so we can figure out what to do. Thanks for the help!!

  30. NCCM(ret) says:
    January 10, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    Samantha,

    Because of the very limited number of available openings, local commands are doing an extraordinary amount of pre-work for dependency waivers. From my understanding, and I hope to know more soon, the issue is much more about the availability of jobs than anything. I visited a recruiting station today and was told something again I have heard more and more recently – that a highly qualified male was sent home from MEPS because no seats (jobs) were available.

    I recommend that your husband continue to pursue other opportunities, and if/when the Navy’s approval comes, and it is a better option than the alternative path, then join the Navy.

    I’m afraid things won’t open up until the economy gets back on track. I wish I could offer more in the way of information at this time.

  31. zak says:
    January 16, 2012 at 3:35 pm

    I am married. my wife has 4 kids.3 of which don’t live with us most of the time.Can I go ahead and declare that I have only 2 dependants(wife n one kid).

  32. NCCM(ret) says:
    January 16, 2012 at 3:47 pm

    Zak,

    No. You have 5 dependents.

  33. zak says:
    January 16, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    Means I am hundred percent ineligible. But the thing is my my wife does not have legal custody of the 3 kids.

  34. NCCM(ret) says:
    January 16, 2012 at 4:43 pm

    Zak,

    Unless the children have been adopted by someone else, they are considered her and your dependents.

  35. alex says:
    January 23, 2012 at 12:08 pm

    Hello, wife and I decided we will try to get pregnant a month or two before going to Bootcamp. I already have 1 child from previous relationship so that makes 2 dependent on my application (wife and child). First we plan to hold it until i get finish bootcamp, but realizing my wife dilemma since we are in our 30′s we badly want to have a baby of our own (we are been trying for sometimes). I am planning to go Geo Bachelor and visit my family 2-3 times per month and i know it will be hard for us to conceive a child this way. I talked to my recruiter about this and said “as long as i dont know” that wife is pregnant if I reach bootcamp. What would happen if i reach bootcamp and tell RTC about my wifes pregnancy and additional dependents. Will i be sent home? or charged of anything? I am on DEP and waiting for 6 months for my shi-pdate. Thank you.

  36. NCCM(ret) says:
    January 23, 2012 at 12:38 pm

    Alex,

    If she gets pregnant before you ship to boot-camp, you are obligated to tell your recruiter and to get the appropriate waiver before you ship.

    I recommend that you get settled in the Navy before adding to your responsibilities.

  37. Meg says:
    February 11, 2012 at 11:41 am

    Hi, my husband is joining the navy he is 20 and im 18 we got married young because of him joining, we’ve been together 3 tears dating wise. My problem is I might be pregnabt, this wasnt planbed and im still unsure. But if I am will he still be able to leave his set date which is in june. And if he has to get a waiver will he be eligible seeibg as we have no income and are staying withfamily. Im in nursi.g school and currently dont have a job, and he doesnt wanna job just in case they give him a chance to leave early. If I am tge baby wouldnt be here till october or november.

  38. NCCM(ret) says:
    February 11, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    Meg,

    Getting a waiver for two dependents should not be difficult to get as long as your debt isn’t too high. His recruiter can go over the financial statement with the two of you – keep in mind, they will use his expected income while in the Navy, not his current income – ya’ll should be fine.

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