Officer Pay Cards

• Officer Pay Cards (Army), Holdings
• How Can I Access Officer Pay Cards?
• How Do I Submit a Written Request for Records?
• Copy Fees

The National Archives at St. Louis maintains Officer Pay Cards for Army service members from World War I and World War II. The Officer Pay Cards may contain the following information: in-date, out-date, rank and muster out pay. These records are an invaluable source for reconstructing basic service information.

Officer Pay Cards (Army), Holdings:

• Officer Pay Cards, Army (WWI), 1917 to 1921
• Officer Pay Cards, Army (WWII), 1940 to 1951
   

Access to Officer Pay Cards:

It is essential to collect as much information from old personal papers before submitting a request for records from fire-related collections. Good information helps identify which sources to research for reconstructing basic service data. If an insufficient background is received, the requester will be asked to provide additional information.

You may access the record by:

• Visiting the Archival Research Room in St. Louis, MO,
• Employing an independent researcher to examine the records on your behalf, or
• Submitting a written request for copies of the records via postal mail or fax (please note: archival records are subject to a COPY FEE)

How do I submit a written request for copies of records?

Federal law [5 USC 552a(b)] requires that all requests for records and information be submitted in writing. For us to locate military records, please submit as much of the following information, as applies to the type of record being requested: the veteran's complete name as used in service; service number; branch of service; date and place of birth; dates of service - or units or outfits; complete organizational designation (company/battery, battalion, and regiment; squadron, group, wing, etc.); geographical location (camp, base, and country).

To obtain a copy of a record, a requestor may:

• Mail a letter to:
  National Archives at St. Louis, PO Box 38757, St. Louis, MO 63138
• Email: Stl.archives@nara.gov
• Fax a letter or Standard Form 180 to 314-801-9195

Please Note, the veteran's or next-of-kin's signature is not required on a request to obtain copies of archival records.

Copy Fees:

Generally, there is no charge for basic military personnel and health record information provided to veterans, next-of-kin, and authorized representatives from non-archival records. However, the NARA fee schedule authorizes the Agency to collect fees from the public for copies of archival records (44 USC 2116c and 44 USC 2307).

Mailed and Faxed Archival Requests:

A mailed or faxed request requires the purchase of a COMPLETE photocopy of the record.

• 5 pages or less: $20 flat fee
• 6 pages or more: $60 flat fee

Visitors to the Archival Research Room:

There is no fee to request and review an archival record in the Archival Research Room. So too, any number of pages may be copied for a per-page fee.

• Paper-to-paper copy made by Attendant: $ .75 per page and $2.90 per microform to a paper copy
   
• Self service copies are $ .20 per paper to paper copy and $ .50 per microform to paper copy

If you or your designated representative decide to review the records, please notify the Archival Research Room in advance of your visit so we can make the necessary arrangements.