Military service comes with unique demands on families — deployments, frequent relocations, risk, and the need to be prepared for outcomes that civilian families rarely have to confront directly.
Estate planning is one area where the military context makes a significant difference. The basics apply to everyone, but service members and their families face a set of specific challenges and considerations that deserve particular attention.
Why Military Families Need to Plan Sooner
Civilian families can often defer estate planning with limited consequence — not ideal, but the risk is relatively low day to day. For service members, the calculus is different. Deployment to an active theatre, training exercises, or simply the nature of military service means the risk profile is higher — and the need to have affairs in order is more immediate.
A will signed before deployment is not pessimistic. It's professional. It's what you'd expect of any thorough operational plan: prepare for the contingency, so that if the worst happens, the people you love aren't left without direction.
The Key Documents Every Service Member Needs
- A current, valid will — updated before any deployment and reviewed after any major life event (marriage, divorce, children, property purchase). If you've been deployed without a current will, fix that now.
- An enduring power of attorney — allowing your spouse or another trusted person to manage financial and legal affairs while you're deployed or if you're incapacitated. Without this, your family may not be able to manage a mortgage, a vehicle registration, or a lease in your absence.
- A healthcare directive — recording your medical wishes in the event of serious injury. Particularly important if you're deployed to a location where emergency medical decisions may need to be made quickly and your family cannot be reached.
- A superannuation binding death benefit nomination — ensuring your super goes to who you intend, not at the fund's discretion.
Deployment and Power of Attorney
An enduring power of attorney is especially critical for deployed service members. While you're overseas, your spouse or partner needs to be able to:
- Access and manage joint and sole bank accounts
- Handle property matters (mortgage payments, maintenance, lease renewal)
- Deal with government agencies and insurance companies
- Sign legal documents on your behalf
- Make decisions about your children's schooling and healthcare
Without an EPA, each of these tasks may require a court order — slow, expensive, and entirely avoidable.
Defence Housing and Estate Planning
Frequent relocations affect where and how service members own property — or whether they own property at all. For those who do own property across multiple jurisdictions, estate planning needs to account for property in each state. This can affect how a will is structured and whether probate needs to be obtained in multiple jurisdictions.
Our estate planning team has experience working with clients whose assets span multiple states and territories, and can structure your estate plan accordingly.
Military Entitlements and Benefits
Service members and veterans may be entitled to death benefits, insurance, and other entitlements that need to be properly nominated and accounted for:
- Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits (DFRDB)
- Military Super (MilitarySuper) / ADF Super death benefits
- Defence-provided life insurance or personal insurance policies
- Veterans' entitlements through the Department of Veterans' Affairs
Ensure your beneficiary nominations on all of these are current and consistent with your will. Store copies of all relevant nomination forms in your Custodium Vault — along with policy numbers and contact details for each fund or insurer.
What Your Family Needs to Know
Regardless of the documents you have in place, they're only useful if your family knows where to find them and what they mean. Consider leaving clear written instructions alongside your estate planning documents:
- Where is the original will?
- Who is the executor?
- Who is the attorney under the EPA?
- What bank accounts, super funds, and insurance policies exist?
- What are your wishes in an emergency?
- Who should be contacted immediately?
Custodium Vault is built for exactly this — a secure, organised place for every document and instruction your family might need, accessible to the right people at the right time. View our plans here.
A Note on Why We Built This
Custodium Vault was founded by two people with military backgrounds — one a former commissioned officer, one a former soldier. We both sit on the board of a local military not-for-profit. We built this platform because we've seen what happens when military families aren't prepared — and we believe serving members deserve better than scramble.
If you're a service member or veteran, we understand your situation in a way that not every service provider does. Our estate planning team is ready to help you get your affairs in order — before the next deployment, not after.