At the airport
Military TSA PreCheck: who gets it free, who pays less
Pick your situation: the tool gives what five years of PreCheck cost you and how to use the benefit.
What TSA PreCheck costs you as a service member or family
Five years of TSA PreCheck
$0
| How: Enter your DoD ID number in the Known Traveler Number field of each reservation. | |
| Note: Also cadets of the service academies, USPHS and NOAA Corps members. |
TSA uniformed service members, spouses, survivor families and VETS Safe Travel Act pages.
Members of the US armed forces get TSA PreCheck at no cost and without enrolling: TSA says they enter their DoD ID number in the Known Traveler Number field of each reservation. That covers active duty, the Coast Guard, the Reserve and the National Guard, and cadets and midshipmen of the service academies; DoD civilian employees qualify too, after opting in. The benefit is tied to the DoD affiliation and stops when it ends, so retirees and other veterans enroll like everyone else, unless a VA-certified disability qualifies them under the VETS Safe Travel Act, which makes enrollment and renewal free for eligible severely disabled veterans through CLEAR or IDEMIA. Military spouses get $25 off the enrollment or renewal fee. Survivor families enroll and renew free with a TAPS letter. Adult dependents who are not DoD-affiliated do not get PreCheck through the service member. TSA also offers front-of-line service for service members, veterans and their families at more than 30 airports. The tool above sorts your case.
What your card’s fee credit leaves you to pay
Left for you to pay
$0
| Credit | up to $120, once every 4 years |
| Covers: Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS | |
| Annual fee of the card | $795 |
Issuer’s page read on October 26, 2026. The fee must be charged to the card.
Fees and rules read on tsa.gov and cbp.gov by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Every military case at a glance
| Who | Five years of PreCheck | How |
|---|---|---|
| Active duty, Reserve, National Guard, Coast Guard, academy cadets | $0 | DoD ID number as KTN |
| DoD civilian employees | $0 | opt in, then DoD ID as KTN |
| Military spouses | from $54.75 | $25 off with a provider |
| Survivor families | $0 | TAPS letter or TSA form |
| Veterans with qualifying disabilities | $0 | VETS Safe Travel Act, CLEAR or IDEMIA |
| Retirees and other veterans | from $79.75 | regular enrollment |
| Adult dependents, not DoD-affiliated | from $79.75 | regular enrollment |
Using the DoD ID number
Enter the DoD ID number, as printed on your common access card, in the Known Traveler Number field of each reservation, and add it to your frequent flyer profiles. The name and date of birth must match your DoD records. Each family member who is not a service member needs a separate route, shown in the table above. If the indicator does not appear, check the number and name first; the Known Traveler Number page lists the usual causes.
Front-of-line service at airports
Separately from PreCheck, TSA lists more than 30 airports where service members, veterans and their immediate family traveling with them can go to the front of the line, from Albany to Will Rogers in Oklahoma City. Some airports limit it to active duty or to members in uniform. Through TSA Cares, injured service members, veterans and wounded warriors may request assistance at security screening.
Paying less for the rest
A spouse, an adult dependent or a retiree can often get the fee back through a card credit. The tool below shows what each of five cards leaves to pay.
What your card’s fee credit leaves you to pay
Left for you to pay
$0
| Credit | up to $120, once every 4 years |
| Covers: Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS | |
| Annual fee of the card | $795 |
Issuer’s page read on October 26, 2026. The fee must be charged to the card.
For a household that travels abroad, Global Entry may be the better buy for the members who pay: it includes PreCheck and speeds up customs, and children under 18 apply free with a member parent. The chooser on the home page weighs it for your trips.
Survivor families and disabled veterans
Families of fallen service members enroll and renew free with a verification letter from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or a TSA acknowledgment form, through one of the providers; each provider runs its own process. Under the VETS Safe Travel Act, veterans enrolled in VA health care who have a VA-issued wheelchair or prosthetic, or permanent blindness, enroll and renew free through CLEAR or IDEMIA, with the fee waiver letter in their VA.gov account. Both groups receive an ordinary TSA PreCheck membership and KTN, valid five years.
Leaving the service
The DoD ID stops giving PreCheck when the affiliation ends. Plan the change before your last day: enroll with a provider a few weeks ahead, or apply for Global Entry if you travel abroad, so that a new KTN is ready when the DoD ID stops working. Update the Known Traveler Number field in every frequent flyer profile once you have it; an old DoD ID left in a profile will simply stop producing the indicator.