How to use the 1380 Tool.

1. What this tool does

The 1380 Tool generates compliant DA Form 1380s — the Army Reserve duty-credit form — and tracks each form through the pay lifecycle. It replaces the usual workflow of copy-pasting templates, tracking in spreadsheets, and digging through emails to find what you submitted last drill.

It validates every form against AR 140-185 (26 July 2024) before generating, so caps and timing rules can't be exceeded by accident. Every form you create is stored, searchable, and downloadable as a signed PDF.

2. Getting access

Access is allowlist-only. Contact your OPSO to be added. Once you're on the roster, your account is keyed off two addresses:

• .mil email — your identity for audit purposes.
• Personal email — where the tool actually sends sign-in links. Most reservists can't easily check .mil from a personal phone.

You can sign in with either address. The link always goes to your personal email if one is on file.

3. Signing in (magic link + 2FA)

No password. Sign-in is by one-time email link plus a 6-digit code from an authenticator app.

1. Open /login and enter your email. The form says "we sent a link" once you submit (whether or not the address is on the allowlist — that's intentional, so attackers can't enumerate accounts).
2. Open the email and click Sign in to 1380 Tool. The first time you click, the link opens an interstitial confirmation page — that's normal; it stops automated email scanners from burning the link before you see it.
3. First sign-in only: the tool will show a QR code. Scan it with Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, or any TOTP app. You'll also get 10 one-time backup codes — save these somewhere safe (Bitwarden, Apple Notes with face ID lock, printed in your wallet). They're your only fallback if you lose your phone.
4. Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator. You're in.

Subsequent sign-ins: email link → 6-digit code → dashboard. The whole flow takes about 30 seconds.

4. Creating a 1380

From the dashboard, click New 1380. The wizard has three steps:

Step 1 — Pick a duty type

Five options:

• RST — Normal IDT / make-up for a missed Battle Assembly
• RMA — Reserve Management Activity (admin / staff work outside drill)
• Points Only — Voluntary, non-paid IDT for retirement points
• MDR — Medical Duty Readiness (PHA, dental, immunization)
• EBDL — Electronic-Based Distributed Learning (online coursework)

Each card shows the AR 140-185 citation and who signs Block 11. Not sure which one applies to you? See the doctrine reference — there's a soldier-friendly page per duty type.

Step 2 — Fill in the duty details

Every duty type uses the same flow:

1. Pick the number of days (1–8)
2. For each day, enter the date and pick Half day (4 hours) or Full day (8 hours)
3. Write a short description for each day — what you actually did. After Day 1's description is filled, you'll see an "Apply Day 1's description to all days" button if you did the same thing across the days.
4. Confirm the Location (defaults to the unit address)

RMA is the one exception — hours are locked at 4 (one period) since RMAs are one-per-day per the regulation.

Step 3 — Review and generate

You'll see a summary of everything before generation. Hit Generate 1380. The tool validates caps (e.g., 24 RMAs/FY, 60-day window for RST), and if everything's clean you'll land on the record's detail page with a downloadable PDF.

If a cap is violated, you'll see exactly which rule was hit, with the AR 140-185 citation. Go back and adjust — your data isn't lost.

5. Downloading + sharing for signature

From any record's detail page, click Download PDF. The file is named DA1380-{DutyType}-{LastName}-{DDMMM}.pdf — e.g. DA1380-RST-Perez-22MAY.pdf — so a folder of downloads sorts cleanly.

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat to sign Block 10a (your CAC signature). Then email it to whoever signs Block 11:

• Your unit O/WO — for RST, RMA, Points Only
• SOCOM ARE — for MDR and EBDL (they handle Block 11 directly)

When the signed PDF comes back, hang on to it — you'll attach it when you mark the record as Signed in the tool.

6. Tracking through pay

Each 1380 moves through these states:

1. generated — created in the tool, not yet sent
2. submitted — emailed to whoever signs Block 11
3. signed — Block 11 signed, returned to you
4. pay — submitted to S1 / finance for processing
5. paid — confirmed in pay (counts against your annual cap)

Two off-ramp states: rejected (bounced for any reason — needs a note explaining why) and voided (you killed the record yourself — same).

To move a record between states: from the dashboard or detail page, click the pencil icon → Update status. Pick the new state and add a note if needed.

7. Troubleshooting

I didn't get the sign-in email.

Check spam. Also check that your personal email on file is correct (you can see it on your profile after signing in once). If it's wrong, ping the OPSO to fix.

"Sign-in session expired."

The link expired (10-minute window) or was already used. Request a new one from /login.

"That sign-in link is invalid."

The link was used once already. Each link is single-use. Get a fresh one.

I lost my authenticator phone.

Use one of the 10 backup codes you saved at first sign-in. Enter the email + click the magic link, then on the 6-digit code page click "Use a backup code instead." Each code is one-time use.

I'm locked out (no phone, no backup codes).

Contact the OPSO. They can reset TOTP on your account.

The PDF looks blank in Adobe Acrobat.

Re-download. The tool generates fresh bytes each time. If it still looks blank, also try opening in Edge or Chrome (drag the file in) — those render reliably. Acrobat is the right tool for the signing step.

I exceeded a cap by accident.

The tool blocked generation. Go back to Step 2, fix the count or dates, and resubmit. Nothing was saved — caps are checked before any record is created.

I made a mistake on a 1380 I already generated.

Two options: (1) Delete the record (only if it's still in generated state and hasn't been sent), or (2) generate a corrected one and reference it in the description of the new one. Once a record is in paid state it's history — generate a corrected version that supersedes it; the original stays for audit.

8. Get help

Something not working as expected? Send screenshots + the record ID to the OPSO. The tool logs an audit trail of every action, so support can usually pin down what happened.

Want to suggest a feature? Same channel. It's actively developed.