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Active-duty service members are paid twice a month — the 15th (mid-month) and the 1st of the following month (end-of-month). When a payday lands on a weekend or federal holiday, it moves to the business day before. Here is every official 2026 payday.
| Month | Mid-month payday (15th) | End-of-month payday (1st) |
|---|---|---|
| January | Thu, Jan 15 | Fri, Jan 30 |
| February | Fri, Feb 13 | Fri, Feb 27 |
| March | Fri, Mar 13 | Wed, Apr 1 |
| April | Wed, Apr 15 | Fri, May 1 |
| May | Fri, May 15 | Mon, Jun 1 |
| June | Mon, Jun 15 | Wed, Jul 1 |
| July | Wed, Jul 15 | Fri, Jul 31 |
| August | Fri, Aug 14 | Tue, Sep 1 |
| September | Tue, Sep 15 | Thu, Oct 1 |
| October | Thu, Oct 15 | Fri, Oct 30 |
| November | Fri, Nov 13 | Tue, Dec 1 |
| December | Tue, Dec 15 | Fri, Jan 1 |
Dates are calculated from the DoD schedule (mid-month = 15th, end-of-month = 1st) rolled back to the preceding business day for weekends and federal holidays, which govern ACH settlement. Verify against DFAS or your bank if you are timing a payment. Not financial advice.
The official payday is the same for everyone, but military-friendly banks front the funds a day or two early because they receive the DFAS payroll file ahead of the settlement date. See the estimated early-posting calendar for yours:
Active-duty service members are paid twice a month: on the 15th (mid-month pay) and on the 1st of the following month (end-of-month pay). When the 1st or 15th falls on a weekend or a federal holiday, pay is issued on the preceding business day instead, so the exact date shifts some months.
Mid-month pay lands around the 15th and covers the first half of the month; end-of-month pay lands around the 1st and covers the second half. Each is roughly half of your monthly entitlement (base pay plus allowances like BAH and BAS), before deductions.
DFAS issues pay on the official date, but many military-friendly banks make the funds available one to two business days early because they receive the payroll file ahead of the settlement date. Navy Federal typically posts about one business day early and USAA up to two. The official DoD payday itself does not move.
It moves earlier, never later. If the 1st or 15th is a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the pay is disbursed on the last business day before it. That is why some 2026 paydays land on the 13th or 14th instead of the 15th.
No. Military retired pay and annuitant pay are issued once a month, on the first business day of the following month, not twice a month like active-duty pay. This page covers the active-duty schedule.
Check your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) in myPay, the DFAS self-service portal. Your LES shows entitlements, deductions, allotments, and leave balance for each pay period.