One of the first steps in creating a budget is anticipating how much money you’ll make, and when you will have it.
In general, military pay dates are easy to remember: You usually get paid on the first and 15th of each month.
There are exceptions when those dates fall on a weekend or holiday. In those cases, you would get paid on the weekday preceding that weekend or holiday. So if your pay date would be on Sunday the 15th, you would actually receive your pay on Friday the 13th. (I guess sometimes Friday the 13th can be lucky!).
2023 Military Pay Dates
The following chart outlines military pay dates for 2023, including the day you should receive your payment and the dates your Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) and Net Pay Advice (NPA) should be available through myPay.
Pay Periods: You are paid for the previous work period. Your mid-month pay, which you receive on the 15th of the month, is for pay due from the first to the 15th of the month. Your end-of-month pay, which you receive on the 1st of the following month, is for pay due from the 16th to the end of the month.
| 2023 Pay Period | Mid-month Payday | LES Available | End-of-Month Payday | LES Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Jan. 13 | Jan. 6 | Feb. 1 | Jan. 25 |
| February | Feb. 15 | Feb. 8 | Mar. 1 | Feb. 22 |
| March | Mar. 15 | Mar. 8 | Mar. 31 | Mar. 24 |
| April | Apr. 14 | Apr. 7 | May 1 | Apr. 22 |
| May | May 15 | May 8 | June 1 | May 25 |
| June | June 15 | June 8 | June 30 | June 24 |
| July | July 14 | July 7 | Aug. 1 | July 25 |
| August | Aug. 15 | Aug. 8 | Sep. 1 | Aug. 25 |
| September | Sep. 15 | Sep. 8 | Sep. 29 | Sep. 22 |
| October | Oct. 13 | Oct. 6 | Nov. 1 | Oct. 25 |
| November | Nov. 15 | Nov. 8 | Dec. 1 | Nov. 24 |
| December | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 30 | Dec. 22 |
These pay dates are applicable to active-duty service members of all branches of the military, including the Air Force, Air National Guard, Army, Army National Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force, Coast Guard and the Public Health Service.
Reserve military pay dates have the same pay dates, but the dates the LES is available may be different.
When Will I Receive My Military Paycheck?
Your military paycheck will normally be available on your payday. When you can access the funds depends on your financial institution. With some banks and credit unions, funds may not be available for a day or two.
Some military-friendly banks and credit unions offer access to military deposits as early as two days before the actual pay date. This is common with Navy Federal Credit Union (if you use the Active-Duty Checking Account), among others.
Top Military Banks: Here is our list of the best military banks and credit unions. Consider banking with one of these financial institutions if receiving your pay earlier is important to you.
How Much Is My Military Pay?
Military base pay is based on your rank and total years of service. Your base pay is the same regardless of your branch of service or which job you perform. Here are the 2023 military pay charts.
Military members are also eligible for benefits such as a food allowance called basic allowance for subsistence (BAS), basic allowance for housing (BAH), and sometimes other forms of incentive pay, cost-of-living adjustments based on your location, per diem and travel pay, and other types of compensation.
These different types of allowances can make your pay vary from month to month, based on several factors.
Tracking Your Pay and Benefits:
The military gives service members two forms to track and understand their pay and benefits: Leave The military gives service members two forms to track and understand their pay and benefits: Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) and Net Pay Advice (NPA). Each form can be viewed or downloaded from your myPay account. You may want to keep a copy of these forms to ensure the accuracy of your pay and benefits.
Here is the information found on these forms:
- LES: You should find everything you need to know about your pay and benefits on your LES. It includes your end-of-month pay information, such as gross pay, net pay, state and federal taxes paid, , other pay and benefits (including BAH, BAS, Family Separation Allowance (FSA) Pay, Hazardous Duty Incentives Pay, bonuses, etc.), days of leave, and more.
- NPA: The NPA provides mid-month pay information.
What about partial months? The military considers a month to be 30 days long – this makes it easier for calculating pay and benefits for a partial month of service. So each day of pay is worth 1/30th of your monthly pay and benefits. If you only work part of a pay period you would receive 1/30th of your normal pay and benefits for this period. This is important to know for those times when you PCS, are away on an extended TDY or deployment, or when you separate or retire from the military.
Source: DFAS.
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P H says
Hello, my son is in the MN National Guard and has not received payment for his last two drill weekends. Who does he contact??
Ryan Guina says
Hello PH, He should contact his finance office. But this is a question he should really be asking his supervision. He needs to learn how to navigate the military system to ensure he is receiving the full benefits he has earned. Being assertive and proactive is a life skill everyone should have, especially someone who is serving in the military.
Rena says
This pay chart for Navy Federal is inaccurate when scrubbed against their actual pay dates for active duty on their website and online banking.