2026 Military Pay Dates for Active-Duty Paychecks
Military members get paid twice a month, on the 1st and the 15th, unless those days fall on weekend a holiday. If so, military members get paid the preceding business day.
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In general, military pay dates are easy to remember: Military pay is issued on the 1st and 15th of each month.
There are exceptions when those dates fall on a weekend or holiday. In such cases, you would receive payment on the weekday preceding the weekend or holiday. So, if your pay date were on Sunday, the 15th, you would actually receive your pay on Friday, the 13th. (I guess sometimes Friday the 13th can be lucky!).
2026 Military Pay Dates
The following chart outlines the military pay dates for 2025, including the day you can expect to receive your payment and the dates your Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) and Net Pay Advice (NPA) will be available through myPay.
| 2026 Pay Period | Mid-month Payday | LES Available | End-of-Month Payday | LES Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Jan. 15 | Jan. 8 | Jan. 30 | Jan. 23 |
| February | Feb. 13 | Feb. 6 | Feb. 27 | Feb. 20 |
| March | Mar. 13 | Mar. 6 | Apr. 1 | Mar. 25 |
| April | Apr. 15 | Apr. 8 | May 1 | Apr. 25 |
| May | May 15 | May 8 | May 29 | May 22 |
| June | June 15 | June 5 | July 1 | June 24 |
| July | July 15 | July 8 | July 31 | July 24 |
| August | Aug. 14 | Aug. 7 | Sept. 1 | Aug. 25 |
| September | Sept. 15 | Sept. 4 | Oct. 1 | Sept. 24 |
| October | Oct. 15 | Oct. 8 | Oct. 30 | Oct. 23 |
| November | Nov. 13 | Nov. 6 | Dec. 1 | Nov. 24 |
| December | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 31 | Dec. 24 |
Pay Periods: Your monthly military pay is 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.
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 are the same as active-duty pay dates, but the dates the LES is available may differ.
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 one to two business days.
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.
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 cause your pay to vary from month to month, depending on several factors.
Tracking Your Pay and Benefits:
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 to calculate 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.
