Typically while serving in the military you are paid on the 1st and 15th of every month. However, due to weekend and holidays, the actual military pay dates may vary.
Actual paydays vary. Some paydays are on Mondays, some on Thursdays and even one on a Friday. Check closely to know when you will be paid.
Military Pay Dates 2020
Scheduled Military Pay Date
Wednesday, January 15th
Friday, January 31st
Friday, February 14th
Friday, February 28th
Friday, March 13th
Wednesday, April 1st
Wednesday, April 15th
Friday, May 1st
Friday, May 15th
Monday, June 1st
Monday, June 15th
Wednesday, July 1st
Wednesday, July 15th
Friday, July 31st
Friday, August 14th
Tuesday, September 1st
Tuesday, September 15th
Thursday, October 1st
Thursday, October 15th
Friday, October 30th
Friday, November 13th
Tuesday, December 1st
Tuesday, December 15th
Thursday, December 31st
If you are a planner, you will want to know the exact dates you are going to get paid. As you can see, paydays can be any day during the workweek. Some pay periods are only 14 days long, and others a bit longer. It is important to be aware of how long you will have to go, so you know how long your pay will need to last.
Military Pay Dates For Retirees 2020
For retirees, if the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday, they get paid on the last business day of the prior month.
Scheduled Military Pay Date
Friday, January 31st (For January)
Friday, February 28th (For February)
Wednesday, April 1st (For March)
Friday, May 1st (For April)
Monday, June 1st (For May)
Wednesday, July 1st (For June)
Friday, July 31st (For July)
Tuesday, September 1st (For August)
Thursday, October 1st (For September)
Friday, October 30th (For October)
Tuesday, December 1st (For November)
Thursday, December 31st (For December)
Military Pay Dates For Annuitants 2020
For annuitants, if the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday, they get paid on the first business day of the month.
Scheduled Military Pay Date
Monday, February 3rd (For January)
Monday, March 2nd (For February)
Wednesday, April 1st (For March)
Friday, May 1st (For April)
Monday, June 1st (For May)
Wednesday, July 1st (For June)
Monday, August 3rd (For July)
Tuesday, September 1st (For August)
Thursday, October 1st (For September)
Monday, November 2nd (For October)
Tuesday, December 1st (For November)
Monday, January 4th, 2021 (For December)
MyPay and DFAS
MyPay is run by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and is an online pay account management system that provides information about paychecks and tax information. This is for military service members, retirees, annuitants, and federal civilian employees.
On MyPay you can find your:
- LES (Leave and Earnings Statement,)
- W2 Wage and Tax statements
- SLRP tax forms
At MyPay you can also:
- change or begin your direct deposit
- change your tax withholdings
- stop or start hard copies of your LES or W2
- enroll in TSP (Thrift Savings Plan)
- change or cancel contribution percentage for TSP
RELATED: How to Maximize Your TSP Retirement Fund
Your LES should be available on MyPay a week before payday. You should check your LES to make sure everything looks the way that it should. If there is a problem with your pay, the earlier you take care of it, the better.
You can also give your spouse access to MyPay which will is a good idea if they are the ones in charge of figuring out the bills or if you are deployed.
Following your LES and being aware of what is going on in MyPay is one way to make sure your finances are on point. Mistakes can happen and you might not notice if you are not paying attention to your income statements.
Early Pay Dates
Members of financial institutions such as USAA and Navy Federal Credit Union can have funds made available even earlier with direct deposit. Check the following to see when funds are made available.
As a service member, you also have the option to get paid once a month, instead of twice. If you choose to do so, you would receive your full pay on the first payday of each month.
PAY AND BENEFITS UPDATES FOR 2019:
- Military Benefits Updates for 2019
- BAH Rates 2019
- Military to Receive Pay Raise in 2019
- VA Disability Benefits Pay
- National Guard Pay and Reserve Pay
- Reserve Pay Dates (@ MyMilitaryBenefits.com)
- What the 3.1% Military Pay Raise May Mean to You (@ MyMilitaryBenefits.com)
About the author
Julie Provost is a freelance writer, blogger, and owner of Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life, a support blog for military spouses. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.
