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Military Pay · 2026 Calendar

Every 2026 payday

Straight off the DFAS tables — active duty, Reserve and Guard, and retired pay, plus the LES release date for every pay period. Also here: which banks actually pay you early, and why we refuse to print a VA disability date table when VA never published one.

Active duty, 2026

From DFAS's “2026 Active Duty Paydays” table (source, Updated May 28, 2026).

MonthMid-month payLES availableEnd-of-month payLES available
JanuaryJan 15Jan 8Jan 30Jan 23
FebruaryFeb 13Feb 6Feb 27Feb 20
MarchMar 13Mar 6Apr 1Mar 25
AprilApr 15Apr 8May 1Apr 25
MayMay 15May 8Jun 1May 22
JuneJun 15Jun 5Jul 1Jun 24
JulyJul 15Jul 8Jul 31Jul 24
AugustAug 14Aug 7Sep 1Aug 25
SeptemberSep 15Sep 4Oct 1Sep 24
OctoberOct 15Oct 8Oct 30Oct 23
NovemberNov 13Nov 6Dec 1Nov 24
DecemberDec 15Dec 8Dec 31Dec 24

Reserve & Guard, 2026

DFAS publishes a separate Reserve payroll schedule (source). The paydays match active duty; six of the 24 LES availability dates don't — which is exactly the kind of detail that makes you think your LES is late when it isn't.

MonthMid-month payLES availableEnd-of-month payLES available
JanuaryJan 15Jan 8Jan 30Jan 23
FebruaryFeb 13Feb 6Feb 27Feb 20
MarchMar 13Mar 6Apr 1Mar 25
AprilApr 15Apr 8May 1Apr 24
MayMay 15May 8Jun 1May 22
JuneJun 15Jun 5Jul 1Jun 23
JulyJul 15Jul 8Jul 31Jul 24
AugustAug 14Aug 7Sep 1Aug 25
SeptemberSep 15Sep 9Oct 1Sep 23
OctoberOct 15Oct 7Oct 30Oct 23
NovemberNov 13Nov 6Dec 1Nov 24
DecemberDec 15Dec 9Dec 31Dec 22

Retired & annuitant pay, 2026

By entitlement month (DFAS, updated Feb. 9, 2026). Retirees and annuitants split when the 1st lands on a weekend or holiday.

Entitlement monthRetirees paidAnnuitants paid
December 2025Dec 31, 2025Jan 2, 2026
January 2026Jan 30, 2026Feb 2, 2026
February 2026Feb 27, 2026Mar 2, 2026
March 2026Apr 1, 2026Apr 1, 2026
April 2026May 1, 2026May 1, 2026
May 2026Jun 1, 2026Jun 1, 2026
June 2026Jul 1, 2026Jul 1, 2026
July 2026Jul 31, 2026Aug 3, 2026
August 2026Sep 1, 2026Sep 1, 2026
September 2026Oct 1, 2026Oct 1, 2026
October 2026Oct 30, 2026Nov 2, 2026
November 2026Dec 1, 2026Dec 1, 2026
December 2026Dec 31, 2026Jan 4, 2027
“Retired and annuitant pay is due on the first of the month. However, if the first falls on a weekend or holiday, retirees are paid on the last business day of the month and annuitants are paid on the first business day of month. For example, March 1, 2026 is a Sunday. Therefore, for the February 2026 entitlement, retirees are scheduled to receive payment on February 27, 2026. Annuitants are scheduled to receive payment on March 2, 2026.”

Getting paid early

Nobody moves the payday — what moves is when your bank releases the money after it receives the file from DFAS. Two banks publish specifics.

Navy Federal

“Members with Active Duty Checking Accounts will receive their Direct Deposit Net Pay (DDNP) 1 business day early.” They publish a dated 2026 posting calendar — the PDF is the one to trust; the HTML version had internally inconsistent September dates when we checked it.

USAA

“You'll get paid up to two days early.” — but read their own fine print, which we quote in full because it matters: “Early access to direct deposit funds is subject to when USAA Federal Savings Bank receives notice of payment from the payer, which is generally one to two business days before the scheduled payment date. Early access to direct deposit funds is not guaranteed, may be stopped at any time, and may vary between pay periods.” [source]

Navy Federal 2026 posting calendar — all 24 dates
PayEarly postEarly availableRegular postRegular available
Active Net PayJan 13Jan 14Jan 14Jan 15
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltJan 28Jan 29Jan 29Jan 30
Active Net PayFeb 11Feb 12Feb 12Feb 13
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltFeb 25Feb 26Feb 26Feb 27
Active Net PayMar 11Mar 12Mar 12Mar 13
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltMar 30Mar 31Mar 31Apr 1
Active Net PayApr 13Apr 14Apr 14Apr 15
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltApr 29Apr 30Apr 30May 1
Active Net PayMay 13May 14May 14May 15
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltMay 28May 29May 29May 30
Active Net PayJun 11Jun 12Jun 12Jun 13
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltJun 29Jun 30Jun 30Jul 1
Active Net PayJul 13Jul 14Jul 14Jul 15
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltJul 29Jul 30Jul 30Jul 31
Active Net PayAug 12Aug 13Aug 13Aug 14
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltAug 28Aug 29Aug 31Sep 1
Active Net PaySep 11Sep 12Sep 14Sep 15
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltSep 29Sep 30Sep 30Oct 1
Active Net PayOct 13Oct 14Oct 14Oct 15
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltOct 29Oct 29Oct 29Oct 30
Active Net PayNov 10Nov 11Nov 12Nov 13
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltNov 27Nov 28Nov 30Dec 1
Active Net PayDec 11Dec 12Dec 14Dec 15
Active/Retired Net Pay/AltDec 28Dec 29Dec 30Dec 31

VA disability and GI Bill: why there's no table here

Search “VA disability pay dates 2026” and you'll find a dozen sites with a tidy twelve-row calendar. We went looking for VA's version of that table across va.gov, benefits.va.gov, vba.va.gov, and department.va.gov. It doesn't exist. VA publishes a rule, not a schedule — and the education equivalent, VA's old “Projected Payment Dates” chart, now returns a 404.

So everyone printing exact VA dates is deriving them from a rule VA stated loosely, and presenting the result as official. We're not doing that. Here is the actual wording, and you can do the arithmetic knowing what it rests on.

“Depending on whether you elect to receive your monthly compensation by check or direct deposit, you should receive your funds within 15 days. Thereafter, your payments will be made at the beginning of each month for the prior month.”

GI Bill housing allowance

“Housing payments go out at the beginning of every month.”
VA source
“Post-9/11 GI Bill students, your housing comes after every month you're in school, not before.”
VA source
“Electronic payments typically take 5 business days and checks typically take 2 weeks.”
VA source
“Enrollments take up to 2 weeks to process. Your school must submit your enrollment to start the clock.”
VA source
“On-the-job-training and apprenticeship students need to ensure their monthly hours were submitted and then they'll be paid the next month.”
VA source
“Yes, it's paid proportionally based on enrollment. Half of the stipend is paid at the beginning of each semester.”
VA source
“If your enrollment starts after the first of the month or ends before the last day of the month, we'll pay you a prorated housing payment for the part of the month you're enrolled”
VA source
“we'll deposit your payment into your bank account 7 to 10 business days after you verify your school enrollment”
VA source
“you should receive your first check by mail about 14 days after you verify your school enrollment”
VA source
“In 2011, Congress passed a law that prohibits VA from paying MHA during school breaks. This includes breaks between semesters, quarters, and terms”
VA source
“Often the VA systems process several smaller payments instead of one larger one.”
VA source

The weekend rule

“Active-duty Service members are paid on the 15th and the last day of each month. If either date falls on a holiday or weekend, you'll receive your pay on the preceding workday.”

One honest wrinkle: that DoD rule says “the last day of each month,” but the DFAS 2026 table prints seven end-of-month paydays on the 1st of the following month. When the rule and the table disagree, the table is what actually runs. We publish the table.

Quick answers

When do active-duty service members get paid in 2026?
Twice a month — around the 15th and the end of the month. DFAS's 2026 table puts mid-month pay on January 15, February 13, March 13, April 15, May 15, June 15, July 15, August 14, September 15, October 15, November 13, and December 15. Note that seven of the 2026 "end of month" paydays actually land on the 1st of the following month (April 1, May 1, June 1, July 1, September 1, October 1, and December 1) because of how weekends and holidays fall.
What happens when payday falls on a weekend or holiday?
Per DoD: "Active-duty Service members are paid on the 15th and the last day of each month. If either date falls on a holiday or weekend, you'll receive your pay on the preceding workday." That rule is why several 2026 dates shift earlier. It also conflicts slightly with how the DFAS table prints some end-of-month dates — when they disagree, the DFAS table is the operative schedule.
When is retired military pay deposited?
DFAS: "Retired and annuitant pay is due on the first of the month. However, if the first falls on a weekend or holiday, retirees are paid on the last business day of the month and annuitants are paid on the first business day of month." That split is why retirees and annuitants sometimes see different dates for the same entitlement month.
Can you get military pay a day or two early?
With some banks, yes. Navy Federal states that members with Active Duty Checking Accounts receive their Direct Deposit Net Pay one business day early, and publishes a dated 2026 posting calendar. USAA says you'll get paid up to two days early, but its own disclosure notes early access "is not guaranteed, may be stopped at any time, and may vary between pay periods." Early availability depends on when the bank receives the payment file, not on DFAS moving the payday.
What are the VA disability payment dates for 2026?
VA does not publish a 2026 date table, so neither do we. VA's own wording is that after your first payment, "your payments will be made at the beginning of each month for the prior month." Sites publishing exact VA payment date tables are extrapolating from a rule VA never stated that precisely. Watch your bank, not a calendar someone made up.
When is my LES available?
DFAS publishes an exact LES availability date for all 24 pay periods, and it generally lands about a week before payday — for example, mid-month January pay on the 15th with the LES available on the 8th. Reserve LES dates differ from active-duty dates in six of the 24 periods, which is why we publish both tables.

All dates transcribed from DFAS and bank-published tables, verified 2026-08-18. Nothing on this page is estimated or derived. DFAS had not published a 2027 calendar as of that date; we'll add it when they do.

2026 Military Pay ChartLES BreakdownBAH LookupRetirement Calculator
Published by the Honest MOS Editorial DeskVerified against DoD/.gov sourcesUpdated May 2026Editorial standards