Military Pay Dates 2026 and 2027
Active-duty and Reserve military pay is released on the 15th and the 1st. When either date lands on a weekend or a federal holiday, the payday moves to the last business day before it. Below are every 2026 and 2027 payday with the weekday and the reason a date moved. For how much you are paid, see the 2026 military pay chart.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Schedule checked against archived DFAS pages October 18, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Next military payday
Friday, October 30, 2026
End-of-month pay. November 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday.
2026 military pay dates
These dates match the schedule DFAS publishes for active-duty and Reserve pay. Rows shaded amber are paydays that moved earlier.
| Payday | Type | Why this date |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, January 15, 2026 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Thursday. |
| Friday, January 30, 2026 | End-of-month pay | February 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Friday, February 13, 2026 | Mid-month pay | February 15, 2026 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Friday, February 27, 2026 | End-of-month pay | March 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Friday, March 13, 2026 | Mid-month pay | March 15, 2026 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Wednesday, April 1, 2026 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Wednesday. |
| Wednesday, April 15, 2026 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Wednesday. |
| Friday, May 1, 2026 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Friday. |
| Friday, May 15, 2026 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Friday. |
| Monday, June 1, 2026 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Monday. |
| Monday, June 15, 2026 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Monday. |
| Wednesday, July 1, 2026 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Wednesday. |
| Wednesday, July 15, 2026 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Wednesday. |
| Friday, July 31, 2026 | End-of-month pay | August 1, 2026 is a Saturday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Friday, August 14, 2026 | Mid-month pay | August 15, 2026 is a Saturday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Tuesday, September 1, 2026 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Tuesday. |
| Tuesday, September 15, 2026 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Tuesday. |
| Thursday, October 1, 2026 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Thursday. |
| Thursday, October 15, 2026 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Thursday. |
| Friday, October 30, 2026 | End-of-month pay | November 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Friday, November 13, 2026 | Mid-month pay | November 15, 2026 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Tuesday, December 1, 2026 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Tuesday. |
| Tuesday, December 15, 2026 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Tuesday. |
| Thursday, December 31, 2026 | End-of-month pay | January 1, 2027 is New Year's Day, a federal holiday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Thursday. |
2027 military pay dates
DFAS has not published a 2027 schedule, so these dates are calculated with the same rule and the federal holiday calendar. Rows shaded amber are paydays that move earlier.
| Payday | Type | Why this date |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, January 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Friday. |
| Monday, February 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Monday. |
| Friday, February 12, 2027 | Mid-month pay | February 15, 2027 is Washington's Birthday, a federal holiday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Monday, March 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Monday. |
| Monday, March 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Monday. |
| Thursday, April 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Thursday. |
| Thursday, April 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Thursday. |
| Friday, April 30, 2027 | End-of-month pay | May 1, 2027 is a Saturday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Friday, May 14, 2027 | Mid-month pay | May 15, 2027 is a Saturday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Tuesday, June 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Tuesday. |
| Tuesday, June 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Tuesday. |
| Thursday, July 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Thursday. |
| Thursday, July 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Thursday. |
| Friday, July 30, 2027 | End-of-month pay | August 1, 2027 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Friday, August 13, 2027 | Mid-month pay | August 15, 2027 is a Sunday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Friday. |
| Wednesday, September 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Wednesday. |
| Wednesday, September 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Wednesday. |
| Friday, October 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Friday. |
| Friday, October 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Friday. |
| Monday, November 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Monday. |
| Monday, November 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Monday. |
| Wednesday, December 1, 2027 | End-of-month pay | Paid on the 1st, a Wednesday. |
| Wednesday, December 15, 2027 | Mid-month pay | Paid on the 15th, a Wednesday. |
| Thursday, December 30, 2027 | End-of-month pay | January 1, 2028 is a Saturday, so pay moves to the preceding business day, Thursday. (December 31, 2027 is the observed New Year's Day holiday.) |
December 31, 2027 is the observed New Year's Day holiday for federal offices, so this payday moves back one more business day. That follows DFAS's December 2021 schedule, when New Year's Day 2022 fell on a Saturday and end-of-month pay was released Thursday, December 30, 2021. Check DFAS once it publishes this year's dates.
How the schedule works
Pay for the first half of a month is the mid-month payday, on the 15th. Pay for the second half is the end-of-month payday, on the 1st of the next month. A payday on a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday is released on the preceding business day, and if that day is also a holiday, the one before it. Holidays count on the day federal offices observe them: when New Year's Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, DFAS pays on Thursday, as it did on December 30, 2021. A payday that moves back across New Year's belongs to the earlier year, which is why the first payday of 2027 is January 15 and the year ends with a payday on December 30, 2027.
Some banks and credit unions post military pay early. That is the institution's policy and not the DoD date, so the schedule above is the one to plan around.
Federal holidays that can move a payday in 2026 and 2027 (plus New Year's Day 2028, observed December 31, 2027), with the day federal offices observe them:
- New Year's DayJanuary 1, 2026
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.January 19, 2026
- Washington's BirthdayFebruary 16, 2026
- Memorial DayMay 25, 2026
- Juneteenth National Independence DayJune 19, 2026
- Independence DayJuly 4, 2026 (observed Friday, July 3, 2026)
- Labor DaySeptember 7, 2026
- Columbus DayOctober 12, 2026
- Veterans DayNovember 11, 2026
- Thanksgiving DayNovember 26, 2026
- Christmas DayDecember 25, 2026
- New Year's DayJanuary 1, 2027
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.January 18, 2027
- Washington's BirthdayFebruary 15, 2027
- Memorial DayMay 31, 2027
- Juneteenth National Independence DayJune 19, 2027 (observed Friday, June 18, 2027)
- Independence DayJuly 4, 2027 (observed Monday, July 5, 2027)
- Labor DaySeptember 6, 2027
- Columbus DayOctober 11, 2027
- Veterans DayNovember 11, 2027
- Thanksgiving DayNovember 25, 2027
- Christmas DayDecember 25, 2027 (observed Friday, December 24, 2027)
- New Year's DayJanuary 1, 2028 (observed Friday, December 31, 2027)
Leaving the service? The VA disability pay chart and the VA disability calculator show what the VA pays after separation.
Military pay date questions
When do military members get paid?
Active-duty pay is released twice a month: mid-month pay on the 15th and end-of-month pay on the 1st of the following month. When the 1st or 15th falls on a weekend or a federal holiday, DFAS releases that payday on the last business day before it. DFAS publishes the same paydays for Reserve component members.
Why did I get paid before the date on the DFAS schedule?
Some banks and credit unions post incoming military pay as soon as they receive the payment file from DFAS, which can be one or more business days before the official payday. That is the bank’s policy, not a DoD payday, and it can vary from month to month. Check your bank’s own calendar.
Is there one payday or two in a month?
Usually two, but a payday that moves back can slide into the previous month, so some months have one and others three. In 2026, March, August and November have one payday each, while July, October and December have three; November has one because the November 1 end-of-month pay moves back to Friday, October 30.
Where do I see my pay and my LES?
Your leave and earnings statement (LES) is in myPay. DFAS also lists the dates each month’s LES becomes available on its payday schedule.
Are the 2027 dates official?
Not yet. DFAS has not published a 2027 schedule on the pages we checked, so the 2027 dates are calculated with the same rule DFAS used for 2026 and the federal holiday calendar. Check DFAS or myPay when the official schedule is posted.
Military pay tools
After you separate
Sources: DFAS: 2026 paydays · OPM: federal holidays