The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, in plain English
Know the law. Keep your money.
Federal law caps your pre-service debt at 6% APR, breaks leases when orders move you, and shields your home and car. Most service members never claim a dollar of it. Claiming takes one letter.
- Issuer SCRA desks
- 46 verified
- State add-ons
- 50 states
- Plain-English guides
- 302
- Cost to you
- $0
The protections
Where your money is hiding
- The 6% Interest Rate Cap
Cut every pre-service debt (credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, student loans) to 6% APR and claim refunds.
- Break Leases & Contracts Penalty-Free
End apartment leases, auto leases, and phone contracts without fees when orders move you.
- Protect Your Home & Car
Foreclosure and repossession protections that keep your biggest assets safe during service.
- Eligibility & Timing
Who qualifies, what paperwork proves it, and exactly when protections start and stop.
- Military Money Moves
Beyond the rights, the money plays that maximize your benefits: combat-zone tax, the SDP, choosing a military bank, deployment and PCS money, aid societies, and the timing moves generic guides never cover.
- Defend Your Rights in Court
Sued, served, or facing eviction while you serve? Default-judgment shields, the 90-day stay, the rights you can be tricked into waiving, and how to make a lender that broke the law pay.
- The Military Lending Act (36% Cap)
The SCRA covers debt from before you served; the Military Lending Act caps NEW consumer credit taken out while you serve at a 36% MAPR, and bans the predatory terms that target troops.
- SCRA for Landlords, Lenders & Courts
The other side of the desk: what a landlord, lender, servicer, collector or court must do under the SCRA. The military affidavit, the DMDC status check, the notices, the deadlines, and what DOJ has fined for getting them wrong.
- State-by-State SCRA Benefits
Your state stacks its own protections on top of the federal SCRA: state-duty Guard coverage, longer rate caps, broader lease exits. What applies where you live.
The receipts
Checked against the source, on a date
Military blogs repeat SCRA rates and phone numbers no bank publishes. We fetch every issuer's own page, stamp what we find with the date we found it, and re-check monthly.
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The SCRA department directory
Every major issuer's SCRA desk: phone, fax, mailing address, portal. Call the right desk the first time.
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The rate tracker
What each bank's own page actually states, re-verified monthly, every change logged with a date.
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The scorecard
Banks say "two billing cycles." Servicemembers report what actually happened. Add yours.
The enforcement desk
What it costs to break this law
Every Justice Department SCRA action, transcribed from the DOJ record: 66 cases, who paid, how much, and for what. If your lender or landlord is on this list, read the order before you call them.
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2026 · repossession
CarMax SCRA Settlement: 28 Vehicles Repossessed Without Court Orders28 vehicles
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2026 · repossession
Holmes Motors SCRA Settlement: Repossessions and Kept DepositsThree vehicles repossessed, five leases terminated
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2026 · consumer contract
ADT SCRA Settlement: $1.26 Million Fund, at Least 3,400 ServicemembersAt least 3,400 servicemembers
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2026 · default judgment
Rental Marketing Solutions: $60,000 for One False Military AffidavitOne active-duty Navy sailor; DOJ calls it the largest amount it has ever obtained for a single servicemember in a false-affidavit case
Browse the full enforcement ledger Landlord, lender or court? Start with the compliance desk
New to the SCRA
Start here
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What Is the SCRA? The Military Law Worth Thousands a Year
The SCRA (Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) caps pre-service debt at 6%, ends leases on orders, and blocks foreclosure without a court order. How it works.
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SCRA Interest Rate Cap: The 6% Rule, How It Works, How to File
The SCRA 6% rule (50 U.S.C. § 3937): pre-service debt capped at 6%, excess forgiven, retroactive, mortgages one year after service. Who goes lower, how to file.
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SCRA Eligibility: Who Qualifies, When It Starts & Ends
Who qualifies for the SCRA under 50 U.S.C. § 3911: active duty, Guard, Reserve, spouses, veterans, and which debts count. Status table, start and end dates.
Look it up
By state, by company, by section
- Military affidavit forms 48 jurisdictions, each checked on its court's own site
- Is military retirement taxed in your state? 42 state pages with a calculator
- Vehicle tax exemptions for servicemembers 9 state pages
- Cancel a phone, internet, gym or security contract on orders with company-by-company guides
- Car insurance on deployment insurer by insurer
- Privatized base housing rights and the companies that run it
- SCRA violations by type from 66 DOJ and court records
- The SCRA, section by section 40 sections with their full text
Fresh off the desk
Latest guides
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AAA Insurance Military Discount: None on 3 Club Lists; Dues Vary
Three AAA clubs list no military car insurance discount. AAA Washington takes 15% off dues for active military; AAA Mountain West says it has no such offer.
SoCal club mileage: up to $286.50/yr
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American Family Insurance Military Discount: 0 of 20 Car Discounts
None of the 20 discounts in American Family's car tables is military. MilesMyWay pays up to 25% for low mileage. Policies may cover the U.S. and Canada.
$972 over 9 months, illustrative
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Armed Forces Bank Early Pay Calendar: All 24 Dates Follow Its Rule
Armed Forces Bank posts DFAS pay 1 business day early, 2 if the 1st or 15th is a weekend or holiday. Rest of 2026: 10/29, 11/12, 11/30, 12/14, 12/30.
One business day, every payday
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Chevrolet Military Discount: GM Authorization Number Lasts 90 Days
GM's military offer runs on an ID.me-verified authorization number, good 90 days, two a year, at Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Delivery by Jan 4, 2027.
$500 allowance plus a $75 doc fee cap
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Erie Insurance Military Discount: None Listed; 90-Day Storage Discount
Erie lists no military discount. Store a car 90 days or more and it offers a reduced usage discount, except in Kentucky. It sells auto in 12 states and D.C.
$810 over 9 months, illustrative
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Ford Military Discount: $500 or $1,000 Depending on Your ZIP Code
Ford's military cash showed $1,000 at Fort Bragg, Fort Hood, Norfolk and Eglin ZIPs but $500 at JBLM, Pendleton and Fort Carson (Oct 16, 2026). ID.me required.
$500 to $1,000 cash, by ZIP
Beyond the federal floor
What your state adds on top of the federal SCRA
The SCRA is the federal floor. Most states stack their own protections on top: a state SCRA of their own, National Guard coverage on state active duty, longer rate caps, or broader lease exits. Find yours on the map, then open its page.
- Cited to the U.S. Code Every protection links to the statute
- Written by a veteran Air Force vet, banking background
- Tools that do the work Letter generator, deadline checker, rate-cap lookup
Read our editorial policy. General information, not legal or financial advice.