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.
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.
- Maximize: Advanced Strategies
The timing plays generic guides never cover: structuring debt before orders, the Guard activation cycle, fee-waived premium cards, and picking your tax state.
- 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.
- 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.
Start here
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What Is the SCRA? The Military Law Worth Thousands a Year
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps your pre-service debt at 6%, breaks leases penalty-free, and blocks foreclosure. Here is what it is worth.
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The SCRA 6% Interest Rate Cap: Complete Guide
How to cut every pre-service debt to 6% APR with one letter: credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, student loans, retroactive to day one of active duty.
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SCRA Eligibility: Who Qualifies, When It Starts & Ends
Active duty, Guard, Reserve, spouses: who gets SCRA protections, what paperwork proves it, and the exact windows for each benefit.
Latest guides
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Ally SCRA Benefits: 6% Cap on Your Auto Loan
Ally applies the SCRA 6% cap to auto loans you opened before active duty, waives late fees, and can extend payments. How to request it and what to send.
6% cap on pre-service auto loans
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Barclays SCRA Benefits: 0% on Pre-Service Cards
Barclays reports 0% APR and no annual fee on cards opened before active duty under the SCRA. Pre-service accounts only. How to request and verify it.
Reported 0% on eligible cards
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PenFed SCRA Benefits: 6% Cap and How to File
PenFed reduces eligible pre-service debt to the SCRA 6% cap on cards, auto, mortgage, and personal loans. How to file and the 180-day window.
6% cap on pre-service debt
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Santander & Chrysler Capital SCRA: 6% Auto Cap
Santander and Chrysler Capital cut pre-service auto loans to the SCRA 6% cap and must honor lease termination. How to file, and the rights they were sued over.
6% cap plus lease termination
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Synchrony SCRA Benefits: Store Cards to 6%
Synchrony issues 200+ store cards including Amazon and PayPal Credit. It cuts eligible pre-service balances to 6%, reportedly lower, and waives fees.
6% cap plus fees waived
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Alabama SCRA Benefits: The Honest Picture for Guard & Tax
Alabama extends SCRA to Guard on emergency state duty (Title 31, ch. 12) but, unlike many neighbors, taxes active-duty pay. The federal SCRA carries the rest.
Federal floor + emergency state duty
- Cited to the U.S. Code Every protection links to the statute
- Written by a veteran Air Force vet, banking background
- Free, no sign-up No paywall, no email gate
Read our editorial policy. General information, not legal or financial advice.