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SCRASAVER

Eligibility & Timing

Who qualifies, what paperwork proves it, and exactly when protections start and stop.

Are you covered by the SCRA?
Who the SCRA covers: active duty, reservists, National Guard, and dependents Coverage is decided by your status andyour orders, not your uniform. Active duty COVERED All branches, including the Coast Guard Full SCRA, from your first day of activeduty through release. Reservists COVERED Ordered to active duty Covered from the day you receive orders,before you report. § 3917. Dependents SOME PROTECTIONS Spouse and family Joint lease exits, the eviction shield,joint pre-service debts at 6%, and asurviving-spouse lease exit. A debt inthe spouse's name alone is not covered. National Guard Coverage turns on the authority line of your orders ✓ Title 10 federal orders Full SCRA, from day one. ✓ Title 32 · § 502(f) Covered only if all four hold: aPresidential or SecDef call, morethan 30 consecutive days, aPresidentially declared nationalemergency, and federal funds. ✕ State active duty No federal SCRA. Your state's lawonly; see the state directory.
  • Covered
  • Covered only if the conditions are met
  • Not covered by the federal SCRA

Eligibility is binary and on paper: 50 U.S.C. § 3911 defines who counts, and § 3917 opens the window at receipt of orders. On State active duty, your state's protections are what to check.

Almost every SCRA argument turns into a date argument. Were you covered on the day the lender did the thing? Was the debt yours before you served? Did you ask inside the window?

That is why this section leads with proof rather than with rights. The Defense Manpower Data Center will issue a certificate of your military status for a given date, free, and a lender that has told you no on the phone tends to behave differently once that document is attached to a written request.

Coverage is also broader than the stereotype of an active-duty soldier. Guard and Reserve members are covered when on qualifying orders, dependents get some protections in their own right, and certain protections reach past your separation date rather than switching off the day you take the uniform off.

At a glance

Proof of status
DMDC issues a free military status certificate for a given date
Verification portal
scra.dmdc.osd.mil
The recurring test
Was the obligation incurred BEFORE your period of military service
Guard and Reserve
Covered on qualifying orders, not automatically at all times
Dependents
Hold some protections directly, including under lease termination and the MLA
After separation
Several protections have tails. Foreclosure protection runs one year past service; a stay application can be made within 90 days of release

Start here

Frequently asked questions

How do I prove I was on active duty on a particular date?

The Defense Manpower Data Center runs a public verification service at scra.dmdc.osd.mil that issues a certificate of military status for a date you specify, at no cost. It is the document lenders and courts recognise, and attaching it to a written request changes how the request gets handled.

Are Guard and Reserve members covered?

On qualifying orders, yes, and that is the distinction that matters. Coverage attaches to the period of qualifying service rather than to membership, so the dates on your orders do the work.

Do the protections stop the day I separate?

Not all of them. Foreclosure protection under § 3953 extends for one year after your period of service, and a stay of proceedings under § 3932 can be applied for within 90 days after termination of or release from service. Other protections do end with service, so the specific deadline matters.

What makes a debt eligible for the 6% cap?

It has to have been incurred before your period of military service began. Debt you take on after that point is outside the SCRA rate cap, though it may fall under the Military Lending Act instead.

Do my dependents have rights of their own?

In several places, yes. A servicemember’s lease termination under § 3955 also ends a dependent’s obligation under that lease, the eviction protection in § 3951 covers dependents, and the Military Lending Act extends to dependents of covered members.

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