50 U.S.C. § 3911: Who the SCRA Covers, Defined Term by Term

What § 3911 does to your money

Every protection in the Act turns on the words this section defines, so it decides whether a dollar of relief reaches you. “Servicemember” means a member of the uniformed services as title 10 defines them, which reaches commissioned officers of the Public Health Service and NOAA as well as the six armed forces. For the armed forces, “military service” means active duty under 10 U.S.C. § 101(d)(1). A reservist on active-duty orders is covered by that definition; the same reservist on a drill weekend is not, because inactive-duty training is not active duty.

National Guard members get one more door: a call to service of more than 30 consecutive days under 32 U.S.C. § 502(f), authorized by the President or the Secretary of Defense, to respond to a national emergency the President declared, supported by federal funds. Ordinary state active duty does not fit through it, which is why several states pass their own versions of the Act. Time away from duty because of sickness, wounds or leave still counts as military service, so an injury does not end your coverage.

Two more definitions carry money. A “dependent” includes anyone you provided more than half the support for during the 180 days before you apply for relief, not only a spouse or child, which can matter for a parent’s lease or loan. And “court” includes administrative agencies, state and federal, so a licensing board or a tax tribunal owes you the Act’s protections the way a judge does.

Guides on this site that apply § 3911

• 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.

• DMDC SCRA Certificate: Every Field, and Why It Can Say "No"

  What every line on the DMDC certificate means, why it reads "No" for dates you were serving, and how to use it to make a creditor honor the SCRA.

• DMDC SCRA Single Record Request: Free, but Now Needs an Account

  Pull your own active-duty certificate at scra.dmdc.osd.mil in minutes. Free, but it now requires a free account (verified August 2026), and it proves one date.

• Does the SCRA Cover Veterans? What Survives Separation

  The SCRA is active-duty law, so most protections end when you separate. But five post-service windows keep paying. What survives, what dies, and the deadlines.

• Guard & Reserve SCRA: Title 10 vs 32 vs State Duty

  Whether the SCRA covers you depends on your orders. Title 10 = full SCRA. Title 32 only at 30+ days for a national emergency. State duty = no federal SCRA.

• How to Apply for SCRA Benefits (and How Long It Actually Takes)

  No SCRA application exists. You notify each creditor in writing with your orders, up to 180 days after service. What to send, where, and how long it takes.

• Military Affidavit: What It Is, When Courts Require It, How to Get One

  Before any default judgment, 50 U.S.C. § 3931 makes the plaintiff swear to the defendant's military status. The rule, the DMDC check, and 14 state forms.

• National Guard and Reserve MLA: Covered Only on Orders Over 30 Days

  The MLA covers Guard and Reserve members on orders not specifying 30 days or fewer, judged the day you open the account. Which orders count, and when it ends.

• SCRA for Military Spouses & Families: What You Get

  What the SCRA gives spouses and dependents: eviction protection in your own right, the cap on joint debt, MSRRA tax residency, and license portability.

• 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.

• SCRA Lease Termination Letter Template (Apartment & Car Lease)

  Two fill-in letters under 50 U.S.C. § 3955: end an apartment lease 30 days after the next rent date, or return a leased car in 15 days. No early fee.

• SCRA Request Letter Template: The 6% Rate Cap Letter That Works

  The full SCRA request letter, the same one the site generator builds: § 3937 notice, orders enclosed, 6% retroactive to day one, excess forgiven, every account.

The full text of 50 U.S.C. § 3911

From the United States Code, 2024 Edition, current through January 6, 2025, as published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office on GovInfo (retrieved October 10, 2026). No amendment enacted after the edition cutoff was found on Cornell LII or in GovInfo’s compiled SCRA (amended through Pub. L. 118-159, Dec. 23, 2024). House style: the Code’s em dashes before a list are shown as colons, and en dashes as hyphens or “to”; no word of the text is changed.

Enacted and amended by: (Oct. 17, 1940, ch. 888, title I, §101, as added Pub. L. 108-189, §1, Dec. 19, 2003, 117 Stat. 2836; amended Pub. L. 108-454, title VII, §701, Dec. 10, 2004, 118 Stat. 3624; Pub. L. 118-31, div. A, title XVII, §1742(c)(1), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 681.)

What changed, and when

The Office of the Law Revision Counsel’s amendment notes for § 3911, newest first.

• 2023: Par. (2)(A). Pub. L. 118-31 inserted "Space Force," after "Marine Corps," in introductory provisions.
• 2004: Par. (9). Pub. L. 108-454 added par. (9).