Military pay dates, January 2026
DFAS's 2026 active-duty table, read October 10, 2026. Bank windows from each institution's own page, read October 28, 2026.
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Friday, January 2
Pay for the second half of December; moved up from the 15th because that date is a holiday-adjacent date.
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Thursday, January 15
Pay for the first half of January.
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Friday, January 30
Pay for the second half of January, the deposit that would otherwise land on the 1st of next month; moved up from the 1st of next month because that date is a weekend or federal holiday.
In January 2026 the 1st is a Thursday and the 15th is a Thursday. Federal holidays this month: New Year's Day (Thursday the 1st), Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Monday the 19th), which banks skip when they count business days. Thursday the 15th comes 9 business days after the previous payday; Friday the 30th comes 10 business days after the previous payday.
Earliest each deposit could post, by institution
The five with published calendars print their own dates on their pages (linked). The rest state a window for eligible deposits; "earliest" counts that window back from the DFAS date, skipping weekends and federal holidays, and is a best case, not a promise.
| Institution | DFAS January 2 | DFAS January 15 | DFAS January 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Federal | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page |
| USAA | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page |
| PenFed | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page |
| Armed Forces Bank | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page |
| Service Credit Union | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page | Published calendar: see its page |
| Ally Bank (up to 2 business days) | Tuesday, December 30 | Tuesday, January 13 | Wednesday, January 28 |
| Andrews FCU (up to a day early) | Wednesday, December 31 | Wednesday, January 14 | Thursday, January 29 |
| Capital One (up to 2 days) | Tuesday, December 30 | Tuesday, January 13 | Wednesday, January 28 |
| Chase (up to two business days) | Tuesday, December 30 | Tuesday, January 13 | Wednesday, January 28 |
| Chime (up to 2 days) | Tuesday, December 30 | Tuesday, January 13 | Wednesday, January 28 |
| Current (up to 2 days) | Tuesday, December 30 | Tuesday, January 13 | Wednesday, January 28 |
| Hanscom FCU (up to two days) | Tuesday, December 30 | Tuesday, January 13 | Wednesday, January 28 |
| Langley FCU (up to 3 days) | Monday, December 29 | Monday, January 12 | Tuesday, January 27 |
Early posting depends on when DFAS sends the file, so set autopay to the DFAS date. December | February | all of 2026 and every bank's policy
Frequently asked questions
When does the military get paid in January 2026?
Friday, January 2 (pay for the second half of December, moved up from the 15th because that date is a holiday-adjacent date); Thursday, January 15 (pay for the first half of January); Friday, January 30 (pay for the second half of January, the deposit that would otherwise land on the 1st of next month, moved up from the 1st of next month because that date is a weekend or federal holiday).
Why does January 2026 have 3 paydays?
The 1st and the 15th, each moved to the prior business day where needed.
Tools for this topic
- Deployment pay calculator Special pays plus the tax a combat-zone month removes.
- SDP calculator What the deployed 10% program pays.
- Savings calculator What the 6% cap saves you per month and per year.
Heads up: SCRA Saver publishes general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws change and every situation differs. Confirm details with your installation legal assistance office (free for service members) or a licensed professional.