Financial Institutions Offering Early Direct Deposits for Military
Samantha Cain
Banks and Credit Unions That Make Early Deposits for Active Duty Military
As a standard rule, service members know their bi-weekly salary will get paid out on the 1st and 15th of every month. For instances when that date falls on a weekend, the pay gets moved to the closest weekday instead.
However, there are a number of banks and credit unions that offer early direct deposit of military pay as a benefit for their military clientele. These military-friendly financial institutions offer to distribute pay as early as three days in advance of the Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS) actually depositing these funds into their coffers.
Military Pay Calendar
| Pay Period | Mid-month Pay Day | LES* Available |
End-of-Month Pay Day | LES* Available |
| January | Jan. 13 | Jan. 6 | Feb. 1 | Jan. 25 |
| February | Feb. 15 | Feb. 8 | Mar. 1 | Feb. 22 |
| March | Mar. 15 | Mar. 8 | Mar. 31 | Mar. 24 |
| April | Apr. 14 | Apr. 7 | May 1 | Apr. 24 |
| May | May 15 | May 8 | June 1 | May 25 |
| June | June 15 | June 8 | June 30 | June 23 |
| July | July 14 | July 7 | Aug 1 | July 25 |
| August | Aug. 15 | Aug. 8 | Sept. 1 | Aug. 25 |
| September | Sept. 15 | Sept. 8 | Sept. 29 | Sept. 22 |
| October | Oct. 13 | Oct. 6 | Nov. 1 | Oct. 25 |
| November | Nov. 15 | Nov. 8 | Dec. 1 | Nov. 24 |
| December | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 29 | Dec. 22 |
* LES – Leave and Earnings Statements (for end-of-month and mid-month pay days)
These dates are applicable to all branches: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force.
List of Banks or Financial Institutions with Early Deposit Dates for Military Pay
Though this is by no means a comprehensive list, it does hit on the most common military-friendly banks that offer early direct deposits (outside of USAA and NFCU). We are not endorsing these banks, simply providing information about their early depositing habits. If you don’t see your bank here, don’t be afraid to inquire if this is a service provided that just isn’t widely broadcasted.
Armed Forces Bank
The bank’s website clearly sets out the specifics for their Early Pay service: it is a “free, automatic direct deposit service” which is only offered to active duty or retired service members. Pay is available one business day before the standard payday and only on DFAS direct deposits; there are no other qualifying companies.
Armed Forces Bank Pay Dates
| Pay Period | First-of-Month Pay Day | Pay Available | Mid-Month Pay Day | Pay Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1/1 | 12/30 | 1/13 | 1/12 |
| February | 2/1 | 1/31 | 2/15 | 2/14 |
| March | 3/1 | 2/28 | 3/15 | 3/14 |
| April | 3/31 | 3/30 | 4/14 | 4/13 |
| May | 5/1 | 4/28 | 5/15 | 5/12 |
| June | 6/1 | 5/31 | 6/15 | 6/14 |
| July | 6/30 | 6/29 | 7/14 | 7/13 |
| August | 8/1 | 7/31 | 8/15 | 8/14 |
| September | 9/1 | 8/31 | 9/15 | 9/14 |
| October | 9/29 | 9/28 | 10/13 | 10/12 |
| November | 11/1 | 10/31 | 11/15 | 11/14 |
| December | 12/1 | 11/30 | 12/15 | 12/14 |
For more info, please visit their website.
Frontwave Credit Union
Frontwave Credit Union (formerly known as Pacific Marine Credit Union) calls its early pay program “Advance Pay.” They provide DFAS funds to military members two days before the actual payday.
For more info, please visit their website.
Langley Federal Credit Union
“Early Payday Deposit” from LangleyFCU is a member benefit advertised as the ability to receive direct deposited paychecks “up to 3 days earlier than other financial institutions.”
For more info, please visit their website.
NFCU
Navy Federal Credit Union Early Deposit Dates for Military Pay
Security Service Federal Credit Union – SSFCU
As the SSFCU website boasts “Your Money, No Wait.” They offer a free, expedited direct deposit service for active or retired military pay, which gets you access to pay anywhere from 1-3 days prior to payday. As soon as SSFCU receives information from DFAS, they immediately post it to their client’s accounts.
For more info, please visit their website.
Service Credit Union
Service Credit Union states that its Military Early Pay means service members “get paid up to 2 business days early,” pending the receival of DFAS data.
For more info, please visit their website.
USAA
USAA Early Deposit Dates for Military Pay
Other Banks That May Offer Early Direct Deposit for Military
A few additional banks that may offer early direct deposit options:
You may wonder why major national banks are missing from this list. One internet source reported that in their research, the following banks responded to inquiries about early pay programs as a benefit they do not offer. They stated that no funds are deposited prior to the date specifically indicated by an employer, in this case, DFAS:
- Bank of America
- BB&T
- BECU
- Capital One
- Central Bank (including MetaBank)
- Chase
- Citibank
- Citizens Bank
- KeyBank
- Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed)
- PNC
- Regions
- SunTrust Bank
- TD Bank
- S. Bank
- Wells Fargo
For a complete Pay Rate chart for Officers, Warrants, and Enlisted, visit DFAS
RELATED:
- Largest Military Pay Raise In Over a Decade Proposed for 2023
- Military Pay Charts 2022 [updated]
- 3 Reasons Military Pay Increases in 2022
About the author
Samantha Cain has 10 years of experience as a freelance writer and content creator, specializing in a variety of topics such as higher education, personal finance, event planning, DIY projects, and military life. She holds a BA in English, is working towards an MS in Higher Education, and has been a military spouse for eight years. Having lived on a number of overseas military bases, she brings a unique perspective to her writing and strives to provide quality and beneficial information to the military community.
