Coming soon, the next regular, active duty military payday: Friday, 29 April 2016. I have to admit, I got a little confused this week, because I thought 1 May wasn't until Monday, and Monday paydays make a lot of people confused. Thankfully, it isn't a Monday payday, so hopefully there won't be misunderstandings. This is the April end-of-month pay that would be paid on 1 May if 1 May was not on a weekend. So, when will your Friday, 29 April 2016 military pay show up in your bank account? Let's see:
Early Direct Deposit
Some banks and credit unions offer to credit military pay earlier than the actual payday. This is basically a micro-loan; they're not getting the money from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) any earlier, they're just fronting it to you a little early.
The most common early direct deposit offer is that the deposit will happen one business day early, which for this payday means Thursday, 28 April 2016. USAA offers this to all its customers, as does Pacific Marine Credit Union and some other banks and credit unions. Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) members who use an Active Duty checking account will also have their funds available on Thursday, 28 April 2016.
Service Credit Union offers to make funds available two business days prior to the actual payday, which would be Wednesday, 27 April 2016.
Regular Payday
If you don't know that your bank or credit union offers early direct deposit of military pay, then you should assume that it will be deposited sometime on the actual payday, Friday, 29 April 2016. This includes NFCU customers who use any account type that is NOT Active Duty checking, including eChecking, Flagship Checking, Everyday Checking, and Campus Checking. These accounts receive pay deposits on the regular payday.
As always, verify that your pay has been deposited before you spend it - errors do occur and it is a lot easier to fix problems if you haven't also overdrawn your account.
Wondering what time your pay will show up in your account? It can be anytime! See What Time Will I Get Paid? for more information.
Has payday come and gone and you still don't see a deposit in your account? See What If I Don't Get Paid? for more information about how to track down the problem.
I hope you all are enjoying spring, however it looks in your location. If you're planning ahead, don't forget that the May end-of-month pay period is long, and it includes Memorial Day weekend. Do a little thinking about how you'll make your pay stretch during that extra long time between paychecks.
