Active duty compensation flows through the Defense Finance and Accounting Service twice each month. Standard paydays sit on the 1st of the month for end-of-month pay and the 15th of the month for mid-month pay. If either date lands on a weekend or an official federal holiday, DFAS pulls the payment date back to the most immediate prior business day.
Military branches, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard, operate under identical DFAS disbursement regulations. Once DFAS authorizes the transfer file, the Federal Reserve Bank processes the payment instructions through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. Navy Federal acts on these incoming electronic files immediately, giving eligible military personnel an early jump on their pay.
