BAH is paid twice a month, with half arriving on the 15th and the other half on the 1st of the following month. So the answer to whether BAH is paid on the 1st or the 15th is both: your monthly Basic Allowance for Housing is split evenly between the two standard military paydays and deposited alongside your base pay.1Defense Finance and Accounting Service. 2026 Active Duty Paydays When either date lands on a weekend or federal holiday, DFAS moves the deposit to the preceding business day.
How the Two Halves Land in Your Account
BAH is not a separate deposit. It rides along with base pay, BAS, and any special pays as a single direct deposit that hits your bank twice a month.2Military OneSource. Military Pay The mid-month deposit around the 15th carries one half of your monthly BAH, and the end-of-month deposit around the 1st of the next month carries the other.
The split is equal and automatic. A $2,400 monthly BAH rate becomes $1,200 on the 15th and $1,200 on the 1st.2Military OneSource. Military Pay Every active-duty service member is on this semi-monthly schedule; the monthly-pay option was phased out years ago.3The United States Army. Army to Switch All Active-Duty Soldiers to Semimonthly Pay Oct. 1
Because the two halves are predictable and equal, a common budgeting approach is to line up the end-of-month deposit with rent or mortgage and use the mid-month deposit for utilities, insurance, and other recurring bills.
When the Date Shifts Off the 1st or 15th
If the 1st or the 15th falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, DFAS deposits your pay on the previous business day. The 2026 schedule shows how this plays out across the year:1Defense Finance and Accounting Service. 2026 Active Duty Paydays
- January: Jan. 15 and Jan. 30
- February: Feb. 13 and Feb. 27
- March: Mar. 13 and Apr. 1
- April: Apr. 15 and May 1
- May: May 15 and May 29
- June: June 15 and July 1
- July: July 15 and July 31
- August: Aug. 14 and Sep. 1
- September: Sep. 15 and Oct. 1
- October: Oct. 15 and Oct. 30
- November: Nov. 13 and Dec. 1
- December: Dec. 15 and Dec. 31
February and November both show a mid-month payday on the 13th because the 15th falls on a Sunday. January and October show end-of-month deposits on the 30th rather than the 1st of the next month. If you have auto-debits set to hit on the 1st, an earlier deposit works in your favor; if you have any set to hit on the 15th, watch the months where pay arrives on the 13th or 14th so you know the money is already there.
Payment in Arrears and Your First Check
Military pay is paid in arrears. Each deposit covers days you have already worked, not days ahead. The mid-month check covers the 1st through the 15th, and the end-of-month check covers the 16th through the last day of the month.3The United States Army. Army to Switch All Active-Duty Soldiers to Semimonthly Pay Oct. 1
That matters most the first time BAH starts, or when it ends. If your BAH entitlement begins on the 10th, your next mid-month deposit only reflects the six days from the 10th through the 15th, not a full half-month. Nothing is lost; the remaining days are paid on the normal schedule going forward. The same proration works in reverse if BAH ends partway through a month, such as when you move into on-base housing.
How to Confirm the BAH Portion of Your Deposit
Your Leave and Earnings Statement breaks each deposit down line by line, so you can see exactly how much of the transfer is BAH versus base pay and other entitlements.4Defense Finance and Accounting Service. How to Read an Active Duty Army Leave and Earning Statement The LES posts online about a week before each payday.
Checking it before the money lands is worth the two minutes. A wrong duty station ZIP code, a stale dependency status, or a missed start date can throw the amount off by hundreds of dollars, and catching it early is much easier than untangling it after the deposit clears.
A Note for Reserve and Guard Members on Short Orders
Reservists and National Guard members on active duty orders longer than 30 days are paid on the same semi-monthly schedule as active-duty members. For orders of 30 days or fewer, a different allowance applies (BAH RC/T), which is a flat, non-locality rate set by pay grade and dependency status.5Military Compensation and Financial Readiness. Types of BAH The pay-date mechanics discussed here assume orders that put you on the standard active-duty pay cycle.
The bottom line for planning: expect half of your monthly BAH on the 15th and half on the 1st of the following month, expect an earlier deposit when either date falls on a weekend or holiday, and check the LES if the number ever looks off.