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Direct answer: VA disability compensation, pension and DIC are paid on the first business day of the month after the month they cover, so October's payment arrives Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. Military retired pay follows the same rule. Active duty is paid on the 1st and 15th, moved earlier when that's a weekend or holiday.
By the numbers: Nov. 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so VA payments and military retired pay for October arrive Friday, Oct. 30. Survivor Benefit Plan annuitants are paid Monday, Nov. 2, and November has no VA or retired-pay deposit. Source: DFAS Pay Schedule (updated Sept. 16, 2026)
“Whenever the first day of any calendar month falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday ... the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, certify benefit payments for such month in such a way that such payments will be delivered ... on the Friday immediately preceding” — 38 U.S.C. 5120(e)
Updated 2026-10-17
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. VA pays a month's benefits on the first business day of the next month, and Nov. 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so the law (38 U.S.C. 5120(e)) moves it to the Friday before. There is no VA deposit in November; the next one is Tuesday, Dec. 1 (November's pay).
Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026, because Jan. 1, 2027 is New Year's Day. If Congress passes the VA COLA effective Dec. 1, 2026, this is the first payment that would include it. The next VA payment after that is Monday, Feb. 1, 2027 (January's pay).
DFAS hadn't posted its 2027 active-duty calendar as of Oct. 17, 2026. Using the rules its 2026 calendar follows (the 15th and the 1st, moved to the workday before a weekend or holiday), expect mid-month pay on Jan. 15, Feb. 12, March 15, April 15, May 14, June 15, July 15, Aug. 13 and the 15th of Sept. to Dec.
On the 1st of the month after it's earned. If the 1st is a weekend or holiday, DFAS pays retirees the last business day before it: Oct. 30, 2026, Dec. 31, 2026, April 30, 2027, July 30, 2027 and Dec. 31, 2027. Survivor Benefit Plan annuitants are paid on the next business day instead.
The second is next month's payment paid early, not an extra one. When the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday, VA pays the business day before, at the end of the month. It happens in December 2026, April 2027, July 2027 and December 2027, and the month after has no deposit.
VA says that if your decision notice shows a rating of at least 10%, you'll get your first payment within 15 days, by direct deposit or check. If it hasn't come after 15 days, call the Veterans help line at 800-827-1000, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern.
Yes. Sign in to VA.gov, open Profile, then Notification settings, and turn on text alerts for disability and pension deposits. VA says if you opt in by the 10th of the month, the alert starts with that month's payment; after the 10th, it starts the next month.
As of Oct. 17, 2026 · DFAS pay schedules · 38 U.S.C. 5120(e)
Find what you get, then the date. VA disability, pension and DIC, and military retired pay, come on the 1st of the month after the month they cover. When the 1st is a weekend or federal holiday, they come the business day before. Survivor Benefit Plan annuities come the business day after. Active duty pay comes on the 15th and the 1st, moved earlier for weekends and holidays.
The math:
Sources: DFAS retired pay schedule · DFAS 2026 active-duty paydays · 38 U.S.C. 5120(e)
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Sources: DFAS retired pay schedule · DFAS 2026 active-duty paydays · 38 U.S.C. 5120(e). VA and DFAS name a payment by the month it pays for, so the money for October arrives at the end of October or on Nov. 1.
| Pay for | VA disability / pension / DIC | Military retired pay | SBP annuitants |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | Fri., Oct. 30, 2026* | Fri., Oct. 30, 2026* | Mon., Nov. 2, 2026† |
| November 2026 | Tue., Dec. 1, 2026 | Tue., Dec. 1, 2026 | Tue., Dec. 1, 2026 |
| December 2026 | Thu., Dec. 31, 2026* | Thu., Dec. 31, 2026* | Mon., Jan. 4, 2027† |
| January 2027 | Mon., Feb. 1, 2027 | Mon., Feb. 1, 2027 | Mon., Feb. 1, 2027 |
| February 2027 | Mon., March 1, 2027 | Mon., March 1, 2027 | Mon., March 1, 2027 |
| March 2027 | Thu., April 1, 2027 | Thu., April 1, 2027 | Thu., April 1, 2027 |
| April 2027 | Fri., April 30, 2027* | Fri., April 30, 2027* | Mon., May 3, 2027† |
| May 2027 | Tue., June 1, 2027 | Tue., June 1, 2027 | Tue., June 1, 2027 |
| June 2027 | Thu., July 1, 2027 | Thu., July 1, 2027 | Thu., July 1, 2027 |
| July 2027 | Fri., July 30, 2027* | Fri., July 30, 2027* | Mon., Aug. 2, 2027† |
| August 2027 | Wed., Sept. 1, 2027 | Wed., Sept. 1, 2027 | Wed., Sept. 1, 2027 |
| September 2027 | Fri., Oct. 1, 2027 | Fri., Oct. 1, 2027 | Fri., Oct. 1, 2027 |
| October 2027 | Mon., Nov. 1, 2027 | Mon., Nov. 1, 2027 | Mon., Nov. 1, 2027 |
| November 2027 | Wed., Dec. 1, 2027 | Wed., Dec. 1, 2027 | Wed., Dec. 1, 2027 |
| December 2027 | Fri., Dec. 31, 2027* (expected) | Fri., Dec. 31, 2027* | Mon., Jan. 3, 2028† |
* Paid early because the 1st is a weekend or federal holiday. † Paid late, on the next business day (DFAS pays annuitants on or after the 1st). Retired and annuitant dates: DFAS retired pay schedule. VA dates: computed from 38 U.S.C. 5120(e) and OPM holidays; VA doesn't post a dated calendar, but the rule is the same one DFAS uses for retirees, and every date matches DFAS's.
| Month | Mid-month pay | LES / NPA out | End-of-month pay | LES out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Thu., Jan. 15, 2026 | Jan. 8 | Fri., Jan. 30, 2026* | Jan. 23 |
| February | Fri., Feb. 13, 2026* | Feb. 6 | Fri., Feb. 27, 2026* | Feb. 20 |
| March | Fri., March 13, 2026* | March 6 | Wed., April 1, 2026 | March 25 |
| April | Wed., April 15, 2026 | April 8 | Fri., May 1, 2026 | April 25 |
| May | Fri., May 15, 2026 | May 8 | Mon., June 1, 2026 | May 22 |
| June | Mon., June 15, 2026 | June 5 | Wed., July 1, 2026 | June 24 |
| July | Wed., July 15, 2026 | July 8 | Fri., July 31, 2026* | July 24 |
| August | Fri., Aug. 14, 2026* | Aug. 7 | Tue., Sept. 1, 2026 | Aug. 25 |
| September | Tue., Sept. 15, 2026 | Sept. 10 | Thu., Oct. 1, 2026 | Sept. 24 |
| October | Thu., Oct. 15, 2026 | Oct. 9 | Fri., Oct. 30, 2026* | Oct. 23 |
| November | Fri., Nov. 13, 2026* | Nov. 7 | Tue., Dec. 1, 2026 | Nov. 24 |
| December | Tue., Dec. 15, 2026 | Dec. 10 | Thu., Dec. 31, 2026* | Dec. 24 |
* Early because the 15th or the 1st is a weekend or federal holiday. Source: DFAS 2026 active-duty paydays. LES and mid-month notice-of-pay-advisory dates are when they show up in myPay.
DFAS hadn't posted its 2027 active-duty calendar when we checked on Oct. 17, 2026 (DFAS 2027 paydays page). These dates apply the rules DFAS's 2026 calendar follows, pay on the 15th and the 1st, moved to the workday before a weekend or federal holiday and never more than 3 days early (DoD FMR 7A ch. 1, Army Benefits: basic pay), to OPM's 2027 holidays. Applied to 2026, those rules give all 24 of DFAS's 2026 dates.
| Month | Mid-month pay (expected) | End-of-month pay (expected) |
|---|---|---|
| January | Fri., Jan. 15, 2027 | Mon., Feb. 1, 2027 |
| February | Fri., Feb. 12, 2027* | Mon., March 1, 2027 |
| March | Mon., March 15, 2027 | Thu., April 1, 2027 |
| April | Thu., April 15, 2027 | Fri., April 30, 2027* |
| May | Fri., May 14, 2027* | Tue., June 1, 2027 |
| June | Tue., June 15, 2027 | Thu., July 1, 2027 |
| July | Thu., July 15, 2027 | Fri., July 30, 2027* |
| August | Fri., Aug. 13, 2027* | Wed., Sept. 1, 2027 |
| September | Wed., Sept. 15, 2027 | Fri., Oct. 1, 2027 |
| October | Fri., Oct. 15, 2027 | Mon., Nov. 1, 2027 |
| November | Mon., Nov. 15, 2027 | Wed., Dec. 1, 2027 |
| December | Wed., Dec. 15, 2027 | Fri., Dec. 31, 2027* |
* Early because of a weekend or holiday. End of December 2027: Jan. 1, 2028 is a Saturday and Dec. 31 is the observed holiday; DFAS pays retirees Dec. 31, so we show Dec. 31, but confirm on DFAS's 2027 calendar. Payrolls due Oct. 1 can be dated in September if the DoD Comptroller decides so (FMR 7.3).
| Payment | Normal date | If that's a weekend or holiday | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA disability compensation, VA pension, DIC | 1st of the month after the month it covers | The business day before (can be the last day of the month) | 38 U.S.C. 5120(e) VBA payment schedule bulletin |
| Military retired pay | 1st of the next month | Last business day of the month before | DFAS retired pay schedule |
| SBP / RCSBP annuity (DFAS) | 1st of the next month | First business day of the month (later, not earlier) | DFAS retired pay schedule |
| Active duty (and Guard/Reserve on active duty) | 15th (for the 1st-15th) and 1st of the next month (for the 16th-end) | Workday before, never more than 3 days early | DoD FMR 7A ch. 1 Army Benefits: basic pay DFAS 2026 active-duty paydays |
The second deposit is next month's pay, paid early because the 1st is a weekend or holiday. It isn't extra money, so plan bills for the month after. SBP annuitants don't get this: DFAS pays them late instead (Nov. 2, 2026, Jan. 4, 2027, May 3, 2027, Aug. 2, 2027, Jan. 3, 2028). Sources: DFAS retired pay schedule · 38 U.S.C. 5120(e) · OPM holidays.
How we built this: retired and annuitant dates and 2026 active-duty dates are DFAS's published dates. We wrote the payment rules as code and checked them against all 24 DFAS 2026 active-duty dates and all 30 DFAS retired and annuitant dates: they all match. VA and 2027 active-duty dates come from the same rules plus OPM's holiday list, and we label them computed or expected.
Dates, not advice. VaultRubric isn't VA or DFAS. Your VA.gov payment history or myPay shows your own payments; a bank may post a deposit a day or two early.
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. VA pays a month's benefits on the first business day of the next month, and Nov. 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so the law (38 U.S.C. 5120(e)) moves it to the Friday before. There is no VA deposit in November; the next one is Tuesday, Dec. 1 (November's pay).
Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026, because Jan. 1, 2027 is New Year's Day. If Congress passes the VA COLA effective Dec. 1, 2026, this is the first payment that would include it. The next VA payment after that is Monday, Feb. 1, 2027 (January's pay).
DFAS hadn't posted its 2027 active-duty calendar as of Oct. 17, 2026. Using the rules its 2026 calendar follows (the 15th and the 1st, moved to the workday before a weekend or holiday), expect mid-month pay on Jan. 15, Feb. 12, March 15, April 15, May 14, June 15, July 15, Aug. 13 and the 15th of Sept. to Dec.
On the 1st of the month after it's earned. If the 1st is a weekend or holiday, DFAS pays retirees the last business day before it: Oct. 30, 2026, Dec. 31, 2026, April 30, 2027, July 30, 2027 and Dec. 31, 2027. Survivor Benefit Plan annuitants are paid on the next business day instead.
The second is next month's payment paid early, not an extra one. When the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday, VA pays the business day before, at the end of the month. It happens in December 2026, April 2027, July 2027 and December 2027, and the month after has no deposit.
VA says that if your decision notice shows a rating of at least 10%, you'll get your first payment within 15 days, by direct deposit or check. If it hasn't come after 15 days, call the Veterans help line at 800-827-1000, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern.
Yes. Sign in to VA.gov, open Profile, then Notification settings, and turn on text alerts for disability and pension deposits. VA says if you opt in by the 10th of the month, the alert starts with that month's payment; after the 10th, it starts the next month.
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