Troops are starting to get paid, but aren’t out of the woods as the shutdown continues

Troops were starting to see money deposited into their accounts on Tuesday a few days after the Defense Department said that it was moving $8 billion out of research and development funds to dish out paychecks amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Pay day officially occurs on the 1st and 15th of every month for service members, but some military-focused banks can deposit paychecks up to two days early if the military provides them payment notification ahead of time.

The payments come as the government shutdown reaches its second week. Troops and their families feared missing their mid-month paycheck for days, prompting an enormous surge in loan requests to banks and military relief societies, as well as an uptick in military food pantry lines.

While paychecks are starting to arrive, troops and their families are not out of the financial woods yet. Congress remains gridlocked over the shutdown and has yet to pass a stand-alone bill that would ensure troops get money for the next paycheck on Nov. 1 should the government closure continue.

“I’m feeling a little better but obviously worried about the future,” one Army specialist, who received his full paycheck in the correct amount, said Tuesday.

Another soldier, an officer, told Task & Purpose he was paid but recieved a thousand dollars short of his full paycheck.

It is unclear how many paychecks have been issued or how many troops have received inaccurate pay. The Defense Department did not answer specific questions from Task & Purpose on the details of the current round of paychecks, but an official re-affirmed that the re-purposed research money “will be used to issue mid-month paychecks to service members in the event the funding lapse continues past October 15th.”

A long shutdown could impact later pay periods

On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said “we’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history,” according to The Hill. Unless Congress can agree to pass a budget and reopen the government, troops may be again facing fears about a missed paycheck two weeks from now.

Officials with the Air Force confirmed to Task & Purpose that airmen began receiving pay on Tuesday, and should expect their full paychecks. An Army official said soldiers also were starting to be paid Tuesday. The Marine Corps declined to comment, referring the publication to the Defense Finance Accounting Service and citing the lapse in appropriations as the reason it could not answer the pay inquiries. The Navy did not respond by press time.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that members of the Coast Guard “will not miss a paycheck this week” due to legislation passed into law in July.

Some PCS moves on hold

But while the Pentagon appears to have found at least a short-term fix for military pay, permanent-change-of-station moves for troops and their families appear to be on hold. The effect may differ by service.

The Air Force official said that airmen who have PCS orders from before the shutdown can execute their moves, but those who received orders to move after Oct. 1 are on hold. Stars & Stripes reported over the weekend that the Army suspended even in-progress PCS moves during the shutdown – regardless of when those orders were issued – leaving some families in an uncertain state of flux.

The Air Force official said that troops applying for PCS reimbursements – money paid from their own pockets during a military-ordered moves – should be refunded soon, as those funds were allocated from previous fiscal year funding. But delays in reimbursement may occur at finance offices staffed with civilians who are furloughed throughout the shutdown, meaning that there are less people to process those payments.

Troops turn to unit leaders

“[It] was really good to see a senior NCO speak on something like that,” the specialist said. “But truthfully, it’s affecting all of us I feel, so I’m sure it’s not lost on leadership where ‘Joe’ and junior NCO/officer[s] [are] financially.”

Task & Purpose reporter Jeff Schogol contributed to this story.