Your final paycheck in Audit?

MSG Scott McBride — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 22:25:33 -0500

ALL, PLAN FOR YOUR FINAL PAY ACCORDINGLY. I have read comments on RP from others on this subject and they are misinformed. People, here is the deal: If you are soon to retire or separate from the service, The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) WILL hold your final paycheck for an audit period of 30 to 45 days AFTER your final day of active duty. Period.

Yes, you have cleared all agencies to include finance prior to your "final out" appointment and you are now on leave. It does not matter that you have a DFAS signature and "Cleared" stamp. Your last check will still go into audit.

During your final month of active duty, you will receive your normal "mid-month" pay with the final "half" going into a "Hold" account status on or about the 10th of that final month. The hold is to ensure that YOU don't owe the government money and vice versa; (unpaid leave, allowances, etc.) This process is not included in your separation orders or briefings nor is it covered in your "Finance Retirement Fact Sheet" that your local DFAS office should provide to you without request.

You WILL NOT receive normal PCS TLA/TLE, advance pay or travel pay entitlements for your final transitional move. You (and Family) will only receive reimbursement of authorized travel expenses and per-diem from duty station to home of record or final destination you have chosen. Flights and transportation of household goods will not be effected and remain your transitional benefits. Your final travel voucher must sent directly to DNO-TRAVEL, DFAS Indianapolis, [login to see] , where your final travel voucher will be processed and paid 7 to 10 days after your final day of active duty which includes your transition/terminal leave.

Our pay is monitored and audited continuously but it does not matter with your final paycheck with 4 years or 20 years served. It is ludicrous that this is normal SOP for DFAS, however it is in effect and will affect you and your family if you're not prepared. Ensure you have enough savings set aside to circumvent this jackassery. For more information, please consult with your local DFAS office or contact DFAS Indianapolis at http://www.dfas.mil/customerservice.html or [login to see] .

This ridiculous process is unlawful in the civilian world and would never make a discussion board. Take care my brothers and sisters, and good luck. Army Strong!

Customer Service

DFAS Customer Service phone numbers for service members, military retired and annunitant members as well as federal civilian employees and contractor and vendor customer service information.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2015 10:39 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 22:39:49 -0500

Good to know since i will be out in a couple months. Time to do some contracting and actually get paid for doing my job. Lol

Response by SSG Stephen Arnold made Jan 27 at 2015 10:48 PM

SSG Stephen Arnold — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 22:48:14 -0500

I'm probably the wrong person to respond to Army Finance topics. I was one of those soldiers who continually had problems with that department throughout and even after my service.

Army Finance has stolen money out of my bank account on two occasions, including AFTER separation.

The first time they claimed that I took an advance pay ONE MONTH AFTER ETS. They stole that money from my NG bonus while I was on AD for Operation Desert Storm.

After discharge from Desert Storm I was overpaid at separation. They took MORE money back than they deposited, then denied doing it and blamed the bank for the "error". My banker showed me the letter with the exact amount that they took. The bank covered the difference, and Army Finance never reimbursed it.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2015 11:10 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 23:10:24 -0500

Get used to the dumb bullshit haha it's pretty sad that stuff like this goes on. But it does. We could probably list a bunch of things similar to this this aren't necessarily "fair" but hey it's what we signed up for right?

Response by Sgt Jennifer Mohler made Jan 28 at 2015 7:21 AM

Sgt Jennifer Mohler — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 07:21:31 -0500

I think this is Army specific. Marines pay out within 10 days. Not saying it won't be f'd up, but they pay on time.

Response by CPT Richard Riley made Jan 28 at 2015 7:32 AM

CPT Richard Riley — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 07:32:10 -0500

MSG Scott McBride I would like to ask permission to place this information in the 'Resources for Veterans and Service Members' discussion so members with this type of question can find it in the future.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 25 at 2015 4:53 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 16:53:45 -0400

This just happened to me no warning I check my last LES to see what my last pay would be and it said my pay had been held. I called DFAS all they said is this was normal for them maybe but not if you are depending on your last pay check to pay bills then what. Because creditors don't care if you didn't get paid late or otherwise. Luckily I found a job before my retirement leave ended and my spouse is also employed. This could of certainly caused some financial hardship. You server your country with pride and this is what they do to you in the end its uncalled far the funny thing is there want be anything done by DFAS or anybody else to change it. The people who made this policy have money so it don't affect them SMDH........

Response by SFC Tracy Johnson made Aug 25 at 2015 9:51 PM

SFC Tracy Johnson — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 21:51:00 -0400

When I attended my retirement finance brief at Fort Hood, they briefed us about all of this. They pretty much said don't "freak out" when you look at your last LES but if you had any questions, you could call them. I got my final pay about two weeks after my separation date.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2016 9:59 AM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 09:59:41 -0500

Thanks for the good info.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2016 8:26 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 08:26:42 -0500

I worked as a 36B in the Separations/Retirements section prior to becoming a 51C and this is absolutely correct. The Government wants to ensure nothing new hits yoru pay file before they give you your final pay to ensure they don't have to go back and try to collect any debts once you are done with service

Getting a mid-month is also dependent upon your separation date. If your ETS is earlier in the month, you may not get a mid month. While typically retirees don't have any major issues that would effect their final pay, those who ETS or get Chaptered have debts that must be collected or other wildcards that may pop up post separation. Also, some are getting large separation/disability pays. In order to prevent overpayments and allow final audits on the account to be made, the final pay is held.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 1 at 2016 11:54 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 01 May 2016 11:54:05 -0400

I retired January 31 and had my final pay held for three days. I received a direct deposit but it was $651.79 less than the "status det" showed on my LES. I have yet to get an explanation from the Defense Military Pay Office as to why this amount was deducted from my final pay and when/if I will ever get it paid to me.

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2016 10:35 PM

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 May 2016 22:35:45 -0400

We were told in finance brief you'd get paid at next pay cycle. I ets the 6th will get paid the 15th for those 6 days. I'm not sure about the leave I'm cashing in. That may be held. Hopefully not

Response by SPC Tabitha Carey made Jul 18 at 2017 8:42 PM

SPC Tabitha Carey — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 20:42:01 -0400

Does anybody know why I would have a direct deposit for Military Retiree and annuitant pay if I did not retire?

Response by COL Sam Russell made Dec 1 at 2017 5:11 PM

COL Sam Russell — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 17:11:33 -0500

Just pulled up my final LES, and, sure enough, it says, "START HELD PAY-STATUS 171110." They paid all my discretionary allotments though, so my wife received her spousal support. Good thing I started my next job while on transition leave.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 2 at 2018 2:18 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 14:18:11 -0500

Yea, this nice little surprise just happened to me. I went to finance and the first thing I said when I told them I had not received my last pay was "you never mentioned this in your briefing." They just looked at my like a calf staring at a new gate." From what I am reading it happens quite often. But honestly, after 20 years, to NOT be ready for something like this is our own fault. I just went to my savings and transferred money over. But this info would be nice to know beforehand.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2018 2:24 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 14:24:41 -0400

So when viewing the last LES on mypay, mine said Net Pay $.00 - So does that just mean it's still in audit and i'm waiting for my check or a EFT? I started terminal March 3rd and ended April 3.

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2018 6:06 PM

SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 18:06:30 -0400

Absolutely, I looked up my LES to check and see if the total for the leave I sold back would be shown on my LES and found out that my EOM was .00. What? Thanks for the explanation. They never mentioned this on the 5 day TAP class. I'm glad I have funds in my account that will help through this transition. It is wrong for DFAS not to warn members of this process. I will share this info with others.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2018 10:39 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 10:39:52 -0400

So everyone understands correctly, yes your pay is in audit from 30 to 45 but its not from your day of seperation its from the day your account is put on hold which if you look on your last les it will tell you. It should be around the beginning of your final month.

Response by SFC Aaron Wilson made Sep 1 at 2018 10:31 AM

SFC Aaron Wilson — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 10:31:19 -0400

This is amazing that this is not put out ahead of time. Though I've been on transitional leave for the past 2 months, today is my official retirement day and I was a little shocked to realize that I wasn't getting a pay check! Thankfully, I have a savings, but it still would've been nice to know that the money i was expecting wouldn't be arriving for 30-45 days. Excellent info MSG, thanks for the update!

Response by MSgt Shaft H made Mar 15 at 2019 3:57 PM

MSgt Shaft H — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 15:57:28 -0400

There are so many inaccurate statements and assumptions in this thread that I do not know where to begin. Bottomline is, yes there will be a delay in your final active duty payment. 30-45 days is not the norm, but it could happen. The Majority of separating members will see their final pay within 7-15 days after date of separation. I am speaking to the Active Duty component of the Air Force only, as this is the process that I can speak for as a recipient of a final pay within 7 days and as someone who has actually paid these types of payments to retiring/separating members.

Response by CPL Renata C. Franklin made Apr 30 at 2019 6:21 PM

CPL Renata C. Franklin — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 18:21:28 -0400

Thank you for this information, it was very helpful.

Response by CPL Dominick Reese made Oct 3 at 2019 11:33 PM

CPL Dominick Reese — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 23:33:07 -0400

I guess I’m going to be a homeless veteran for about five days

Response by Sarah Heaton made Aug 27 at 2020 3:13 AM

Sarah Heaton — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 03:13:31 -0400

If the SM DOS is on 30 Sept will the service member still receive 15 Sept pay?

Response by SPC Christopher Bradley made Nov 12 at 2020 5:44 PM

SPC Christopher Bradley — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 17:44:16 -0500

30 - 45 regular days? Or Business days?

Response by LTC Earl Brown made Dec 2 at 2020 7:39 AM

LTC Earl Brown — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 07:39:39 -0500

At no point during the entire TAP process did this ever get discussed. My final pay did not show up in my account and I had a sneaky suspicion that something like this was possible. I'm glad I found this and I had funding in my account. This needs to be shared across the force. THANK you for sharing.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2020 7:22 AM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 07:22:20 -0500

I retire from the Army this Apr 2020, with 34 years of service. My final pay came back saying it was a no pay due but it should have been 7K. Come to find out, my finance admitted to the error on their end and submitted a case number to DFAS to correct. I’ve called DFAS multiple times (8) for a status and was told nothing other than we are working it. A few of my peers retired shortly after I did and have received their final pay. While I planned accordingly and my finances are in order. It’s the principles of being punished for something or an error not caused by me. Its, been 8 months thus far with no end in sight. I’m told veteran can’t sue DFAS, so that’s out. Guess the hurry up and wait still applies.

Thanks for listening,

John

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2020 3:38 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 03:38:27 -0500

Do they hold your BAH and BAS or is it just your base pay?