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Title 37 — Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed ServicesRelease 119-73

§701 Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force; contract surgeons

Title 37 › Chapter CHAPTER 13— - ALLOTMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS OF PAY › § 701

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Commissioned officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force may transfer or assign their pay when it is due, if their service secretary sets the rules. Contract surgeons and contract dental surgeons of the Army, Navy, or Air Force on duty in Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, or Puerto Rico may do the same under those rules. Enlisted members may not assign their pay; any such assignment is void. Under rules from the Secretary of Defense, members and contract surgeons can have money taken from pay (allotments) to support relatives or for other approved purposes, including up to six discretionary allotments. A person entitled to retired or retainer pay may continue up to six discretionary allotments that began while on active duty, and may add new ones so long as the total stays at six. If an allotment is paid before the payment officer gets a stop notice, that amount is charged to the payment officer. If an allotment is paid in error because an officer failed to report a death or other disqualifying fact, the Secretary will try, if possible, to collect the unrecovered amount from the officer who failed to report.

Full Legal Text

Title 37, §701

Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned, a commissioned officer of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force may transfer or assign the officer’s pay account, when due and payable.
(b)A contract surgeon, or contract dental surgeon, of the Army, Navy, or Air Force, on duty in Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, or Puerto Rico, may transfer or assign the person’s pay account, when due and payable, under the regulations prescribed under subsection (a).
(c)An enlisted member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force may not assign the member’s pay, and if the member does so, the assignment is void.
(d)Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force and a contract surgeon of the Army, Navy, or Air Force may make allotments from the pay of the member or surgeon for the purpose of supporting relatives or for any other purpose that the Secretary considers proper. Such allotments may include a maximum of six allotments considered to be discretionary under such regulations. For a member or former member entitled to retired or retainer pay, a maximum of six discretionary allotments authorized during active military service may be continued into retired status, and new discretionary allotments may be authorized so long as the total number of discretionary allotments does not exceed six.
(e)If an allotment made under subsection (d) is paid to the allottee before the disbursing officer receives a notice of discontinuance from the officer required by regulation to furnish the notice, the amount of the allotment shall be credited to the disbursing officer. If an allotment is erroneously paid because the officer required by regulation to so report failed to report the death of the allotter or any other fact that makes the allotment not payable, the amount of the payment not recovered from the allottee shall, if practicable, be collected by the Secretary concerned from the officer who failed to make the report.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 701(a)10:3689(a).[None.] 10:8689(a).[None.] 701(b)10:3689(b)[None.] 10:8689(b).[None.] 701(c)10:3689(c).[None.] 10:8689(c).[None.] 701(d)10:3689(d).[None.] 10:8689(d).[None.]

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–283, § 925(h)(1), (2)(A), substituted “Marine Corps, or Space Force” for “or Marine Corps” and “the officer’s” for “his”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–283, § 925(h)(2)(B), substituted “the person’s” for “his”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 116–283, § 925(h)(1), (2)(C), substituted “Marine Corps, or Space Force” for “or Marine Corps” and “the member’s pay, and if the member does so” for “his pay, and if he does so”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–283, § 925(h)(1), substituted “Marine Corps, or Space Force” for “or Marine Corps”. 1996—Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 104–201 added subsecs. (d) and (e) and struck out former subsec. (d) which read as follows: “The Secretary of the military department concerned, may allow a— “(1) member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps; or “(2) contract surgeon of the Army, Navy, or Air Force; to make allotments from his pay for the support of his relatives, or for any other purpose that the Secretary concerned considers proper. If an allotment made under this subsection is paid to the allottee before the disbursing officer receives a notice of discontinuance from the officer required by regulation to furnish the notice, the amount of the allotment shall be credited to the disbursing officer. If an allotment is erroneously paid because the officer required by regulation to so report failed to report the death of the allotter or any other fact that makes the allotment not payable, the amount of the payment not recovered from the allottee shall, if practicable, be collected by the Secretary concerned, from the officer who failed to make the report.” 1991—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–25 struck out “of this section” after “subsection (a)”. 1985—Pub. L. 99–145, § 683(a)(2), inserted reference to Navy and Marine Corps in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99–145, § 683(a)(1)(A), (C), substituted “Secretary of the military department concerned” for “Secretary of the Army or the Secretary of the Air Force, as the case may be” and “commissioned officer of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps” for “commissioned officer of the Army or the Air Force”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99–145, § 683(a)(1)(B), inserted reference to Navy. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 99–145, § 683(a)(1)(A), inserted reference to Navy and Marine Corps. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 99–145, § 683(a)(1)(C), substituted “Secretary of the military department concerned” for “Secretary of the Army or the Secretary of the Air Force, as the case may be”. Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 99–145, § 683(a)(1)(A), inserted reference to Navy and Marine Corps. Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 99–145, § 683(a)(1)(B), inserted reference to Navy. 1966—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 89–718 substituted “Secretary concerned” for “Chief of Finance (in cases involving the Army) or by the Secretary of the Air Force” in provision for collection erroneously paid allotments.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Regulations

Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title VI, § 651(b), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2582, provided that: “The Secretaries of the military departments shall prescribe

Regulations

under subsection (d) of section 701 of title 37, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), not later than October 1, 1997.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

37 U.S.C. § 701

Title 37 — Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73