Military Benefits FAQs

Your SCRA benefits end when your active duty period ends, except on a home loan, which you'll receive benefits on for an additional 12 months. However, we also generally extend your benefits on credit card or installment loans for an additional 6 months after your active duty ends.

While your spouse can request benefits, they may need to be assigned power of attorney to get certain information and make decisions on your behalf. Contact your military legal service office or your private attorney to find out more.

If you had your loan before you entered military service, the SCRA usually requires the lender to have a court order before foreclosing or repossessing during military service. The lender must determine if you’re on active duty, and the court must protect your SCRA rights. However, foreclosure or repossession can still happen if a court decides it’s appropriate. Missed or late payments may be reported to the credit bureau, according to the Fair Credit Reporting practices, so your credit can be affected.

To receive benefits you must be called to active duty under Federal Orders by the President or the Secretary of Defense. A call to duty by a governor is not eligible. Some states do provide benefits for state-ordered duty.

Enrolling is simple and secure. Depending on the type of account you use, you may need to provide your Social Security number, account number, email address and/or your ATM or debit card number and PIN.

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To set up Bill Pay service, you need to enroll in Online Banking. Once enrolled, you can set up bill payments in advance, recurring payments for regular bills, track your payment history and more.

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We can help you reach your financial goals. Visit the Better Money Habits website to learn more about budgeting and to begin planning your financial future.

Immediately report any lost or stolen card to us. We will cancel your card and issue a replacement (a debit card replacement fee may apply).

For a lost or stolen credit card: Please call us at 800.732.9194 immediately. If you're calling from outside the U.S., call us collect at 1.302.738.5719.

For a lost or stolen debit card: Please call 800.432.1000 immediately. If you're calling from outside the U.S., call us collect at 1.315.724.4022.

You should also contact any merchants who have automatic bill payments for you. When you get your replacement card, you'll need to give those merchants your new card number to set up automatic bill payments.

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Using Online Banking, you can easily transfer money between your bank accounts and to Bank of America accounts of friends and family or make an international wire transfer. You can also transfer money between your linked Merrill Lynch brokerage accounts and your linked Bank of America checking or savings accounts.

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Visit the Preparing for Deployment page layer on the Military One Source site for information about how you can financially prepare for your deployment.

When you grant someone power of attorney, you give that person—legally defined as your agent—the legal right to act on your behalf in certain situations. You can do this through your military legal service office or through a private attorney.

There are different types of power of attorney. General power of attorney gives your agent almost complete legal authority over all your personal and financial matters. Limited power of attorney authorizes your agent to act on your behalf only for specific tasks under specific circumstances.

Designating power of attorney before you're deployed is easier than after and may be important because your agent can handle tasks for you like filing taxes, selling property, refinancing a loan, or cashing checks.

For more details about setting up power of attorney, contact your military legal service office or your private attorney.

Yes, if your accounts are joint accounts or you've provided your spouse with appropriate account access information such as your Online Banking information. Keep in mind that if your account is not a joint account and there's a problem, it could be resolved most efficiently if your spouse has power of attorney.

Yes, to set up our optional Bill Pay service, you need a Bank of America checking account and must be enrolled in Online Banking. You can then set up bill payments in advance, set up recurring payments for regular bills, track your payment history and more.

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Yes, and it's easy to do. Qualifying payments that can be automatically deposited electronically to your checking, savings or money market account include salary, pension, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits and other regular monthly income.

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Yes. As an Online Banking customer, you can sign up for Paperless Statements layer and go online to see the same information that's on your paper statement, plus all your checks that have cleared. We'll send you a monthly email notification when your new Paperless Statement becomes available online.

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Absolutely. Our experienced loan officers understand the unique challenges that military families face. We can help you decide what you can comfortably afford.

As you do the math to understand your financial situation (our mortgage calculators can help), be aware that housing allowances are available to servicemembers and their families to help cover your costs. Contact your Relocation Assistance Program office and explore the Defense Travel Management Office website layer for additional information about housing allowances, family separation and dislocation allowances, relocation and travel allowances and advances to cover moving expenses.

The easy answer is: the earlier the better. Generally, though, if you're buying a new home in a new location, you'll want to start arranging financing about 2 months before your move. Military.com has a series of checklists layer that can help you prepare for all aspects of your move, not just the financial concerns.

We can help you address financial issues related to returning home that may affect your account access or status.

You can sign into Online Banking and update your contact information. Your email address or mailing address may have changed, and making sure you have the most up-to-date information posted to your account is always a good idea. If you need any further assistance, call us at 800.334.1920.

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