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How to Update Salary, Pension, and Benefit Deposits to a New Bank Account

Changing banks does not update every payer automatically. Find the right route for salary, pensions and benefits, and keep your old account open until the new one receives a deposit.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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Update each payer separately: your employer’s payroll team, every pension administrator, and each benefits agency that deposits money to you. Changing bank accounts does not automatically update every payer’s records. Use each payer’s official website, phone line, office, or form, and keep your old account open until a payment arrives in the new one.

Before you start: list every recurring deposit

Make an inventory of the money paid into your current account and identify the organization that sends each payment. Include salary, workplace or government pensions, Social Security or other government benefits, and any other recurring deposits. Unless a payer confirms that one approved process updates multiple payments, treat every payer as a separate change.

This guide gives U.S. federal examples. If you live elsewhere, contact the employer, pension plan administrator, or benefits agency responsible for each payment in your jurisdiction; routes and requirements vary.

What information you need

Get the new account’s official details from your bank: account type, routing number, and account number. Some payers also request the bank’s name. Requirements differ; for example, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requests the bank name, account number, and routing number, while the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) lists account type, routing number, and account number.

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Enter account information only through a verified payer or bank service. Navigate from the payer’s official website or use a phone number or form obtained from that site, rather than following an unsolicited link or message.

How to change each deposit

Salary from an employer

Contact your employer’s payroll or HR team and use its secure payroll system or the process it provides. There is no single national payroll portal for private employers. For U.S. civilian employees paid by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), DFAS directs people who cannot access myPay to contact their customer service representative, payroll liaison, or HR.

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U.S. federal civilian pension or annuity from OPM

For an OPM retirement benefit, sign in to Retirement Services Online, select Direct Deposit, choose Change, enter the new account details, and save. OPM also provides phone and written options, including Standard Form 1199A. See OPM’s retirement account guidance for available routes.

U.S. military retired pay and applicable annuities from DFAS

DFAS supports direct-deposit changes through myPay and applicable forms. The route matters for timing: a DFAS June 2025 newsletter says an online myPay account update takes three to seven business days to reach the pay system. DFAS’s retired-military forms guidance gives 45–60 days for processing certain requests made by form. That form estimate is not a general timeline for all pensions or benefits. Check the instructions for your payment category and method: DFAS retired pay account management and DFAS retired military forms.

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Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

For Social Security, sign in to the relevant my Social Security account and update direct deposit. Some benefit types may require a call. A participating bank may also be able to send updated details through SSA’s Automated Enrollment service, but not all banks offer it. SSI has distinct online capabilities; if you receive SSI and cannot make the change online, call SSA or contact your local office. Follow SSA’s instructions for your benefit type: Social Security direct deposit.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits

VA.gov profile changes cover named payment types including disability compensation, pension, and education benefits. Check that your specific benefit is handled there: some payments, including travel reimbursements, caregiver stipends, refunds, and life-insurance benefits, use separate systems or forms. VA lists phone and in-person alternatives for certain changes, and a Standard Form 1199a option for people without internet or phone access. Start with VA’s direct-deposit change page and follow the instructions for your payment category.

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Compare the available routes and timing

There is no universal best route or cutoff date. Choose based on the payer and payment type, the channels it offers, its processing time, and what it says about the first payment affected. For example, SSA’s bank-assisted Automated Enrollment depends on bank participation; OPM offers online and manual routes; VA’s route depends on benefit category; and DFAS gives different timing for myPay and certain form requests.

Do not assume that submitting a change today will redirect the next scheduled payment. Ask the payer when the request will take effect and whether the upcoming payment is already being processed. Processing estimates are specific to the payer, payment category, and submission method; they are not interchangeable.

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Submit the changes and verify the result

  1. Submit a change through each payer’s verified portal, phone service, office, or official form.
  2. Save the confirmation and note the date you submitted it. Ask the payer for the effective date or the first payment expected to use the new account.
  3. Keep the old account open until the new account receives a payment. OPM and DFAS advise maintaining the existing account during the changeover.
  4. Check the new account after the expected payment date. If the deposit does not arrive, contact the payer using its official contact details and confirm which account is on file before taking further action.

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