So basically you reduce your pay one or more months to boost it in another?

Yes, and emphasis is you deposit hours, not dollars. Put hours in as junior FO, withdraw as Capt, collect hours at capt pay. Good deal. Advice: fully fill your bank to 60 hours before you upgrade.

Hopefully "boost it" at a higher rate than it went in though. 😁

There are many reasons to bank time and take it out later. As mentioned one is for the upgrade to Captain. Other uses are to help fill up when you get a GS, buy vacation days, and just fill up the month if you want too. The argument against banking time is really based on earning profit sharing on the time you bank. Yes you get it when you take it out but it might be at a lower PS percentage.

To put hours in the bank your "credit" has to be over 80 hours for the month. If you are negative bank, up to the first 5 hours of credit over 80 hours will automatically be deducted to pay back negative bank. You can pay back more if you want too but only with credit one 80 hours.

I like the using the bank to even out time month to month. I have about 25 hours in my bank right now.

Denny

Ditto to this. Many reasons to utilize the Bank.

I bank hours in the summer when the ALVs are high and I'm flying my rear-end off, and then I use those hours to bolster my Nov/Dec. when the flying on my fleet drops off and the ALVs are low.

And like banking the hours as an FO and pulling them as a CA, if you're not yet on the 12-year pay step, you can bank hours before your anniversary and take them out after your anniversary, and keep the hours in the same PS year.