diff --git a/examples/llm/megatron_gpt_pretraining.py b/examples/llm/megatron_gpt_pretraining.py
index 180561d03bac..d3d049e4296e 100644
--- a/examples/llm/megatron_gpt_pretraining.py
+++ b/examples/llm/megatron_gpt_pretraining.py
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ def get_args():
     checkpoint_callback = ModelCheckpoint(
         every_n_train_steps=5000,
         enable_nemo_ckpt_io=False,
-        async_save=False,
     )
     callbacks = [checkpoint_callback]
 
diff --git a/nemo/lightning/pytorch/callbacks/model_checkpoint.py b/nemo/lightning/pytorch/callbacks/model_checkpoint.py
index ed8ac25185f3..eee3850dfb37 100644
--- a/nemo/lightning/pytorch/callbacks/model_checkpoint.py
+++ b/nemo/lightning/pytorch/callbacks/model_checkpoint.py
@@ -51,14 +51,12 @@ def __init__(
         save_best_model: bool = False,
         save_on_train_epoch_end: Optional[bool] = False,  # Save after training, not after validation
         enable_nemo_ckpt_io: bool = True,
-        async_save: bool = False,
         try_restore_best_ckpt: bool = True,
         **kwargs,
     ):
         self.save_best_model = save_best_model
         self.previous_best_path = ""
         self.enable_nemo_ckpt_io = enable_nemo_ckpt_io
-        self.async_save = async_save
         # Checkpoints which removal is deferred until async save is done.
         # Each element of `deferred_ckpts_to_remove` is a growing list
         # that `self._remove_checkpoint` adds to. Once `self._save_checkpoint`
@@ -221,7 +219,7 @@ def load_state_dict(self, state_dict: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
         super().load_state_dict(state_dict)
         self._remove_invalid_entries_from_topk()
 
-    def setup(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
+    def setup(self, trainer, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
         from nemo.utils.get_rank import is_global_rank_zero
 
         if is_global_rank_zero():
@@ -230,7 +228,9 @@ def setup(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
         # Ensure that all ranks continue with unfinished checkpoints removed
         if torch.distributed.is_initialized():
             torch.distributed.barrier()
-        super().setup(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        self.async_save = getattr(trainer.strategy, "async_save", False)
+        super().setup(trainer, *args, **kwargs)
 
     def on_save_checkpoint(self, trainer, pl_module, checkpoint):
         output = super().on_save_checkpoint(trainer, pl_module, checkpoint)
diff --git a/nemo/lightning/pytorch/strategies.py b/nemo/lightning/pytorch/strategies.py
index 2219324f6b67..9adfb7801f2f 100644
--- a/nemo/lightning/pytorch/strategies.py
+++ b/nemo/lightning/pytorch/strategies.py
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ def __init__(
         lazy_init: bool = False,
         pipeline_dtype: Optional[torch.dtype] = None,
         save_ckpt_format='torch_dist',
+        ckpt_async_save=False,
         ckpt_torch_dist_multiproc=None,  ## TODO(ashors): put elsewhere?
         ckpt_assume_constant_structure=False,
         ckpt_parallel_save=True,
@@ -142,6 +143,7 @@ def __init__(
         self.log_memory_usage = bool(int(os.getenv("NEMO_LOG_MEMORY_USAGE", 0)))
 
         self.save_ckpt_format = save_ckpt_format
+        self.async_save = ckpt_async_save
         self.torch_dist_multiproc = ckpt_torch_dist_multiproc
         self.assume_constant_structure = ckpt_assume_constant_structure
         self.parallel_save = ckpt_parallel_save
@@ -253,6 +255,16 @@ def setup(self, trainer: pl.Trainer) -> None:
             assert self.model is not None
             _sync_module_states(self.model)
 
+        ## add AsyncFinalizerCallback if using async
+        if self.async_save:
+            have_async_callback = False
+            for callback in self.trainer.callbacks:
+                if isinstance(callback, AsyncFinalizerCallback):
+                    have_async_callback = True
+                    break
+            if not have_async_callback:
+                self.trainer.callbacks.append(AsyncFinalizerCallback())
+
     @override
     def setup_distributed(self) -> None:
         self._setup_parallel_ranks()
@@ -577,11 +589,9 @@ def load_model_state_dict(self, checkpoint: Mapping[str, Any], strict: bool = Tr
     @override
     def checkpoint_io(self) -> CheckpointIO:
         if self._checkpoint_io is None:
-            checkpoint_callback = self.trainer.checkpoint_callback
-            async_save = getattr(checkpoint_callback, "async_save", False)
             self._checkpoint_io = MegatronCheckpointIO(
                 save_ckpt_format=self.save_ckpt_format,
-                async_save=async_save,
+                async_save=self.async_save,
                 torch_dist_multiproc=self.torch_dist_multiproc,
                 assume_constant_structure=self.assume_constant_structure,
                 parallel_save=self.parallel_save,
@@ -589,15 +599,8 @@ def checkpoint_io(self) -> CheckpointIO:
                 parallel_load=self.parallel_load,
                 load_directly_on_device=self.load_directly_on_device,
             )
-            if async_save:
+            if self.async_save:
                 self._checkpoint_io = AsyncFinalizableCheckpointIO(self._checkpoint_io)
-                have_async_callback = False
-                for callback in self.trainer.callbacks:
-                    if isinstance(callback, AsyncFinalizerCallback):
-                        have_async_callback = True
-                        break
-                if not have_async_callback:
-                    self.trainer.callbacks.append(AsyncFinalizerCallback())
         elif isinstance(self._checkpoint_io, _WrappingCheckpointIO):
             self._checkpoint_io.checkpoint_io = MegatronCheckpointIO()