Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) Explained
How BAH is calculated, who receives it, and how the 2026 rates changed.
Last reviewed on October 1, 2026The Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is a tax-free monthly payment that helps service members in the United States pay for housing when the government does not provide it. After basic pay, it is usually the largest part of a service member's compensation. In 2026 BAH rates rose an average of 4.2%.
What Determines Your BAH Rate
- Duty station ZIP code — rates are set for roughly 300 Military Housing Areas (MHAs), based on your permanent duty station, not where you choose to live.
- Pay grade — higher grades are matched to larger housing types (from a one-bedroom apartment up to a four-bedroom detached house).
- Dependency status — members with dependents receive a higher "with dependents" rate. The number of dependents does not matter.
Each year the Defense Travel Management Office collects rental prices, utility costs and renter's insurance data for each area. Rates are built to cover typical housing costs for each grade, minus a small member cost-sharing amount, and take effect every January 1.
Types of Housing Allowance
- BAH (with or without dependents) — the standard, location-based rate for members in the U.S. living off base.
- BAH Type II / BAH RC/T — a national, non-locality rate paid to Reserve Component members on orders of 30 days or less and in a few other situations.
- Partial BAH — a small payment to single members living in government barracks.
- BAH-Diff — paid to members in single quarters who pay child support.
- OHA — the Overseas Housing Allowance replaces BAH outside the U.S. and reimburses actual rent up to a ceiling. Overseas members may also receive COLA.
Rate Protection
Once you are receiving BAH at a location, your rate will not go down because of a decrease in the local rate, as long as your status stays the same. If rates go up, you receive the increase. Rate protection ends when you PCS, change dependency status or are reduced in grade.
Dual-Military Couples
When both spouses serve and have no children, each receives BAH at the without-dependents rate for their own grade. With children, one member draws the with-dependents rate and the other the without-dependents rate.
Find Your Exact Rate
BAH is published only as a lookup by ZIP code and grade. Use the official BAH Rate Lookup on Travel.DoD.mil. Add the result to your basic pay from the pay calculator and BAS to estimate your total monthly compensation; the allowance appears in the entitlements column of your LES.
BAH FAQ
No. BAH is a tax-free allowance for federal income tax, and most states also exclude it.
Not while you stay put. Under individual rate protection, your BAH does not decrease as long as you remain at the same duty station with no change in dependency status and no reduction in grade.
Not for weekend drills. Reserve and Guard members on active-duty orders of more than 30 days receive the location-based BAH rate; orders of 30 days or less pay the lower, non-locality BAH Type II (BAH RC/T).
Members assigned to government quarters do not receive BAH. In privatized family housing, BAH is typically paid to the member and then directed to the housing company as rent.