Introduction
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is money the military pays you each month to help cover your housing costs when you live off base. The amount you get depends on three things: where you are stationed, your pay grade, and whether you have dependents.1 BAH rates are reviewed every year using current rental market rates, the average cost of utilities, and home type and number of rooms.1
Our BAH Calculator gives you an estimate of your monthly and annual housing allowance for a duty station, rank, and year from 2022 to 2025. Just pick your location, enter your pay grade, and choose your dependency status. The tool will show your full BAH rate, your annual total, and the partial BAH amount paid to those living in government quarters. You can also compare how rates have changed over the past four years with a built-in chart and table.
This calculator gives you the housing allowance numbers you need, whether for a PCS to a new base or a household budget.
How to Use Our BAH Calculator
Enter your duty station, pay grade, dependency status, and rate year below. The calculator will show your monthly and annual Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) amount.
Duty Station Location: Type the name of your city, state, or ZIP code. Pick your duty station from the list that appears.
Pay Grade: Type your military pay grade, such as E-5, O-3, or W-2. Select the correct rank from the list.
Dependency Status: Choose "With Dependents" if you have a spouse or children. Choose "Without Dependents" if you do not.
BAH Rate Year: Pick the year you want to check. BAH rates change each year, so choose the year that applies to you.
Calculate: Press the "Calculate" button to see your BAH results. You can also open "See Past BAH Rates" to compare your rate across multiple years.
What Is BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing)?
BAH stands for Basic Allowance for Housing. It is money the U.S. military pays service members each month to help cover the cost of housing when they live off base. Instead of living in military housing, you get a set amount of money to pay for rent or a mortgage in the area where you are stationed. To see how your BAH compares to typical housing expenses, our Rent Affordability Calculator can help you figure out what you can comfortably spend on rent each month.
How Is BAH Calculated?
The Department of Defense (DoD) sets BAH rates every year.1 Three things decide how much BAH you get:
- Duty station location – Each base is assigned a Military Housing Area (MHA). Places where rent is high, like San Francisco or New York City, have higher BAH rates. Places where rent is low get smaller rates. Our Cost of Living Calculator can help you compare expenses across different duty station areas.
- Pay grade – Higher-ranking service members receive more BAH. An O-5 gets more than an E-3, for example.
- Dependency status – If you have a spouse or children, you get a higher rate than someone without dependents.
What Is Partial BAH?
Partial BAH is a smaller, flat payment given to service members without dependents who live in government-provided housing, like barracks. This amount does not change based on location. It only changes based on pay grade.
When Do BAH Rates Change?
New BAH rates take effect on January 1 each year, and the DoD usually releases them in mid-December.1 The rates are set from current rental market rates, the average cost of utilities, and home type and number of rooms.1 If housing costs go up in your area, your BAH rate will usually go up too. BAH rates also include individual rate protection: if rates fall, you keep the rate you received at the time of your move, and your rate changes only when you are assigned a new duty station, have a reduction in pay grade, or change your dependent status.1
Who Qualifies for BAH?
All active-duty service members who do not live in government housing can receive BAH. Reserve and National Guard members may qualify when on active-duty orders of 30 days or more. BAH is not taxed, which means you keep every dollar of it.1 Since BAH is tax-free, it effectively increases your total compensation.