OHA Calculator

OHA ceilings go up with rank. A higher pay grade is expected to need a larger home, so the ceiling grows. The calculator applies a pay grade factor to the base rate for your location, so an O-4 sees a higher ceiling than an E-5 at the same base.

You only get what you actually pay. OHA never pays more than your real rent.³ If your ceiling is €2,400 and your rent is €1,800, you get €1,800 for rent. The extra €600 does not go in your pocket.

No. OHA is a cost-reimbursement allowance.¹ Unused rent money stays with the government. The utility allowance is different: you get that flat amount even if your bills are lower.

You pay the difference out of pocket. The calculator shows this gap when you enter your rent. For example, if your rent is €2,600 and the ceiling is €2,400, you cover €200 each month yourself.

No. MIHA is a one-time payment when you move into your overseas home. It is a fixed lump sum paid with your first OHA rental payment, and certain one-time, nonrefundable rent charges can also be reimbursed.² That is why the calculator leaves MIHA out of your monthly total.

Members without dependents usually rent smaller homes and use less power, water, and heat. Under DoD policy, a member without dependents gets up to 90% of the rent ceiling and 75% of the with-dependents utility rate, and receives the full MIHA lump sum.²

A rate locality is one pay area that can cover several bases. All of Kaiserslautern (Ramstein, Vogelweh, Landstuhl, Kleber, Pulaski) shares one rate. All of Okinawa shares one island-wide rate. Type any base name and the tool finds the right locality.

Your ceiling is set in local money, but you are paid in dollars. DoD reviews the pay exchange rate twice a month.⁴ When the exchange rate moves, your dollar amount moves too, even if the euro or yen ceiling stays the same.

Check your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) or ask your finance office for the current pay-system rate. The calculator pre-fills a rate for each location, but typing the live rate gives you a closer dollar estimate.

Guam, Puerto Rico, Djibouti, and Guantanamo Bay pay in dollars. No currency conversion happens there, so exchange rate swings do not affect your pay at those spots.

No. OHA is tax-free, just like BAH.⁵ That means the full amount goes toward your housing costs and does not show up as taxable income.

No. OHA is for members who rent private housing off base. If you live in government quarters, you do not get OHA. Some places, like Guantanamo Bay, are mostly on-base, so OHA only applies where off-base housing is approved.

Yes. You must give your lease and rent amount to your housing or finance office. Your rent allowance is set from that number. If your rent changes, report it right away.

The installation box turns on after you choose a country. You can also skip both dropdowns and just type your base name, city, or nickname in the search box.

Lots. Try KMC, Wolf Pack, GTMO, Okinawa, Graf, Spang, Sig, Liberty Wing, K-6, or Palmerola. The search also accepts city names and country names. Type at least two letters.

Yes. Prior-enlisted officers get a slightly higher factor than their non-prior peers at the same grade. Pick the E version from the dropdown if you served enlisted before you commissioned.

A spouse or child who lives with you at your overseas duty station usually counts, and they must be command sponsored. Check with your personnel office, because rules differ by service and location.

Not through MIHA. An advance OHA payment can be authorized to pay advance rent or a security deposit when you move into private housing.² MIHA covers other move-in costs: a fixed lump sum and reimbursement of certain one-time, nonrefundable rent charges.² Check with your housing office before you sign, especially where leases ask for key money or a large deposit.

That keeps the math simple and easy to check. Real-world totals may shift, since the exchange rate changes twice a month and rates are reviewed over time. Use the annual figure as a planning estimate.

Rent markets differ. Central Tokyo and London cost far more than Misawa or RAF Menwith Hill. OHA follows real local rent data, so city bases usually carry higher ceilings than rural ones.

It can, up to your ceiling. Report the new rent to your housing office. If your new rent is still under the ceiling, your allowance rises to match. Above the ceiling, you cover the extra.

Usually your rent is split, and each member claims their share. Report the shared lease so finance can figure the right amount. You cannot claim the full rent if someone else pays part of it.