Look up your 2026 BAH rate by pay grade, location, and dependency status. Includes GI Bill housing allowance (MHA) and BAH Type II rates.
You might also find these calculators useful
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is a monthly non-taxable allowance that helps U.S. service members cover housing costs when living off-base. Your BAH rate depends on three factors: your pay grade, your duty station's Military Housing Area (MHA), and whether you have dependents. Use this calculator to instantly look up your 2026 BAH rate from the official DoD rate tables.
BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) is a DoD housing benefit paid to active-duty service members who live off the installation. It is tax-free and is set annually based on median rental costs in each Military Housing Area. BAH is designed to cover approximately 95% of median rental costs for your pay grade in your area.
Rate Lookup
BAH = DoD Rate Table[Pay Grade][MHA][Dependency Status]Get your exact 2026 BAH rate without digging through DoD tables. Just select your pay grade and duty station.
Post-9/11 GI Bill students can look up their Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) based on their school's location and enrollment status.
See side-by-side rates for with-dependent and without-dependent status, plus BAH Type II for Reserve and temporary duty scenarios.
Visualize how BAH varies by pay grade at your duty station — useful for planning ahead as you advance in rank.
Look up BAH at your new duty station before a Permanent Change of Station move to budget for housing costs.
Compare MHA rates at different schools to factor housing allowance into your college decision.
Use your BAH rate to determine how much rent you can afford while keeping housing costs at or below your allowance.
Calculate your total annual BAH to plan your finances, especially when preparing for deployment or transitions.
BAH is not calculated by a formula — it is set by the DoD based on local rental surveys. The 2026 BAH rates increased an average of 4.2% from 2025, effective January 1, 2026. Your specific rate is determined by your pay grade, the Military Housing Area (MHA) of your duty station, and whether you have dependents.
BAH (also called BAH RC/T or BAH Type II) for Reserve Component members and service members on temporary duty is a flat national rate that does not vary by location. Regular active-duty BAH is locality-based and is typically much higher than BAH Type II.
Post-9/11 GI Bill students receive a Monthly Housing Allowance equal to the E-5 with-dependents BAH rate for the ZIP code of their school. Online-only students receive 50% of the national average BAH (approximately $1,038/month in 2026). You must be enrolled at more than half-time to receive MHA.
Yes. BAH rates increase with pay grade. An O-6 in San Diego can receive more than $5,600/month with dependents, while an E-1 in the same area receives around $3,315/month. Higher pay grades typically have higher BAH because DoD assumes they would rent larger or higher-quality housing.
No. BAH is a non-taxable benefit for active-duty service members. It is not included in your taxable income, which makes it even more valuable compared to equivalent taxable compensation.
If you have dependents, you continue receiving BAH at your permanent duty station rate while deployed. If you do not have dependents and are deployed to a combat zone, you may receive BAH-RC/T (Type II) instead of your regular locality rate.