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2026 BAH · 10 seconds

Your BAH, now and after your next promotion

Pick your base, rank and family. We'll do the math.

Family moving with you?

  • Official 2026 rates
  • All 40 bases
  • No email needed
The basics

How BAH works

  • Three things set it: your duty station's ZIP, your pay grade, and whether you have dependents.
  • It's yours either way. Rent for less and keep the difference. BAH isn't taxed.
  • It won't drop while you stay put. Rates reset every January, but rate protection keeps yours at the same base, rank and family status.
  • On post, it all goes to housing. Your full BAH pays the housing company, usually with utilities included.
Special cases: dual-military, Guard/Reserve, overseas
  • Dual-military: no kids, you each get the without-dependents rate. With kids, one of you gets the with-dependents rate and the other gets without.
  • Guard and Reserve: local BAH only on active-duty orders over 30 days.
  • Overseas: Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) replaces BAH and covers actual rent up to a cap.
  • Family stays behind by choice: BAH is still based on your duty station. Deploying doesn't stop it.
Plan ahead

Promotions and your BAH

Your BAH jumps to the new rank's rate on your date of rank, at the same base. That raise is the easiest one to plan around.

  • New officers: O-2 comes at about 2 years (Army: 18 months) and O-3 about 2 years after that. Both are near-automatic.
  • Junior enlisted: E-2 through E-4 come mostly with time in service.
  • E-5 and up, O-4 and up: competitive, so don't bank on a date.
Typical promotion timing, rank by rank
  • E-1 → E-2: 6 months (Navy 9). Automatic.
  • E-2 → E-3: 6–10 months in grade (Army 12 mo service, Navy 18 mo, AF 10 mo in grade). Automatic.
  • E-3 → E-4: ~12 months in grade (Army 24 mo service, Navy 30 mo; AF SrA 36 mo service/20 mo in grade). Mostly automatic.
  • E-4 → E-5: ~2 years in grade (about 4 years of service). Competitive: points, exams, boards.
  • E-5 → E-6: ~4 years in grade (AF ~5). Competitive.
  • E-6 → E-7, E-7 → E-8: ~5 years in grade. Competitive.
  • W-1 → W-2: ~2 years. Fully qualified.
  • W-2 and up: ~5 years per grade. Competitive.
  • O-1 → O-2: 24 months (Army 18); law minimum 18 months. Fully qualified.
  • O-2 → O-3: ~24 months later (about 4 years commissioned). Fully qualified.
  • O-3 → O-4: ~6 years in grade (9–11 years commissioned). Competitive, 70–90%.
  • O-4 → O-5, O-5 → O-6: ~6 years in grade each. Competitive.

What our tools assume. Real timing varies by branch, job and year.

Your choice

Rent, buy or live on post?

EasiestLive on post

Your whole BAH goes to housing. Utilities and repairs are usually covered.

Most flexibleRent off post

Keep what you don't spend. You can end the lease on PCS orders (SCRA).

Long toursBuy with a VA loan

$0 down and no PMI, but buying and selling cost about 9–10%. At 7.4% rates it rarely beats renting under 3 years.

Compare all three for your base →

Thinking about buying? Start with the VA loan guide.

PCS money

Money for the move

  • Dislocation allowance (DLA): a one-time payment for each PCS. About $3,548 for E-5 with dependents, paid once per PCS.
  • Temporary lodging (TLE): up to 21 days of hotel costs while you find a place.
  • Move yourself (PPM): get paid for what the government would have spent, minus your costs.
See the details
  • DLA depends on your rank and dependents on the date of your orders. The tool above shows yours.
  • TLE is capped at $290 a day for a move within the U.S. (raised from 14 to 21 days in Nov. 2024). A few housing-shortage areas allow up to 60 days.
  • PPM pays up to 100% of what the government would have spent moving you, minus your actual costs. Keep every receipt and weight ticket.
  • Breaking a lease: the SCRA lets you end a residential lease with PCS orders or 90+ day deployment orders. On monthly rent, it ends 30 days after the next rent due date.
  • Overseas orders: you get OHA or government housing instead of BAH, and a VA loan can't buy a home abroad.
Quick answers

Common questions

How much does BAH go up with a promotion?

It depends on the base. At most bases, O-1 to O-3 with dependents adds several hundred dollars a month; E-4 to E-5 adds less. Pick your base above to see your numbers.

When does my BAH change after a promotion?

On your date of rank. It shows up on the next LES, sometimes with back pay.

Will my BAH go down next year?

Not while you stay at the same base, grade and family status. Rate protection keeps your current rate even if the area's rate drops.

Is BAH taxed?

No. BAH isn't taxable income, but lenders still count it as income for a VA loan.

See all 40 bases
Camp LejeuneCamp PendletonDavis-Monthan AFBEglin AFBFort BenningFort BlissFort BraggFort CampbellFort CarsonFort DrumFort GordonFort HoodFort Leonard WoodFort MeadeFort PolkFort RileyFort SillFort StewartFort WainwrightHill AFBJoint Base AndrewsJoint Base Elmendorf-RichardsonJoint Base Langley-EustisJoint Base Lewis-McChordJoint Base Pearl Harbor-HickamJoint Base San Antonio-LacklandLuke AFBMCAGCC Twentynine PalmsMacDill AFBNAS JacksonvilleNAS PensacolaNAS Whidbey IslandNaval Base San DiegoNaval Station NorfolkNellis AFBOffutt AFBSchofield BarracksThe PentagonTinker AFBWright-Patterson AFB
Sources

Boxes marked “Partner offer” are placeholders and aren't live yet. When they go live they'll be labeled, and they won't change our rankings or what we say (disclosure). Written by The MilTech Deals Team. Not financial, tax or legal advice.

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