Calculate Your BAH
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Learn moreBAH Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for BAH?
A member assigned to permanent duty within the 50 United States, who is not furnished government housing, is eligible for BAH, based on the member's rank, dependency status, and permanent duty station zip code.
What housing costs are used to set BAH rates?
BAH rates are calculated using current median market rents and average local expenditures on utilities (electricity, water, sewer, and heating fuel) in each local market area, and will fluctuate as those costs change.
What impact does a promotion have on BAH?
If you are promoted, your BAH rate is the then-current published BAH for your new (higher) grade, with the following exception. If you get promoted, and are in a location where the current published BAH for your new grade is lower than the BAH amount you were receiving before, you continue to receive the higher BAH amount.
BAH for my grade doesn’t cover my mortgage payment.
BAH is based on rental data. A homeowner's monthly mortgage payment is not used in the computation because the monthly cash outlay of a homeowner is not a good indicator of the economic costs of home ownership. The variables needed to compute this include such difficult to measure factors as the expected appreciation in the value of the residence, the amount of down payment, the opportunity costs of interest from down payments, settlement costs, and the tax savings due to the interest and tax payments deduction. Therefore, BAH reflects the current rental market conditions not the historical circumstances surrounding various mortgage loans.
What impact will removal of renter's insurance have on BAH rates?
On average, the cost of renter's insurance contributed about $20/month to the Basic Allowance for Housing rates, with the actual amount varying by grade and location. Members who obtain renter's insurance will now need to budget for this expense separately.
Does family size make a difference?
No. Although BAH distinguishes between with-dependent and without-dependent, the with-dependent compensation is based on comparable civilians using average family size.
How are BAH rates determined?
BAH rates are based on local area rental market data and vary by geographic duty station, pay grade, and dependency status. The cost of utilities is also considered. BAH is based only on rental properties, not homeownership costs like mortgage payments and property taxes. BAH also includes rate protection. This means, if a member’s current BAH rate is less than the previous year, the member receives at least the same amount of BAH as the previous year, provided that the member’s duty location, rank and dependency status stays the same. If BAH rates go up, the member will receive the higher BAH rate as long as eligibility is uninterrupted. This ensures that members who have made long-term commitments in the form of a lease or contract are not penalized if the area's housing costs decrease.
Does BAH cover all housing costs?
BAH enables service members to live off-base comparably to their civilian counterparts. It is not designed to cover all housing costs for all members. Some members may have out-of-pocket expenses, because rates are based on the median cost of rent. A member’s actual expenses may be higher or lower based on a member’s actual choice of housing and where they live. Because members are free to make housing choices that best suit their needs, a member may choose to use all their housing allowance to rent more expensive housing close to the duty station, or have a longer commute for either a larger or less expensive house in an outlying area.