Free calculator
BAH Calculator
Look up official 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing rates by duty ZIP, pay grade, and dependent status.
Duty-station details
Enter the permanent duty-station ZIP code—not necessarily your residential ZIP. Results update as selections change.
Five-digit ZIP used by DoD to resolve the Military Housing Area.
Current-year dataset. Prior years are not included in this release.
Monthly BAH
Loading official 2026 rates…
What this 2026 BAH calculator does
Look up a published monthly Basic Allowance for Housing rate by permanent duty ZIP, pay grade, and dependency status. The ZIP resolves locally to the applicable DoD Military Housing Area, and annual BAH is monthly BAH multiplied by 12. No live government request occurs when you calculate.
Methodology and assumptions
- Validate an exact five-digit duty-station ZIP.
- Resolve that ZIP through the official 2026 ZIP-to-MHA mapping.
- Look up the selected grade and with- or without-dependents rate in the official MHA table.
- Multiply the monthly published rate by 12 for the annual figure.
Authoritative sources and data provenance
Dataset version 2026.2; rate year 2026; last verified August 24, 2026. Normalized from the official BAH-ASCII-2026.zip, including 40,959 ZIP mappings and 18,252 rate values. The current DTMO archive includes the temporary TX270 Abilene rates effective May 16–December 31, 2026.
- 2026 BAH Rates — All Locations and All Pay Grades (ASCII download)Defense Travel Management Office, U.S. Department of Defense
Official ZIP archive containing current rate tables, MHA names, and ZIP-to-MHA mappings.
- Basic Allowance for HousingDefense Travel Management Office, U.S. Department of Defense
Official program description, dependency-status guidance, and individual rate-protection information.
- Temporary BAH Increase for Abilene/Dyess AFBDefense Travel Management Office, U.S. Department of Defense
Official notice for the TX270 rates effective May 16 through December 31, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How is BAH determined?
DoD assigns permanent-duty ZIP codes to Military Housing Areas and publishes separate monthly rates by pay grade and dependency status. Rates reflect local rental housing and utility costs and include a member cost-sharing amount.
Should I enter my home ZIP or duty-station ZIP?
Use the ZIP code for your permanent duty station. BAH is generally based on duty location, not where you choose to live.
Does BAH increase for each dependent?
No. DoD publishes a with-dependents rate and a without-dependents rate. The number of dependents does not create additional BAH tiers.
Why might my actual BAH differ?
Individual rate protection, a change in duty station, pay grade or dependency status, government housing, BAH-Differential, reserve-component rules, or other official eligibility circumstances may affect actual pay. Confirm with your servicing finance office.
Can I use BAH as income for a VA mortgage?
A lender determines whether and how BAH qualifies for a specific mortgage. You can take this monthly estimate to the related VA Affordability Calculator as a planning input, but neither calculator provides underwriting or approval.