Get the Military Insider Newsletter
Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content. Right in your inbox.
The Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) provides money to cover service members' housing and related costs in the civilian market when government quarters are not provided. If you live in privatized military housing, you will receive BAH.
Your BAH rate is based on your paygrade, your dependency status and the location of your duty station. The rates change Jan. 1 of each year.
The national average BAH rates for service members with and without dependents rose by 5.4% from 2023 to 2024. Because the Defense Department calculates the rates based on a combination of local costs of rent and utilities for various housing types, any fluctuation among those factors in a given location affects BAH rates for that location.
BAH rates have been directly tied to the costs of rental housing in local markets since 2008. While BAH rates fluctuate based on the previous year's housing cost averages, individual rate protection prevents your BAH from going down as long as your situation stays the same. If the BAH rate for your location increases Jan. 1, you will receive the increase. If it decreases, you will not normally see any decrease.
Your BAH rate can decrease in only three ways:
Military pay benefits are constantly changing. Make sure you're up-to-date with everything you've earned. Subscribe to Military.com to receive updates on all of your military pay and benefits, delivered directly to your inbox.
You can also view historic BAH rate tables: