Base Crashpads

2026 DoD rates

BAH calculator

Basic Allowance for Housing by duty-station ZIP and pay grade — with and without dependents, for every housing area in the United States.

What this BAH calculator does

Type the ZIP code of your duty station, pick your grade, and you'll see the monthly rate for your Military Housing Area — the same figure your LES shows. Because rates are published per MHA rather than per city, the ZIP of the installation itself is the most reliable input; a ZIP twenty minutes away can sit in a different housing area.

BAH versus per diem on TDY

BAH keeps paying at your home station while you're TDY. Lodging away from home is reimbursed separately through per diem, up to the locality lodging rate. Run those numbers in the per diem calculator, then compare against a furnished crashpad near your base.

Using BAH to buy a house

Many of our long-course guests house-hunt from a crashpad and buy with a VA loan before graduation. Lenders count BAH as qualifying income; check what your allowance supports with the home affordability calculator and price a specific house in the VA loan calculator.

Questions

BAH calculator FAQ

How is BAH calculated?
BAH is set annually by the DoD for each Military Housing Area (MHA) using local median rent and utility costs for a housing standard tied to your pay grade — an E-5 with dependents is benchmarked to a two-bedroom townhouse, an O-4 to a three-bedroom single-family home, for example. Your ZIP maps to an MHA, and the rate depends on grade and whether you have dependents.
Is BAH based on where I live or where I'm stationed?
Your permanent duty station, not your home address. If you're authorized to live somewhere else — a geographic bachelor, or dependents living elsewhere with a waiver — finance can pay the rate for that location instead.
Does BAH change on TDY?
No. BAH continues at your permanent-station rate while you're TDY. Lodging on TDY is covered separately by per diem, which is why a crashpad priced at or below the lodging rate costs you nothing out of pocket.
What is BAH rate protection?
If the rate for your MHA drops in a new year, members already assigned there keep the higher rate until they PCS, are promoted, or change dependency status. New arrivals get the current-year rate.
Is BAH taxable?
No — BAH and BAS are tax-free allowances. Lenders can still count BAH as income for a VA loan, and many gross it up to reflect its tax-free status.

Mission-ready lodging

Need a place to stay on TDY?

Furnished crashpads near major bases, priced at or below per diem, with DTS-ready receipts.

Request your stay (515) 556-8376