2026 DoD BAH Tables
2026 BAH Rates Lookup
Look up the official 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing rate for any ZIP code or installation, across every pay grade, with and without dependents — and compare two duty stations side-by-side for PCS planning. Below is a default example; enter your own ZIP in the interactive lookup for your station's full table.
2026 BAH Example: E-5 at El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss)
Monthly 2026 rates for a Sergeant (E-5) in the El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss) military housing area — an example station; BAH is set per housing area, so your rate depends on your duty ZIP.
| Dependency Status | Monthly BAH (2026) |
|---|---|
| With dependents | $1,809.00 |
| Without dependents | $1,437.00 |
| Dependent-status difference | +$372.00 |
Official 2026 DoD rates for the El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss) housing area. BAH is non-taxable and identical across branches — only your pay grade, dependency status, and duty ZIP set it. The interactive lookup shows the full 27-grade table for any station.
How rates vary nationally
Across the 299 named military housing areas in the 2026 table, the with-dependents rate for an E-5 runs from a national median of $2,118.00/mo (average $2,290.00). The El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss) example above sits $309.00 below that median, higher than 30% of housing areas — the same grade can draw two or three times as much in a high-cost metro as in a rural area. Rates also move every year: comparing the 2025 and 2026 tables area-by-area, with-dependents rates grew 4.3% on average for 2026, and individual rate protection means a published decrease never cuts the rate you are already drawing at your station.
Unweighted average across 299 named military housing areas — the average location, not population-weighted.
BAH at El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss), 2016–2026
From 2016 to 2026 the E-5 with-dependents rate here moved from $1,266.00 to $1,809.00 a month (+42.9%); the without-dependents rate went from $1,053.00 to $1,437.00. Every housing area has its own series — the interactive lookup charts and tables it for any ZIP or installation.
| Year | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $1,266.00 | $1,053.00 |
| 2017 | $1,335.00 | $1,053.00 |
| 2018 | $1,320.00 | $1,050.00 |
| 2019 | $1,293.00 | $1,056.00 |
| 2020 | $1,206.00 | $1,047.00 |
| 2021 | $1,320.00 | $1,110.00 |
| 2022 | $1,398.00 | $1,161.00 |
| 2023 | $1,587.00 | $1,197.00 |
| 2024 | $1,620.00 | $1,287.00 |
| 2025 | $1,773.00 | $1,425.00 |
| 2026 | $1,809.00 | $1,437.00 |
Each row is the rate published for 1 January of that year. A lower published rate never cuts what a member already stationed in the area was drawing — see how BAH rate protection works.
How BAH rates have moved nationally
The average change DoD announces each December for the coming year's tables. Your housing area's move can differ from the average in either direction.
| Year | Average change announced by DoD |
|---|---|
| 2026 | +4.2% |
| 2025 | +5.4% |
| 2024 | +5.4% |
| 2023 | +12.1% |
| 2022 | +5.1% |
| 2021 | +2.9% |
| 2020 | +2.8% |
| 2019 | +2.55% |
| 2018 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | +2.4% |
| 2016 | +3.4% |
Source: the Department of Defense's annual BAH rate announcements (each figure links to its release); latest rates effective 2026-01-01. A national average is not a promise for any one ZIP — an area whose rate falls is covered by individual rate protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2026 BAH rate for an E-5 at Fort Bliss?
The 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing rate for an E-5 in the El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss) military housing area is $1,809.00 per month with dependents and $1,437.00 without — straight from the official 2026 DoD rate table, not an estimate. The lookup on this page returns the same table figures for any ZIP code or installation.
How much more BAH do you get with dependents?
The with-dependents rate is a single higher rate — it does not increase per child. At El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss), an E-5 with dependents draws $372.00 more per month than one without in 2026. The gap varies by housing area and pay grade, so check your own station's table.
Is BAH taxable?
No. BAH is a non-taxable allowance, not wages, so it is exempt from federal and state income tax. That makes each BAH dollar worth more than a taxable basic-pay dollar, and in higher-cost areas BAH is often the largest single piece of total compensation.
What happens to my BAH if rates go down?
Individual rate protection: if your housing area's published rate decreases in a new year, you keep your existing higher rate as long as you maintain continuous eligibility at that station — a drop only applies to members newly arriving. The lookup on this page flags it automatically when your area's current rate is below last year's. BAH also varies steeply by grade even within one area: at El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss) in 2026, the with-dependents rate runs from $1,665.00 for an E-1 to $2,202.00 for an O-3.
How have BAH rates changed since 2016?
Year by year, from the official DoD tables this site keeps for 2016–2026: at El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss), an E-5 with dependents went from $1,266.00 in 2016 to $1,809.00 in 2026 (+42.9%), and without dependents from $1,053.00 to $1,437.00. Nationally, DoD announced average increases of +5.4% for 2024, +5.4% for 2025 and +4.2% for 2026. The lookup on this page charts and tables the same 2016–2026 series for any ZIP or installation.