BAH Calculator 2025
Calculate your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for 2024-2026
BAH Results
Welcome to BAH Calculator
Enter your rank, duty station ZIP code, dependency status, and year to calculate your estimated Basic Allowance for Housing.
BAH Rate Lookup
Enter a ZIP code to view all BAH rates for that location.
If you’re a military personnel, veteran, or part of a military family, understanding housing benefits can feel like a labyrinth. That’s where the 2025 Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) Calculator comes in! Whether you’re moving to a new duty station or planning your budget, this tool helps simplify the process of understanding your housing allowance.
What is Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)?
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is a financial benefit provided by the Department of Defense (DoD) to active military personnel to cover housing costs in areas where government quarters are not available. Whether you are renting an apartment or buying your own home, BAH is designed to reduce your housing expenses. It is calculated based on three main factors:
- Location: BAH rates vary depending on the zip code of your duty station. Rates are higher in high-cost areas such as San Diego or Washington, D.C., while rates are lower in lower-cost areas.
- Pay grade: Your rank plays a significant role in this calculation as higher-ranked soldiers generally receive more BAH.
- Dependent status: If you have dependents (such as a spouse or children), your BAH rate is higher to cover family needs.
For 2025, BAH rates are set to increase by an average of 5.4%, reflecting rising housing costs across the U.S. This increase ensures that military personnel can easily afford suitable housing wherever they are stationed.
How does the BAH calculator work?
The BAH calculator is very easy to use. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide:
- Enter your details: Enter your duty station’s zip code, pay grade, and dependents’ status.
- Get results: The tool immediately shows your 2025 BAH rate in monthly and annual amounts.
- Explore additional options: You can view rates from previous years or go to state-specific BAH charts for more information.
This calculator receives data from the DoD, which collects housing market information annually from more than 300 military housing areas. This data includes average rents and utility costs, which are verified by local real estate professionals and military housing offices to ensure accuracy.
Why Use the 2025 BAH Calculator?
Calculating your exact BAH rate can be difficult because it depends on many factors and calculations. That’s where the BAH calculator comes in. This user-friendly tool allows you to enter the following information:
- Zip code of duty station (not your place of residence)
- Pay grade (for example, E-5, O-3)
- Dependent status (with or without dependents)
After entering these details, the calculator immediately shows you your monthly and annual BAH rates, giving you a clear picture of your housing allowance. It also lets you check rates from previous years, which is useful for planning or comparing changes over time.
For example, if you’re an E-5 and have dependents, and you’re stationed in a high-cost area like Oakland, CA, your BAH will be significantly higher than in a lower-cost area like Fresno, CA. This calculator takes the guesswork out of it, so you can easily know what to expect.
Who is eligible for BAH?
BAH is available to the following active duty members: Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Officer Corps. You are eligible if:
- You are stationed in the U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii, and D.C.).
- Government or base housing is not available.
- You live in off-base civilian housing.
If you are a veteran, National Guard, or Reserve member using the GI Bill, you should use the MHA calculator to estimate your housing benefits.
Along with BAH, check other Free Net Run Rate Calculator from here.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you get single-type government quarters, your BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) will be zero. But if you live in privatised housing (such as military family housing), you generally get full BAH, which is paid directly to the housing provider.
The calculation of BAH is such that 95% of the housing costs of members without dependents are covered, and 100% of members with dependents. But if your area is expensive or you choose more luxury housing, there may be some out-of-pocket expense.
BAH rates are decided based on the local market—based on the average of median rent, utility costs, and different types of houses (1BHK, 2BHK, etc.). There is a different weighting for each pay grade, as housing choices of junior and senior officers are usually different.
Projected rates for 2025 and 2026 are just estimates—based on past trends and expected market changes. These are not final rates, so use them only for planning, check the official rates before taking a final decision.
