2026 BAH Rates by ZIP Code (MHA Lookup)
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is the tax free monthly housing allowance for US service members who live off base. The Department of Defense sets a different rate for each Military Housing Area (MHA), and your duty station ZIP code determines your MHA. Use the lookup below to find the official 2026 BAH with dependents rate for any of the 337 MHAs, then download the full dataset as CSV.
BAH Rate Lookup
All 2026 BAH Rates (With Dependents)
Click a column header to sort. Use the search box in the lookup tool to filter this table. All figures are monthly dollars.
| MHA | Location | E-1 | E-5 | E-7 | O-3 |
|---|
Source: Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), 2026 BAH Rates With Dependents, via travel.dod.mil. Figures rounded to whole dollars as published.
Rate Protection: Your BAH Cannot Go Down Mid-Tour
Individual rate protection means the BAH you receive never drops while your situation stays the same. If the published rate for your MHA falls on January 1, you keep the higher of the new rate or the rate you were already receiving. Your BAH only changes to the current published rate if you PCS to a new duty station, are demoted, or your dependency status changes. Promotions never lower your BAH: you get the higher of your protected rate or the new grade rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BAH?
Basic Allowance for Housing is a monthly, tax free allowance paid to US service members who are not provided government housing. It is based on pay grade, dependency status, and the Military Housing Area of the duty station, and it is recalculated every year from local rental market data.
How do I find my MHA from my ZIP code?
Use the search box above with your city or installation name to find the matching MHA, or enter your exact duty station ZIP code in the official DTMO BAH Rate Lookup at travel.dod.mil. ZIP codes near MHA boundaries can map to a neighboring area, so the official lookup is the final word.
Are these rates with or without dependents?
This dataset shows with dependents rates, which are the higher of the two. Without dependents rates for the same MHA and grade are lower. BAH distinguishes only between with and without dependents, not the number of dependents.
Can my BAH decrease?
Not while you stay put. Individual rate protection locks in your rate unless you PCS, are demoted, or your dependency status changes. New arrivals to an area get the currently published rate, which can be lower than what longer-tenured members receive.
When do 2026 BAH rates take effect?
January 1, 2026. BAH rates change once per year. The 2026 national average rose about 4.2 percent over 2025, though individual MHAs moved up or down based on local market data.
Where does this data come from?
The Defense Travel Management Office publishes the official annual BAH tables at travel.dod.mil, including a downloadable file of all locations and pay grades. This site republishes the 2026 with dependents table for E-1, E-5, E-7, and O-3 in searchable form.
Guides
How to Find Your BAH MHA Code From Your ZIP Code
A step by step walkthrough of the official DTMO lookup, plus what to do when your ZIP sits on an MHA boundary.
BAH Rate Protection Rule Explained
Why your housing allowance never drops mid-tour, the three events that break protection, and how promotions interact with it.
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