BAH calculator

BAH calculator

Estimate your monthly Basic Allowance for Housing from your pay grade and dependents — then see how much mortgage that same tax-free allowance could cover near your installation.

$2,300/moexample BAH — E-6, with dependents → roughly a $364k mortgage

Sets an illustrative national-average rate for your grade.

High-cost base? Slide up. Know your exact BAH from your LES? Slide until the monthly figure matches.

Used to convert your allowance into buying power (30-year, principal & interest).

Estimated monthly BAH
—
— per year, tax-free
—
mortgage your BAH could cover (P&I)
—
10-year housing allowance total

With a VA loan and $0 down, a payment your BAH covers can put a home near the gate within reach — taxes, insurance, and HOA are extra.

Illustrative estimate only. BAH is set by the Department of Defense and varies by duty ZIP code, pay grade, and dependency status; the rates here are rounded national-average approximations, not your actual entitlement. Check your exact rate with the official DoD BAH calculator and your finance office. Buying-power figures are principal and interest only and exclude property taxes, insurance, PMI, HOA dues, and qualification. Not financial or lending advice.

The basics

What BAH is — and how it becomes buying power

Basic Allowance for Housing is a tax-free monthly payment that offsets housing costs when you live off-post. Because it is money you already receive, it can go straight toward a mortgage payment.

Set by location

BAH is tied to your duty-station ZIP code, so the same pay grade draws a very different rate in San Diego than in Fort Sill. The location slider approximates that spread.

Grade & dependents

Your rate rises with pay grade, and the with-dependents rate runs higher than the without-dependents rate. Toggle both to see the effect.

Tax-free leverage

Because BAH is untaxed, a dollar of allowance stretches further than a dollar of taxable pay — and with a $0-down VA loan it can cover a real mortgage near the gate.

Want your exact rate? Use the official DoD BAH calculator with your duty ZIP and grade, then slide “local housing cost” here until the monthly figure matches to model your buying power.
Common questions

BAH calculator questions

Basic Allowance for Housing is a tax-free allowance paid to service members to offset the cost of housing when government quarters are not provided. The amount depends on your duty-station ZIP code, pay grade, and whether you have dependents.
The Department of Defense sets rates each year using local rental-market data for each military housing area, then adjusts by pay grade and dependency status. This tool uses rounded national-average approximations so you can estimate quickly; your official rate comes from the DoD BAH calculator.
Often, yes. Many service members use BAH to cover most or all of a monthly mortgage payment, especially with a $0-down VA loan. This calculator estimates the principal-and-interest mortgage your allowance could support; remember taxes, insurance, and any HOA dues are on top of that.
Members with dependents receive a higher BAH rate than those without at the same pay grade and location. Use the toggle to switch between the two; the without-dependents figure here is an illustrative reduction from the with-dependents rate.
No. The figures are illustrative national-average estimates, not your official entitlement. Confirm your exact rate with the DoD BAH calculator and your finance office before making housing decisions.

More military home-buying tools:

Assumable loan calculator VA loan limit calculator All resources

Put your allowance to work near the mission

Search homes for rent and sale near your installation, or get matched with a lender who understands how BAH factors into your file. Free to browse, free to get matched.

Find homes near a base Connect with a lender