Calculate your 2021 BAH rate by entering your pay grade, location and dependent status. View current BAH compensation and what if scenarios such as a PCS move, increase in rank or adding a dependent.
2021 BAH Calculator
The BAH calculator is for all branches of the U.S. Armed forces including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines Corps, Space Force and Coast Guard.
How To Use The Basic Allowance for Housing Calculator
- Enter Duty Station ZIP code where you work.
- Select your pay grade.
- Keep the current BAH rate table year or select a previous year to compare older rates.
You can also reset the calculator’s results by adjusting the factors.
Using the Calculator for Monthly Allowance Housing (MHA) Rates
Follow these steps to lookup the Monthly Allowance Housing rate aka GI Bill BAH for a full time on-campus or hybrid (campus & online) student veteran.
- Enter your School ZIP code where you take the majority of your classes.
- Select E-5 with dependents (the rate for MHA is same for all regardless of rank or number of dependents)
- BAH Rate Table Year
- If the current date is January 1 through July 31 select the previous years BAH rate table.
- If the current date is August 1 through December 31 select the current years BAH rate table.
- This is necessary because new BAH rates are effective January 1 and MHA rates are effective August 1.
Students who are NOT full time or service time is less than 36 months, but are still eligible for MHA, will receive a pro-rated MHA rate.
Monthly Housing Allowance Rates For 2020 / 2021 Academic Year.
These will be in effect until Jul 31, 2021.
- The MHA rate for exclusively online schooling is $916.50.
- The MHA rate for attending a foreign school is $1,833.
Housing for online students is half the national average BAH for an E-5 with dependents for student veterans.
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
The Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) program is designed to offset the cost of housing when you do not receive government-provided housing. A service member assigned to permanent duty within the 50 United States, who is not furnished Government housing, is eligible for BAH, based on the member’s rank, dependency status, and permanent duty station zip code.
The DoD designed BAH to provide accurate housing allowances based on the local market price of rental housing. The BAH program measures rental‐housing costs (not home ownership) in the civilian market rather than measuring how much members spend on housing.
BAH compensation is higher in high-cost areas such as New York and San Francisco and lower in low-cost areas. BAH distinguishes between with‐dependents and without‐dependents, not the number of dependents.
Types of BAH
- BAH With Dependents and BAH Without Dependents
- Partial BAH
- BAH Reserve Component/Transit (BAH RC/T)
- BAH-Differential (BAH-Diff)
About Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)
The Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® Monthly Housing Allowance
The Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) payments for Chapter 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill® beneficiaries are based on the military’s Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for an E-5 with dependents. MHA is paid directly to the student at the beginning of each month for the previous month.
Difference Between Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) Vs Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
BAH is a housing benefit provided by the Department of Defense whereas MHA is a benefit provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs. They both use the same BAH rate tables but the calculations and criteria yield different compensation results.