Politics & Government
Base Housing Allowance Figures Now Available
Service members and their families can now check how much they'll pay in out-of-pocket expenses for housing in 2012.
One of the things we look forward to at the end of the year, beside popping the corks at New Year’s Eve parties, is the release of the Base Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates. We always cross our fingers for a big jump in pay to offset our out-of-pocket expenses for civilian housing.
The rates for this year have been released.
To calculate your BAH rates for 2012, go to this page operated by the Department of Defense. You can search by zip code or duty station.
Find out what's happening in Odenton-Severnfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Since 2008, BAH rates have been directly related to the cost increase of the housing market. In most areas, BAH rates have risen or stayed the same, but there are some areas where it has dropped. In those areas, current residents receiving BAH for that duty station or zip code will not see the decrease in their paychecks. This is because of individual rate protection, which Congress adopted in 2002.
BAH is based on the current housing and rental market in the area and renters insurance rates. If any of those rates fluctuates, it will affect the BAH rate for the area. The intention of BAH is to provide uniformed service members adequate housing compensation when government housing is not available. According to the DOD, BAH rates now make it possible for no out-of-pocket expense for a military family to rent a home in town.
