2002 Military Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) Rates
Commissioned Officers (without dependents)

Below are the rates of tax-free housing allowance (BAH) that are provided to military personnel (without dependents) who are authorized to reside off base.

For Calandar Year 2002, BAH rates have risen an average of 10 percent, across the board. In 2001, servicemembers paid an average of 15 percent of their housing costs "out-of-pocket." Under the 2002 rates, this will drop to an average of 11.3 percent. The current Pentagon plans call for reducing out-of-pocket expenses by 3.5 percentage points per year, until they are completely eliminated by 2005.

The Department of Defense (DOD) employs Runzheimer International to collect the nation-wide housing cost data that they use to compute BAH. Additionally, DOD obtains current data from multiple sources, employing a "checks and balances" approach to ensure reliability and accuracy. Current residential vacancies, identified in local newspapers and real estate rental listings, are an important source of data. Vacancies are selected at random, and subjected to a screening process. Telephone interviews establish the availability and exact location of each unit sampled. DOD has designed the sample to obtain a statistical confidence level of 95% or higher. DOD also contacts apartment and real estate management companies to identify units for rental pricing. It is not uncommon for DOD to consult real estate professionals in a locality to obtain confirmation and additional sources of data. Where available, DOD contacts fort/post/base housing referral offices, to tap local military expertise and gain insights into the local concerns of military. Finally, DoD and the Services conduct on-site evaluations at various locations to confirm and ensure reliability and accuracy of the cost data.

BAH Rate Menu

Data courtesy of Department of Defense
For locations not listed above, visit the DOD BAH Interactive Database

Discuss in my forum