Department of Defense releases 2013 BAH Rates

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Department of Defense releases 2013 BAH Rates

Posted 12/17/2012

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Department of Defense

12/17/2012 - Washington (AFNS) -- The Department of Defense released today the 2013 Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, which take effect Jan. 1, 2013. Overall rates will increase an average of 3.8 percent this year.

For members with dependents, average increases in BAH are approximately $60 per month. A typical E-6 with dependents, for example, will find his/her BAH about $60 per month higher than last year, while an O-3 with dependents will receive about $55 more than last year.

In areas where rates will decrease, the decrease will only apply to members newly reporting to those locations. Members are protected by individual rate protection which ensures that those already assigned to a given location will not see their BAH rate decrease, however, they will receive the increase if the rate goes up. This assures that members who have made long-term commitments in the form of a lease or contract are not penalized if the area's housing costs decrease.

Three components are included in the BAH computation: median current market rent; average utilities (including electricity, heat, and water/sewer) and average renter's insurance.

Total housing costs are calculated for six housing profiles (based on dwelling type and number of bedrooms) in each military housing area. Basic Allowance for Housing rates are then calculated for each pay grade, both with and without dependents. An estimated $20 billion will be paid to more than 1 million service members in 2013.

For more information on BAH, visit https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bah.cfm

Comments

1/31/2013 1:07:26 PM ET
My BAH decreased and caused a debt on my LES while I was still deployed

Cole, Afghanistan

1/24/2013 2:03:37 PM ET
Wait you get more money if you choose to have dependants. I chose to have a dog why do i not get more money Whats the number to the free-dependant hotline again

Sean A, Sheppard

12/26/2012 11:33:31 AM ET
Guywithabrain. Last I checked this is an all-volunteer force. You volunteered for the work hours. You volunteered for the pay. You are receiving a salary not an hourly wage. And if you didnt catch it in my previous post I was being facetious. BTW Facetious is sarcasm. It was offered free of charge. I think everyone of you deserve more than what you are receiving. No person who works for the military should be paid near at or below the poverty level especially when that job calls for defending our freedoms. You are put in harms way because our politicians cant do their job. War after all is the last step of failed politics As far as seeing my local recruiter I did that. I got the tee-shirt. I got the retirement pay. I got the disability to go with it. Different war. Different time. Same old stuff.AFspouse. See above. While you and your spouse are a team it is the active duty member who earns the entitlement.

DisgustedFed, scott

12/21/2012 4:59:00 PM ET
Therefore what you are saying Scott is because I was not government issued to my husband taxpayers should not have to pay towards BAH. Then why do taxpayers including myself have to pay for crack heads which are too lazy to work Technically since I work my tax dollars go to support myself with the BAH. I know it is a privilege but I think military spouses deserve it more than those who are unwilling to work. We sacrifice time with our husband wife and deal with the chaos and stress of military life. I think with the sacrifices we make we have earned this privilege. Nevertheless clearly all this still makes me unworthy of taxpayers help. Therefore maybe I should consider becoming a low life on welfare in which I will not have to work and yet taxpayers will still support me because I earned it by doing nothing.

AFspouse, Holloman

12/21/2012 4:27:35 PM ET
@guywithbrain Pay no attention to fedupfed. I find it interesting he calls you out on exaggerating the poverty level yet states every military member has golf and gym membership. I have neither. Have a merry Christmas.

Notagolfer, HAFB

12/21/2012 11:35:26 AM ET
Just to be clear Im not complaining about what I earn as an Airman. I just think it is completely ridiculous to claim an active duty Airman doesnt deserve the BAH he or she earns. If you dont like the entitlements that we receive feel free to make a visit to your local recruiter. After 2 months of brainwashing youll be able to live the extravagant life style of an active duty Airman as well.

guywithbrain, HAFB NM

12/21/2012 11:27:35 AM ET
I can't believe I've been so selfish all this time. I never realized how much the Air Force is over paying me. Forget working countless hours of overtime without compensation being subject to deployment at a moments notice and living in a desolate desert for several years. None of that entitles me to make 5k a year over the poverty line. I'm going straight to finance to cut them a check for all the money I've been over paid. Thanks FedupFed for showing me the error of my ways.

guywithbrain, HAFB NM

12/21/2012 9:56:31 AM ET
Guywithabrain you obviously do not know how well off you are You are almost 5000 over the poverty level. Unless you have a child then you are a whopping 100 over the threshold. With that kind of income if you are having trouble with rent and feeding yourself then perhaps you should consider a tighter budget and delete one of your Surf and Turf dinners from this weeks menu. Red meat is bad for you anyway. Since everybody in the military has a Golf Club Membership perhaps you can cut back a game or two during the week. Dont forget the gymnasium membership. Perhaps forgo the morning workout at the gym and instead go for a brisk run in the snow and ice instead. Well maybe in Ruidoso you could. Or perhaps a quick run through the desert and the blistering heat. Look at all the other entitlements you have. Why you can get food stamps through the social security program. Oh Im sorry you make 5000 a year too much for that entitlement and you arent a refugee or seeking as

FedUpFed, scott

12/20/2012 4:55:05 PM ET
I guess making just over 20k a year in basic pay before taxes and expecting a couple entitlements like being able to eat and pay my rent simultaneously is fat catting. Sorry government didnt realize I was so self-entitled.

guywithbrain, HAFB NM

12/20/2012 4:29:23 PM ET
Entitlement to give somebody the right to have or to do something

Samrt, Location

12/20/2012 11:53:37 AM ET
Remember that BAH is an entitlement. Its not a right. It can disappear much like other entitlement programs. We werent issued a spouse and its not the taxpayers responsibility to support our spouses. Once Congress realizes that our airmen are fat-catting with all this excess money they will be sure to include it in their efficiency efforts.

DisgustedFed, Scott

12/20/2012 10:05:21 AM ET
@guywithbrainIf you want to get paid as much as your civilian counterparts you have the option to become one of them.

Nobody, Nowhere

12/19/2012 11:16:05 AM ET
This has nothing to do with BAH except I will say my 2.5 years at Holloman did basically suck. And that was after I made the best of it like some of you would say.

Me, Used to be at Holloman

12/19/2012 11:06:32 AM ET
Maybe it's time for the government to pay me a wage comparable to my civilian counterparts instead of below the poverty level. and maybe someone should consider reality when creating these BAH rates. I don't think that I've ever experienced my rent rate spontaneously drop because the local real estate market is not doing well.

guywithbrain, HAFB

12/19/2012 9:48:49 AM ET
You should all be glad you get anything for housing. How many people out there work and get absolutely nothing for their housing just the paycheck they get every 2 weeks. Maybe it's time to start living within your means.

Jessica, herethereandeverywhere

12/19/2012 9:14:03 AM ET
E-5 w dependents 24 buck increase. E-6 w dependents 165 buck increase. How does that work Guess I need to make E-6.

Regular Guy, Hill AFB UT

12/18/2012 4:50:03 PM ET
BAH rates for Fort Bragg did not increase in 2013. In fact newly assigned Soldiers will make less.

Josh, Fort Bragg NC

12/18/2012 11:14:32 AM ET
E-7 is going down 12 dollars at Wright-Patterson. When I was at Holloman contracted housing was just starting. Glad I moved on when I did. It doesn't sound like it has become any better.

MX, WPAFB

12/18/2012 11:05:19 AM ET
I have done housing surveys for BAH in the past. My guess is someone at Holloman is responsible for doing the BAH survey for the area. If they just put in the same information they always do guess what happens I spent 6 weeks putting eyes on rental property. I also purchased the latest census information and excluded census tracks with high crime or very low rents from consideration by the contractor hired to compute rates. You also have to dig in and find out how the BAH is computed. They use median rental prices of certain types of rentals. The two years I did this the average increase was over 25 percent each year after 4 years of stagnent BAH because the previous person just pencil whipped the data. The BAH rates will only reflect reality if the work by the housing office personnel is actually done and not pencil whipped from last year. The census track information is probably the most important. It sometimes isn't what you include but what you exclude.

Jerry, Oklahoma

12/18/2012 10:39:28 AM ET
Individuals already stationed at a base where the BAH is forecast to decrease during the next fiscal year will continue to receive their current BAH.The only time your BAH will change is if the rate goes up then you will be entitled to the new rate.There is a form you have to complete and send to finance every year but it's pretty painless.The only people who will see those decreases are new arrivals...Lucky

SNCO, Holloman AFB NM

12/18/2012 2:11:25 AM ET
Do they serve Wahhh burgers and french cries at Holloman

Haha, nothollomanthankgod

12/17/2012 9:33:15 PM ET
We were having issues in Minot with bah. With the oil boom and people moving in rent started going up ridiculous and we fought with hhq for years. They used to do the survey for our area by looking at maps and such. They finally actually showed up in person and looked around. We got a 40 percent increase this year. E-5 wd went from 1029 to 1701. Everyone got that kind of increase. Maybe that is something that is happening and everyone needs to push leadership to get it fixed. Whenever a DV comes to visit always bring it up when they ask for questions.

SSgt, Minot

12/17/2012 5:45:32 PM ET
BAH for E-3 is up 99 for dependents and about 50 without dependents

AD Airmen, Ellsworth

12/17/2012 4:00:12 PM ET
I second and third the concerns about Holloman. It's getting to the point you would lose money on BAH if you PCS'ed here 2 years ago and you got promoted now. I don't see rent going down anywhere and there's no new construction. I'd love to see the raw data.

EndsMeet, Holloman

12/17/2012 3:43:34 PM ET
Wow my BAH went up 48 dollars. That is AWESOE

John Smith, My TARDIS

12/17/2012 2:54:48 PM ET
Everything E-6 O-5 and above seems to be going up but everything under that is going down.

Worker, Holloman

12/17/2012 2:50:18 PM ET
E-5 2012 rates were 1026 with dependents and 783 without 2013 it's going down to 926 with and 786 without. What drives the market around here in la Germans.

CEO, Holloman

12/17/2012 1:22:20 PM ET
Yep they actually cut Langley's a while back and now aparently it's on the rise again.

NCOTIREDOFBS, LAFB

12/17/2012 12:37:11 PM ET
E-6 with dependents goes up almost 100 without dependents about 70. That sounds like a pretty good raise not a decrease.Your BAH is now higher than Davis-Monthan.

Worker, Davis-Monthan

12/17/2012 10:52:48 AM ET
While at Holloman we continue to get screwed over and BAH goes down while rent increases each year.

CEO, Holloman

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