What is E-5 BAH at Ballston Spa in 2026?

$2,634 per month with dependents ($31,608 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. Without dependents it is $2,073 per month.

Does BAH count as taxable income?

No. BAH is excluded from federal taxable income, so a given BAH amount is worth more than the same figure in basic pay.

What happens if my BAH rate drops this year?

BAH rate protection holds you at the prior year's amount as long as your duty location, pay grade and dependency status stay the same. The lower rate applies to members arriving on new orders.

E-5 BAH at Ballston Spa 2026 — $2,634 with dependents, $2,073 without

Basic Allowance for Housing by duty station, pay grade and dependency status. Official DoD rates, no login, no email.

Ballston Spa/Albany, NY

E-5 · with dependents

$2,634/ month

$31,608 / year

At E-5, this is #81 of 338 stations loaded · high San Francisco $5,127 · low Anniston $1,185

MHA NY215 · ZIPs 12007 12008 12009 12018 12019 12020 +139 more

Your grade is calledARMYSGTUSMCSgtNAVYPO2USAFSSgt

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,377 / mo gross

Without dependents here$2,073 / mo

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Ballston Spa — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,388	$1,974
E-2	$2,388	$1,974
E-3	$2,388	$1,974
E-4	$2,388	$1,974
E-5	$2,634	$2,073
E-6	$2,862	$2,166
E-7	$2,997	$2,397
E-8	$3,144	$2,685
E-9	$3,327	$2,745
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,880	$2,310
W-2	$3,057	$2,682
W-3	$3,240	$2,754
W-4	$3,357	$2,886
W-5	$3,504	$3,030
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$3,021	$2,631
O-2E	$3,213	$2,730
O-3E	$3,381	$2,850
Officer
O-1	$2,670	$2,139
O-2	$2,859	$2,556
O-3	$3,234	$2,775
O-4	$3,549	$3,000
O-5	$3,777	$3,081
O-6	$3,807	$3,219
O-7	$3,834	$3,276

What this rate means

E-5 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $5,127 / month

San Francisco$5,127

Orlando$2,658

Atlantic City$2,655

Madison$2,655

County Cost Group 870$2,652

Ballston Spa$2,634

Baltimore$2,610

Milwaukee$2,607

Outer Banks$2,604

New London$2,580

Anniston$1,185

Ballston Spa is #81 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $3,942 a month — $47,304 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Ballston Spa0 – $3,834 / month

E-1$2,388

E-2$2,388

E-3$2,388

E-4$2,388

E-5$2,634

E-6$2,862

E-7$2,997

E-8$3,144

E-9$3,327

W-1$2,880

W-2$3,057

W-3$3,240

W-4$3,357

W-5$3,504

O-1E$3,021

O-2E$3,213

O-3E$3,381

O-1$2,670

O-2$2,859

O-3$3,234

O-4$3,549

O-5$3,777

O-6$3,807

O-7$3,834

Promoting to E-6 here adds $228 a month. The pay chart moves this allowance far less than the map does.

Where you are stationed outweighs what you are paid. Moving from Ballston Spa to San Francisco at E-5 is worth $2,493 a month — about 11 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $228 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 27% here. That is a status your finance office determines, not a box you tick — and it is the single largest lever on this page that is not a change of address.

None of it is taxed. $2,634 a month of BAH takes more than $2,634 of basic pay to match, which is why comparing a civilian salary against military base pay alone understates the gap.

Things the rate table doesn't tell you

“With dependents” is a dependency status, not a marital status. A single member paying child support can be authorized BAH-Diff; a married dual-military couple with no children is not automatically the with-dependents rate for both. If your situation is unusual, your finance office decides — not this table.

O-8, O-9 and O-10 draw the same BAH as O-7. The table stops there for a reason, not because it is missing rows.

This is CONUS BAH only. Overseas is OHA, which works differently — it reimburses actual rent up to a cap, with separate utility and move-in allowances. Alaska and Hawaii are BAH; Germany, Japan and Korea are OHA.

E-5 at Ballston Spa draws $2,634 per month with dependents in 2026, $2,073 without

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you