What is O-4 BAH at Ballston Spa in 2026?

$3,549 per month with dependents ($42,588 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $3,000 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.

O-4 BAH at Ballston Spa 2026 — $3,549/mo with dependents

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

Ballston Spa/Albany, NY

O-4 · with dependents

$3,549/ month

$42,588 / year

At O-4, this is #80 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $7,470 · low Youngstown $1,809

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

Your grade is calledARMYMAJUSMCMajNAVYLCDRUSAFMaj

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$4,550 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$3,000 without dependents

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

O-4 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $7,470 / month

Westchester County$7,470

Edwards AFB$3,597

Fort Detrick$3,573

Milwaukee$3,564

Kodiak Island$3,555

Ballston Spa$3,549

Eglin AFB$3,528

Astoria$3,480

Baltimore$3,477

Outer Banks$3,438

Youngstown$1,809

Ballston Spa is #80 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $5,661 a month — $67,932 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 O-5 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 Westchester County at O-4 is worth $3,921 a month — about 17 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $228 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 18% 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. $3,549 a month of BAH takes more than $3,549 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.

O-4 with dependents at Ballston Spa draws $3,549 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you