What is O-3 BAH at Baltimore in 2026?

$3,156 per month with dependents ($37,872 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,793 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-3 BAH at Baltimore 2026 — $3,156/mo with dependents

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

Baltimore, MD

O-3 · with dependents

$3,156/ month

$37,872 / year

At O-3, this is #85 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,633 · low Anniston $1,686

MHA MD129 · ZIPs 20588 20723 20759 20777 21013 21020 +116 more

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Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$4,046 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,793 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Baltimore — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,409	$1,857
E-2	$2,409	$1,857
E-3	$2,409	$1,857
E-4	$2,409	$1,857
E-5	$2,610	$2,079
E-6	$2,904	$2,226
E-7	$2,994	$2,415
E-8	$3,093	$2,673
E-9	$3,246	$2,754
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,922	$2,349
W-2	$3,036	$2,670
W-3	$3,159	$2,766
W-4	$3,279	$2,919
W-5	$3,429	$3,015
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$3,009	$2,607
O-2E	$3,138	$2,736
O-3E	$3,303	$2,895
Officer
O-1	$2,652	$2,205
O-2	$2,901	$2,547
O-3	$3,156	$2,793
O-4	$3,477	$2,994
O-5	$3,711	$3,045
O-6	$3,741	$3,138
O-7	$3,768	$3,192

What this rate means

O-3 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $6,633 / month

Westchester County$6,633

Milwaukee$3,189

Cape May$3,186

Kodiak Island$3,174

Beale AFB$3,165

Baltimore$3,156

Fort Myers Beach$3,129

JB Lewis-McChord$3,123

Whidbey Island$3,105

County Cost Group 860$3,090

Anniston$1,686

Baltimore is #85 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $4,947 a month — $59,364 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Baltimore0 – $3,768 / month

E-1$2,409

E-2$2,409

E-3$2,409

E-4$2,409

E-5$2,610

E-6$2,904

E-7$2,994

E-8$3,093

E-9$3,246

W-1$2,922

W-2$3,036

W-3$3,159

W-4$3,279

W-5$3,429

O-1E$3,009

O-2E$3,138

O-3E$3,303

O-1$2,652

O-2$2,901

O-3$3,156

O-4$3,477

O-5$3,711

O-6$3,741

O-7$3,768

Promoting to O-4 here adds $321 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 Baltimore to Westchester County at O-3 is worth $3,477 a month — about 11 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $321 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 13% 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. $3,156 a month of BAH takes more than $3,156 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-3 with dependents at Baltimore draws $3,156 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you