What is E-5 BAH at Barstow in 2026?

$2,001 per month with dependents ($24,012 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $1,695 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 Barstow 2026 — $2,001/mo with dependents

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

Barstow/Fort Irwin, CA

E-5 · with dependents

$2,001/ month

$24,012 / year

At E-5, this is #178 of 338 stations loaded · high San Francisco $5,127 · low Anniston $1,185

MHA CA028 · ZIPs 92307 92310 92311 92312 92327 92342 +5 more

Your grade is calledARMYSGTUSMCSgtNAVYPO2USAFSSgt

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$2,565 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$1,695 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Barstow — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$1,890	$1,557
E-2	$1,890	$1,557
E-3	$1,890	$1,557
E-4	$1,890	$1,557
E-5	$2,001	$1,695
E-6	$2,430	$1,824
E-7	$2,547	$1,911
E-8	$2,673	$2,091
E-9	$2,814	$2,214
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,451	$1,866
W-2	$2,598	$2,088
W-3	$2,751	$2,232
W-4	$2,838	$2,454
W-5	$2,946	$2,574
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,568	$1,998
O-2E	$2,730	$2,187
O-3E	$2,856	$2,424
Officer
O-1	$2,058	$1,776
O-2	$2,427	$1,968
O-3	$2,748	$2,274
O-4	$2,976	$2,550
O-5	$3,144	$2,616
O-6	$3,168	$2,730
O-7	$3,189	$2,778

What this rate means

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

San Francisco$5,127

Gainesville$2,040

Wilmington$2,040

Toledo$2,031

Salem$2,004

Barstow$2,001

Cleveland$1,998

Louisville$1,989

Chattanooga$1,986

El Centro$1,986

Anniston$1,185

Barstow is #178 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 Barstow0 – $3,189 / month

E-1$1,890

E-2$1,890

E-3$1,890

E-4$1,890

E-5$2,001

E-6$2,430

E-7$2,547

E-8$2,673

E-9$2,814

W-1$2,451

W-2$2,598

W-3$2,751

W-4$2,838

W-5$2,946

O-1E$2,568

O-2E$2,730

O-3E$2,856

O-1$2,058

O-2$2,427

O-3$2,748

O-4$2,976

O-5$3,144

O-6$3,168

O-7$3,189

Promoting to E-6 here adds $429 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 Barstow to San Francisco at E-5 is worth $3,126 a month — about 7 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $429 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. $2,001 a month of BAH takes more than $2,001 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 with dependents at Barstow draws $2,001 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you