What is W-3 BAH at Barstow in 2026?

$2,751 per month with dependents ($33,012 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,232 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.

W-3 BAH at Barstow 2026 — $2,751/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

W-3 · with dependents

$2,751/ month

$33,012 / year

At W-3, this is #138 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,654 · low Anniston $1,689

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

Your grade is calledARMYCW3USMCCWO3NAVYCWO3

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,527 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,232 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

W-3 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $6,654 / month

Westchester County$6,654

Eugene$2,769

Richmond$2,763

St. Louis$2,763

Rochester$2,760

Barstow$2,751

Atlanta$2,748

Salt Lake City$2,748

Savannah$2,748

County Cost Group 820$2,733

Anniston$1,689

Barstow is #138 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $4,965 a month — $59,580 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 W-4 here adds $87 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 Westchester County at W-3 is worth $3,903 a month — about 45 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $87 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 23% 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. $2,751 a month of BAH takes more than $2,751 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.

W-3 with dependents at Barstow draws $2,751 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you