What is O-3 BAH at Birmingham in 2026?

$2,565 per month with dependents ($30,780 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. Without dependents it is $2,490 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 Birmingham 2026 — $2,565 with dependents, $2,490 without

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

Birmingham, AL

O-3 · with dependents

$2,565/ month

$30,780 / year

At O-3, this is #165 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,633 · low Anniston $1,686

MHA AL007 · ZIPs 35004 35005 35006 35007 35015 35020 +117 more

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Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,288 / mo gross

Without dependents here$2,490 / mo

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Birmingham — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,223	$1,668
E-2	$2,223	$1,668
E-3	$2,223	$1,668
E-4	$2,223	$1,668
E-5	$2,439	$1,878
E-6	$2,532	$2,031
E-7	$2,550	$2,232
E-8	$2,559	$2,463
E-9	$2,583	$2,478
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,547	$2,160
W-2	$2,556	$2,460
W-3	$2,568	$2,484
W-4	$2,598	$2,520
W-5	$2,682	$2,532
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,553	$2,436
O-2E	$2,562	$2,472
O-3E	$2,613	$2,517
Officer
O-1	$2,457	$2,007
O-2	$2,529	$2,370
O-3	$2,565	$2,490
O-4	$2,703	$2,523
O-5	$2,826	$2,535
O-6	$2,847	$2,538
O-7	$2,865	$2,556

What this rate means

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

Westchester County$6,633

Fort Carson$2,595

State College$2,580

Tallahassee$2,580

Columbus$2,577

Birmingham$2,565

Carlisle Barracks$2,559

Grand Haven$2,553

New Orleans$2,553

Dahlonega$2,550

Anniston$1,686

Birmingham is #165 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 Birmingham0 – $2,865 / month

E-1$2,223

E-2$2,223

E-3$2,223

E-4$2,223

E-5$2,439

E-6$2,532

E-7$2,550

E-8$2,559

E-9$2,583

W-1$2,547

W-2$2,556

W-3$2,568

W-4$2,598

W-5$2,682

O-1E$2,553

O-2E$2,562

O-3E$2,613

O-1$2,457

O-2$2,529

O-3$2,565

O-4$2,703

O-5$2,826

O-6$2,847

O-7$2,865

Promoting to O-4 here adds $138 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 Birmingham to Westchester County at O-3 is worth $4,068 a month — about 29 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $138 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 3% 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. $2,565 a month of BAH takes more than $2,565 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 at Birmingham draws $2,565 per month with dependents in 2026, $2,490 without

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you