What is W-4 BAH at Charlotte in 2026?

$2,481 per month with dependents ($29,772 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. Without dependents it is $2,430 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-4 BAH at Charlotte 2026 — $2,481 with dependents, $2,430 without

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

Charlotte, NC

W-4 · with dependents

$2,481/ month

$29,772 / year

At W-4, this is #203 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,963 · low Stevens Point $1,779

MHA NC179 · ZIPs 28006 28012 28016 28021 28025 28026 +119 more

Your grade is calledARMYCW4USMCCWO4NAVYCWO4

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,181 / mo gross

Without dependents here$2,430 / mo

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Charlotte — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,004	$1,518
E-2	$2,004	$1,518
E-3	$2,004	$1,518
E-4	$2,004	$1,518
E-5	$2,169	$1,719
E-6	$2,436	$1,848
E-7	$2,457	$2,007
E-8	$2,466	$2,229
E-9	$2,478	$2,301
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,454	$1,956
W-2	$2,463	$2,226
W-3	$2,475	$2,313
W-4	$2,481	$2,430
W-5	$2,514	$2,442
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,460	$2,166
O-2E	$2,469	$2,283
O-3E	$2,484	$2,427
Officer
O-1	$2,211	$1,833
O-2	$2,433	$2,118
O-3	$2,472	$2,337
O-4	$2,520	$2,433
O-5	$2,577	$2,445
O-6	$2,595	$2,448
O-7	$2,610	$2,466

What this rate means

W-4 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $6,963 / month

Westchester County$6,963

Louisville$2,523

Fort Worth$2,511

Albuquerque$2,502

Eastern Shore$2,496

Charlotte$2,481

Marquette$2,481

Nellis AFB$2,469

Fayetteville$2,466

Johnson City$2,466

Stevens Point$1,779

Charlotte is #203 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $5,184 a month — $62,208 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Charlotte0 – $2,610 / month

E-1$2,004

E-2$2,004

E-3$2,004

E-4$2,004

E-5$2,169

E-6$2,436

E-7$2,457

E-8$2,466

E-9$2,478

W-1$2,454

W-2$2,463

W-3$2,475

W-4$2,481

W-5$2,514

O-1E$2,460

O-2E$2,469

O-3E$2,484

O-1$2,211

O-2$2,433

O-3$2,472

O-4$2,520

O-5$2,577

O-6$2,595

O-7$2,610

Promoting to W-5 here adds $33 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 Charlotte to Westchester County at W-4 is worth $4,482 a month — about 136 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $33 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 2% 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. $2,481 a month of BAH takes more than $2,481 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-4 at Charlotte draws $2,481 per month with dependents in 2026, $2,430 without

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you