What is O-3E BAH at Columbia in 2026?

$2,361 per month with dependents ($28,332 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,109 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-3E BAH at Columbia 2026 — $2,361/mo with dependents

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

Columbia/Fort Jackson, SC

O-3E · with dependents

$2,361/ month

$28,332 / year

At O-3E, this is #234 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $7,023 · low Youngstown $1,788

MHA SC260 · ZIPs 29002 29006 29009 29016 29020 29021 +60 more

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Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,027 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,109 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Columbia — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$1,812	$1,479
E-2	$1,812	$1,479
E-3	$1,812	$1,479
E-4	$1,812	$1,479
E-5	$1,878	$1,647
E-6	$2,121	$1,746
E-7	$2,160	$1,812
E-8	$2,202	$1,932
E-9	$2,310	$1,995
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,136	$1,803
W-2	$2,175	$1,929
W-3	$2,235	$2,004
W-4	$2,340	$2,121
W-5	$2,475	$2,166
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,163	$1,875
O-2E	$2,223	$1,980
O-3E	$2,361	$2,109
Officer
O-1	$1,914	$1,743
O-2	$2,118	$1,860
O-3	$2,232	$2,028
O-4	$2,517	$2,151
O-5	$2,724	$2,172
O-6	$2,745	$2,211
O-7	$2,760	$2,247

What this rate means

O-3E with dependents, nearest stations0 – $7,023 / month

Westchester County$7,023

Lincoln$2,382

Indianapolis$2,373

Lexington$2,370

Whiteman AFB$2,370

Columbia$2,361

Greensboro$2,358

Baton Rouge$2,346

Toledo$2,346

Fort Wayne$2,343

Youngstown$1,788

Columbia is #234 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $5,235 a month — $62,820 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Columbia0 – $2,760 / month

E-1$1,812

E-2$1,812

E-3$1,812

E-4$1,812

E-5$1,878

E-6$2,121

E-7$2,160

E-8$2,202

E-9$2,310

W-1$2,136

W-2$2,175

W-3$2,235

W-4$2,340

W-5$2,475

O-1E$2,163

O-2E$2,223

O-3E$2,361

O-1$1,914

O-2$2,118

O-3$2,232

O-4$2,517

O-5$2,724

O-6$2,745

O-7$2,760

Rates flatten out at the top of each track, which is why the sheet stops at O-7.

Dependency status is worth 12% 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. $2,361 a month of BAH takes more than $2,361 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-3E with dependents at Columbia draws $2,361 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you