What is W-3 BAH at Columbia in 2026?

$2,127 per month with dependents ($25,524 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $1,653 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 Columbia 2026 — $2,127/mo with dependents

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

Columbia/Jefferson City, MO

W-3 · with dependents

$2,127/ month

$25,524 / year

At W-3, this is #262 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,654 · low Anniston $1,689

MHA MO165 · ZIPs 63388 65010 65023 65032 65039 65040 +39 more

Your grade is calledARMYCW3USMCCWO3NAVYCWO3

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$2,727 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$1,653 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Columbia — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$1,284	$1,134
E-2	$1,284	$1,134
E-3	$1,284	$1,134
E-4	$1,284	$1,134
E-5	$1,377	$1,161
E-6	$1,623	$1,215
E-7	$1,803	$1,353
E-8	$2,001	$1,500
E-9	$2,199	$1,650
Warrant officer
W-1	$1,644	$1,266
W-2	$1,884	$1,428
W-3	$2,127	$1,653
W-4	$2,226	$1,689
W-5	$2,352	$1,848
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$1,839	$1,380
O-2E	$2,091	$1,569
O-3E	$2,247	$1,686
Officer
O-1	$1,413	$1,191
O-2	$1,620	$1,356
O-3	$2,118	$1,656
O-4	$2,391	$1,812
O-5	$2,583	$1,938
O-6	$2,604	$2,106
O-7	$2,619	$2,139

What this rate means

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

Westchester County$6,654

Lexington$2,133

Champaign$2,130

Lansing$2,130

San Antonio (JBSA)$2,130

Columbia$2,127

Laughlin AFB$2,127

Sioux Falls$2,109

Tulsa$2,109

County Cost Group 740$2,100

Anniston$1,689

Columbia is #262 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 Columbia0 – $2,619 / month

E-1$1,284

E-2$1,284

E-3$1,284

E-4$1,284

E-5$1,377

E-6$1,623

E-7$1,803

E-8$2,001

E-9$2,199

W-1$1,644

W-2$1,884

W-3$2,127

W-4$2,226

W-5$2,352

O-1E$1,839

O-2E$2,091

O-3E$2,247

O-1$1,413

O-2$1,620

O-3$2,118

O-4$2,391

O-5$2,583

O-6$2,604

O-7$2,619

Promoting to W-4 here adds $99 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 Columbia to Westchester County at W-3 is worth $4,527 a month — about 46 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $99 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 29% 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. $2,127 a month of BAH takes more than $2,127 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 Columbia draws $2,127 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you