What is E-8 BAH at Dover AFB in 2026?

$2,916 per month with dependents ($34,992 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. Without dependents it is $2,325 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.

E-8 BAH at Dover AFB 2026 — $2,916 with dependents, $2,325 without

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

Dover AFB/Rehoboth, DE

E-8 · with dependents

$2,916/ month

$34,992 / year

At E-8, this is #106 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,333 · low Anniston $1,638

MHA DE054 · ZIPs 19901 19902 19903 19904 19905 19906 +38 more

Your grade is calledARMYMSG / 1SGUSMCMSgt / 1stSgtNAVYSCPOUSAFSMSgt

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,738 / mo gross

Without dependents here$2,325 / mo

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Dover AFB — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,160	$1,782
E-2	$2,160	$1,782
E-3	$2,160	$1,782
E-4	$2,160	$1,782
E-5	$2,277	$1,947
E-6	$2,493	$2,052
E-7	$2,694	$2,163
E-8	$2,916	$2,325
E-9	$3,063	$2,379
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,511	$2,133
W-2	$2,787	$2,322
W-3	$3,060	$2,391
W-4	$3,066	$2,535
W-5	$3,075	$2,745
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,736	$2,274
O-2E	$3,018	$2,367
O-3E	$3,069	$2,481
Officer
O-1	$2,310	$2,043
O-2	$2,490	$2,241
O-3	$3,051	$2,409
O-4	$3,078	$2,706
O-5	$3,081	$2,832
O-6	$3,105	$3,039
O-7	$3,123	$3,090

What this rate means

E-8 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $6,333 / month

Westchester County$6,333

Portland$2,961

Great Lakes Navtracen$2,955

Oxford$2,943

County Cost Group 850$2,940

Dover AFB$2,916

Patrick SFB$2,916

Fresno$2,910

Minneapolis$2,877

Allentown$2,874

Anniston$1,638

Dover AFB is #106 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $4,695 a month — $56,340 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Dover AFB0 – $3,123 / month

E-1$2,160

E-2$2,160

E-3$2,160

E-4$2,160

E-5$2,277

E-6$2,493

E-7$2,694

E-8$2,916

E-9$3,063

W-1$2,511

W-2$2,787

W-3$3,060

W-4$3,066

W-5$3,075

O-1E$2,736

O-2E$3,018

O-3E$3,069

O-1$2,310

O-2$2,490

O-3$3,051

O-4$3,078

O-5$3,081

O-6$3,105

O-7$3,123

Promoting to E-9 here adds $147 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 Dover AFB to Westchester County at E-8 is worth $3,417 a month — about 23 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $147 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 25% 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. $2,916 a month of BAH takes more than $2,916 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.

E-8 at Dover AFB draws $2,916 per month with dependents in 2026, $2,325 without

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you