What is O-2E BAH at Durham in 2026?

$2,508 per month with dependents ($30,096 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,235 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-2E BAH at Durham 2026 — $2,508/mo with dependents

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

Durham/Chapel Hill, NC

O-2E · with dependents

$2,508/ month

$30,096 / year

At O-2E, this is #173 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,564 · low Anniston $1,671

MHA NC180 · ZIPs 27231 27243 27278 27503 27509 27510 +22 more

Your grade is calledARMY1LTUSMC1stLtNAVYLTJGUSAF1st Lt

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,215 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,235 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Durham — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$1,995	$1,602
E-2	$1,995	$1,602
E-3	$1,995	$1,602
E-4	$1,995	$1,602
E-5	$2,118	$1,770
E-6	$2,391	$1,878
E-7	$2,436	$1,998
E-8	$2,484	$2,178
E-9	$2,631	$2,250
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,409	$1,965
W-2	$2,454	$2,175
W-3	$2,520	$2,262
W-4	$2,673	$2,394
W-5	$2,868	$2,445
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,439	$2,115
O-2E	$2,508	$2,235
O-3E	$2,703	$2,382
Officer
O-1	$2,160	$1,869
O-2	$2,388	$2,082
O-3	$2,517	$2,289
O-4	$2,931	$2,430
O-5	$3,231	$2,451
O-6	$3,258	$2,496
O-7	$3,279	$2,538

What this rate means

O-2E with dependents, nearest stations0 – $6,564 / month

Westchester County$6,564

New Orleans$2,541

Chattanooga$2,511

Myrtle Beach$2,511

Provo$2,511

Durham$2,508

Battle Creek$2,505

Fargo$2,499

County Cost Group 800$2,493

Bangor$2,487

Anniston$1,671

Durham is #173 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $4,893 a month — $58,716 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Durham0 – $3,279 / month

E-1$1,995

E-2$1,995

E-3$1,995

E-4$1,995

E-5$2,118

E-6$2,391

E-7$2,436

E-8$2,484

E-9$2,631

W-1$2,409

W-2$2,454

W-3$2,520

W-4$2,673

W-5$2,868

O-1E$2,439

O-2E$2,508

O-3E$2,703

O-1$2,160

O-2$2,388

O-3$2,517

O-4$2,931

O-5$3,231

O-6$3,258

O-7$3,279

Promoting to O-3E here adds $195 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 Durham to Westchester County at O-2E is worth $4,056 a month — about 21 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $195 per grade here.

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. $2,508 a month of BAH takes more than $2,508 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-2E with dependents at Durham draws $2,508 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you