What is O-4 BAH at Durham in 2026?

$2,931 per month with dependents ($35,172 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.

O-4 BAH at Durham 2026 — $2,931/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-4 · with dependents

$2,931/ month

$35,172 / year

At O-4, this is #153 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $7,470 · low Youngstown $1,809

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

Your grade is calledARMYMAJUSMCMajNAVYLCDRUSAFMaj

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,758 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,430 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-4 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $7,470 / month

Westchester County$7,470

Barstow$2,976

Omaha$2,967

Salt Lake City$2,946

Coos Bay$2,943

Durham$2,931

State College$2,928

Chattanooga$2,916

County Cost Group 810$2,916

Panama City$2,913

Youngstown$1,809

Durham is #153 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $5,661 a month — $67,932 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-5 here adds $300 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-4 is worth $4,539 a month — about 15 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $300 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 21% 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. $2,931 a month of BAH takes more than $2,931 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-4 with dependents at Durham draws $2,931 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you