What is W-3 BAH at Durham in 2026?

$2,520 per month with dependents ($30,240 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. Without dependents it is $2,262 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 Durham 2026 — $2,520 with dependents, $2,262 without

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

Durham/Chapel Hill, NC

W-3 · with dependents

$2,520/ month

$30,240 / year

At W-3, this is #174 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,654 · low Anniston $1,689

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

Your grade is calledARMYCW3USMCCWO3NAVYCWO3

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,231 / mo gross

Without dependents here$2,262 / mo

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

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

Westchester County$6,654

Provo$2,532

Myrtle Beach$2,526

Bangor$2,523

Chattanooga$2,523

Durham$2,520

Battle Creek$2,517

Fargo$2,514

County Cost Group 800$2,511

Jackson$2,505

Anniston$1,689

Durham is #174 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 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 W-4 here adds $153 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 W-3 is worth $4,134 a month — about 27 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $153 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 11% 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. $2,520 a month of BAH takes more than $2,520 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 at Durham draws $2,520 per month with dependents in 2026, $2,262 without

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you