What is W-4 BAH at Helena in 2026?

$2,874 per month with dependents ($34,488 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. Without dependents it is $2,550 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-4 BAH at Helena 2026 — $2,874 with dependents, $2,550 without

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

Helena, MT

W-4 · with dependents

$2,874/ month

$34,488 / year

At W-4, this is #134 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,963 · low Stevens Point $1,779

MHA MT347 · ZIPs 59410 59601 59602 59604 59620 59623 +9 more

Your grade is calledARMYCW4USMCCWO4NAVYCWO4

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,685 / mo gross

Without dependents here$2,550 / mo

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Helena — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$1,752	$1,515
E-2	$1,752	$1,515
E-3	$1,752	$1,515
E-4	$1,752	$1,515
E-5	$1,887	$1,572
E-6	$2,535	$1,902
E-7	$2,622	$1,968
E-8	$2,715	$2,037
E-9	$2,847	$2,211
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,556	$1,917
W-2	$2,661	$2,016
W-3	$2,775	$2,235
W-4	$2,874	$2,550
W-5	$3,000	$2,643
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,637	$1,977
O-2E	$2,757	$2,169
O-3E	$2,895	$2,529
Officer
O-1	$1,968	$1,614
O-2	$2,526	$1,971
O-3	$2,772	$2,298
O-4	$3,039	$2,619
O-5	$3,231	$2,670
O-6	$3,258	$2,754
O-7	$3,279	$2,802

What this rate means

W-4 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $6,963 / month

Westchester County$6,963

Eugene$2,889

Fort Collins$2,886

Patuxent River$2,886

Nashville$2,877

Helena$2,874

College Station$2,871

St. Louis$2,871

Richmond$2,862

Rochester$2,859

Stevens Point$1,779

Helena is #134 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $5,184 a month — $62,208 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Helena0 – $3,279 / month

E-1$1,752

E-2$1,752

E-3$1,752

E-4$1,752

E-5$1,887

E-6$2,535

E-7$2,622

E-8$2,715

E-9$2,847

W-1$2,556

W-2$2,661

W-3$2,775

W-4$2,874

W-5$3,000

O-1E$2,637

O-2E$2,757

O-3E$2,895

O-1$1,968

O-2$2,526

O-3$2,772

O-4$3,039

O-5$3,231

O-6$3,258

O-7$3,279

Promoting to W-5 here adds $126 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 Helena to Westchester County at W-4 is worth $4,089 a month — about 32 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $126 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 13% 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. $2,874 a month of BAH takes more than $2,874 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-4 at Helena draws $2,874 per month with dependents in 2026, $2,550 without

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you