What is E-8 BAH at Tampa in 2026?

$3,075 per month with dependents ($36,900 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,781 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 Tampa 2026 — $3,075/mo with dependents

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

Tampa, FL

E-8 · with dependents

$3,075/ month

$36,900 / year

At E-8, this is #86 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,333 · low Anniston $1,638

MHA FL066 · ZIPs 33503 33508 33509 33510 33511 33523 +259 more

Your grade is calledARMYMSG / 1SGUSMCMSgt / 1stSgtNAVYSCPOUSAFSMSgt

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,942 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,781 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Tampa — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,520	$1,932
E-2	$2,520	$1,932
E-3	$2,520	$1,932
E-4	$2,520	$1,932
E-5	$2,709	$2,187
E-6	$3,042	$2,346
E-7	$3,066	$2,526
E-8	$3,075	$2,781
E-9	$3,123	$2,874
Warrant officer
W-1	$3,063	$2,463
W-2	$3,072	$2,778
W-3	$3,084	$2,886
W-4	$3,141	$3,039
W-5	$3,231	$3,054
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$3,069	$2,706
O-2E	$3,078	$2,853
O-3E	$3,156	$3,036
Officer
O-1	$2,757	$2,328
O-2	$3,039	$2,649
O-3	$3,081	$2,919
O-4	$3,255	$3,042
O-5	$3,390	$3,057
O-6	$3,417	$3,060
O-7	$3,441	$3,102

What this rate means

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

Westchester County$6,333

Astoria$3,114

Kodiak Island$3,096

Baltimore$3,093

Fort Myers Beach$3,078

Tampa$3,075

Milwaukee$3,072

JB Lewis-McChord$3,072

Outer Banks$3,051

County Cost Group 860$3,027

Anniston$1,638

Tampa is #86 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 Tampa0 – $3,441 / month

E-1$2,520

E-2$2,520

E-3$2,520

E-4$2,520

E-5$2,709

E-6$3,042

E-7$3,066

E-8$3,075

E-9$3,123

W-1$3,063

W-2$3,072

W-3$3,084

W-4$3,141

W-5$3,231

O-1E$3,069

O-2E$3,078

O-3E$3,156

O-1$2,757

O-2$3,039

O-3$3,081

O-4$3,255

O-5$3,390

O-6$3,417

O-7$3,441

Promoting to E-9 here adds $48 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 Tampa to Westchester County at E-8 is worth $3,258 a month — about 68 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $48 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. $3,075 a month of BAH takes more than $3,075 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 with dependents at Tampa draws $3,075 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you