What is O-3 BAH at Tampa in 2026?

$3,081 per month with dependents ($36,972 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. Without dependents it is $2,919 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-3 BAH at Tampa 2026 — $3,081 with dependents, $2,919 without

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

Tampa, FL

O-3 · with dependents

$3,081/ month

$36,972 / year

At O-3, this is #92 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,633 · low Anniston $1,686

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

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Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,950 / mo gross

Without dependents here$2,919 / mo

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

O-3 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $6,633 / month

Westchester County$6,633

Whidbey Island$3,105

County Cost Group 860$3,090

Outer Banks$3,087

Port Angeles$3,081

Tampa$3,081

Fort Pierce$3,078

Aberdeen Proving Grounds$3,072

Traverse City$3,069

Dover AFB$3,051

Anniston$1,686

Tampa is #92 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $4,947 a month — $59,364 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 O-4 here adds $174 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 O-3 is worth $3,552 a month — about 20 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $174 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 6% 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. $3,081 a month of BAH takes more than $3,081 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-3 at Tampa draws $3,081 per month with dependents in 2026, $2,919 without

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you