What is E-8 BAH at Topeka in 2026?

$2,016 per month with dependents ($24,192 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $1,680 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 Topeka 2026 — $2,016/mo with dependents

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

Topeka, KS

E-8 · with dependents

$2,016/ month

$24,192 / year

At E-8, this is #272 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,333 · low Anniston $1,638

MHA KS105 · ZIPs 66402 66409 66420 66533 66539 66542 +32 more

Your grade is calledARMYMSG / 1SGUSMCMSgt / 1stSgtNAVYSCPOUSAFSMSgt

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$2,585 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$1,680 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Topeka — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$1,503	$1,185
E-2	$1,503	$1,185
E-3	$1,503	$1,185
E-4	$1,503	$1,185
E-5	$1,626	$1,302
E-6	$1,869	$1,398
E-7	$1,938	$1,506
E-8	$2,016	$1,680
E-9	$2,154	$1,743
Warrant officer
W-1	$1,884	$1,473
W-2	$1,968	$1,677
W-3	$2,067	$1,755
W-4	$2,187	$1,878
W-5	$2,337	$1,953
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$1,950	$1,623
O-2E	$2,049	$1,728
O-3E	$2,211	$1,857
Officer
O-1	$1,662	$1,377
O-2	$1,866	$1,590
O-3	$2,064	$1,776
O-4	$2,385	$1,935
O-5	$2,619	$1,974
O-6	$2,637	$2,043
O-7	$2,655	$2,076

What this rate means

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

Westchester County$6,333

Wright-Patterson AFB$2,037

Wilkes-Barre$2,034

Sumter$2,025

Laughlin AFB$2,019

Topeka$2,016

County Cost Group 730$2,013

Columbia$2,001

Morgantown$2,001

Yuma$1,998

Anniston$1,638

Topeka is #272 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 Topeka0 – $2,655 / month

E-1$1,503

E-2$1,503

E-3$1,503

E-4$1,503

E-5$1,626

E-6$1,869

E-7$1,938

E-8$2,016

E-9$2,154

W-1$1,884

W-2$1,968

W-3$2,067

W-4$2,187

W-5$2,337

O-1E$1,950

O-2E$2,049

O-3E$2,211

O-1$1,662

O-2$1,866

O-3$2,064

O-4$2,385

O-5$2,619

O-6$2,637

O-7$2,655

Promoting to E-9 here adds $138 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 Topeka to Westchester County at E-8 is worth $4,317 a month — about 31 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $138 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 20% 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. $2,016 a month of BAH takes more than $2,016 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 Topeka draws $2,016 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you