What is E-8 BAH at Traverse City in 2026?

$3,003 per month with dependents ($36,036 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. Without dependents it is $2,253 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 Traverse City 2026 — $3,003 with dependents, $2,253 without

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

Traverse City, MI

E-8 · with dependents

$3,003/ month

$36,036 / year

At E-8, this is #96 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,333 · low Anniston $1,638

MHA MI146 · ZIPs 49411 49431 49601 49610 49613 49614 +39 more

Your grade is calledARMYMSG / 1SGUSMCMSgt / 1stSgtNAVYSCPOUSAFSMSgt

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,850 / mo gross

Without dependents here$2,253 / mo

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Traverse City — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,037	$1,716
E-2	$2,037	$1,716
E-3	$2,037	$1,716
E-4	$2,037	$1,716
E-5	$2,070	$1,896
E-6	$2,802	$2,103
E-7	$2,901	$2,175
E-8	$3,003	$2,253
E-9	$3,123	$2,439
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,823	$2,118
W-2	$2,943	$2,214
W-3	$3,072	$2,463
W-4	$3,141	$2,820
W-5	$3,231	$2,922
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,916	$2,187
O-2E	$3,051	$2,388
O-3E	$3,156	$2,796
Officer
O-1	$2,160	$1,998
O-2	$2,793	$2,178
O-3	$3,069	$2,535
O-4	$3,255	$2,898
O-5	$3,390	$2,955
O-6	$3,417	$3,051
O-7	$3,441	$3,102

What this rate means

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

Westchester County$6,333

Sacramento$3,021

Whidbey Island$3,018

Fort Pierce$3,015

Philadelphia$3,009

Traverse City$3,003

Aberdeen Proving Grounds$2,991

Orlando$2,991

Bremerton$2,967

Bridgeport$2,964

Anniston$1,638

Traverse City is #96 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 Traverse City0 – $3,441 / month

E-1$2,037

E-2$2,037

E-3$2,037

E-4$2,037

E-5$2,070

E-6$2,802

E-7$2,901

E-8$3,003

E-9$3,123

W-1$2,823

W-2$2,943

W-3$3,072

W-4$3,141

W-5$3,231

O-1E$2,916

O-2E$3,051

O-3E$3,156

O-1$2,160

O-2$2,793

O-3$3,069

O-4$3,255

O-5$3,390

O-6$3,417

O-7$3,441

Promoting to E-9 here adds $120 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 Traverse City to Westchester County at E-8 is worth $3,330 a month — about 28 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $120 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 33% 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. $3,003 a month of BAH takes more than $3,003 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 at Traverse City draws $3,003 per month with dependents in 2026, $2,253 without

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you