What is W-3 BAH at Whidbey Island in 2026?

$3,111 per month with dependents ($37,332 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,436 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-3 BAH at Whidbey Island 2026 — $3,111/mo with dependents

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

Whidbey Island, WA

W-3 · with dependents

$3,111/ month

$37,332 / year

At W-3, this is #88 of 338 stations loaded · high Westchester County $6,654 · low Anniston $1,689

MHA WA312 · ZIPs 98221 98222 98232 98233 98235 98236 +17 more

Your grade is calledARMYCW3USMCCWO3NAVYCWO3

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,988 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,436 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Whidbey Island — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,013	$1,839
E-2	$2,013	$1,839
E-3	$2,013	$1,839
E-4	$2,013	$1,839
E-5	$2,073	$1,905
E-6	$2,745	$2,058
E-7	$2,877	$2,157
E-8	$3,018	$2,265
E-9	$3,159	$2,412
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,766	$2,076
W-2	$2,934	$2,208
W-3	$3,111	$2,436
W-4	$3,174	$2,772
W-5	$3,258	$2,910
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,901	$2,175
O-2E	$3,084	$2,367
O-3E	$3,189	$2,739
Officer
O-1	$2,157	$1,950
O-2	$2,736	$2,160
O-3	$3,105	$2,499
O-4	$3,279	$2,880
O-5	$3,402	$2,958
O-6	$3,429	$3,090
O-7	$3,453	$3,144

What this rate means

W-3 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $6,654 / month

Westchester County$6,654

Beale AFB$3,168

Baltimore$3,159

Fort Myers Beach$3,132

JB Lewis-McChord$3,126

Whidbey Island$3,111

County Cost Group 860$3,093

Outer Banks$3,090

Port Angeles$3,084

Tampa$3,084

Anniston$1,689

Whidbey Island is #88 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $4,965 a month — $59,580 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Whidbey Island0 – $3,453 / month

E-1$2,013

E-2$2,013

E-3$2,013

E-4$2,013

E-5$2,073

E-6$2,745

E-7$2,877

E-8$3,018

E-9$3,159

W-1$2,766

W-2$2,934

W-3$3,111

W-4$3,174

W-5$3,258

O-1E$2,901

O-2E$3,084

O-3E$3,189

O-1$2,157

O-2$2,736

O-3$3,105

O-4$3,279

O-5$3,402

O-6$3,429

O-7$3,453

Promoting to W-4 here adds $63 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 Whidbey Island to Westchester County at W-3 is worth $3,543 a month — about 56 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $63 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 28% 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. $3,111 a month of BAH takes more than $3,111 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-3 with dependents at Whidbey Island draws $3,111 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you