BAH 2026 · housing area
BAH at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (Tacoma) for 2026
The 2026 housing allowance of the Tacoma housing area that covers Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and why moving a few miles north into the Seattle area changes it.
BAH 2026 in Tacoma (JBLM)
E-5 with dependents
$2,556
| Per year, tax free | $30,672 |
| Without dependents | $2,121 |
| Difference | $435 |
An E-5 with dependents assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord receives $2,556 a month of BAH in 2026, $2,121 without dependents; a married O-3 receives $3,123. JBLM falls in the housing area the Defense Travel Management Office calls Tacoma, WA (WA311), 100 ZIP codes in Pierce County and the South Sound, including Lakewood, DuPont, Spanaway, Puyallup and Tacoma itself. It ranks 87 of 338 housing areas for the E-5 family rate, in the upper half of the country, but well below Seattle, where the same E-5 would receive $3,135. The family-to-single gap is wide for the middle grades: an E-6 receives $2,919 with dependents and $2,199 without. Puget Sound has several housing areas side by side, so the duty station's ZIP code, not the town you live in, decides the rate.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
JBLM and Tacoma BAH by grade
| Grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $2,370 | $2,034 |
| E-4 | $2,370 | $2,034 |
| E-5 | $2,556 | $2,121 |
| E-6 | $2,919 | $2,199 |
| E-7 | $2,994 | $2,376 |
| E-8 | $3,072 | $2,634 |
| E-9 | $3,180 | $2,736 |
| W-2 | $3,024 | $2,631 |
| W-3 | $3,126 | $2,751 |
| O-1 | $2,607 | $2,178 |
| O-2 | $2,916 | $2,496 |
| O-3 | $3,123 | $2,784 |
| O-4 | $3,324 | $2,991 |
| O-5 | $3,471 | $3,030 |
| O-6 | $3,501 | $3,102 |
Six housing areas around Puget Sound
| Housing area | E-5 with dependents | E-7 with dependents | O-3 with dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tacoma (JBLM) | $2,556 | $2,994 | $3,123 |
| Seattle | $3,135 | $4,020 | $4,215 |
| Bremerton | $2,364 | $2,844 | $3,045 |
| Everett | $2,748 | $3,363 | $3,567 |
| Whidbey Island | $2,073 | $2,877 | $3,105 |
| Spokane | $2,184 | $2,658 | $2,844 |
Washington State has housing areas close together with very different rates. Sailors at Naval Base Kitsap use the Bremerton table, those at Naval Station Everett the Everett table, and aviators at Whidbey Island their own; Fairchild Air Force Base falls under Spokane. A member who moves from Bremerton to JBLM, a short distance on the map, can see the allowance change by a large amount in either direction depending on grade.
Where the single rate falls behind
In the Tacoma area the single rates trail the family rates by a wide margin for staff sergeants and sergeants first class, because family homes in the South Sound cost much more than apartments. The difference reaches $720 a month at E-6 and $618 at E-7. For officers it is narrower at O-3, $339, and wider again at O-5, $441. A soldier who marries while stationed at JBLM sees the family rate from the date of the marriage, once the finance office has the certificate.
Planning a move to JBLM
Coming from a low-cost post, the higher allowance is offset by higher rents and, in Washington, by the absence of a state income tax on pay, which helps families whose state of legal residence is Washington. The military pay calculator adds BAH to basic pay and BAS, and the BAH calculator checks other ZIP codes around the Sound. For another West Coast installation, see Camp Pendleton.
Tacoma BAH in 2025 and 2026
The South Sound table rose moderately for 2026. The E-5 family rate went from $2,508 to $2,556, 1.9% more, and the O-3 rate from $3,051 to $3,123. For members who arrived before 2026, rate protection would have kept any higher 2025 rate, but here most grades went up and the new rate simply replaced the old one.
| Grade | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $2,328 | $2,370 | +$42 (+1.8%) |
| E-5 | $2,508 | $2,556 | +$48 (+1.9%) |
| E-6 | $2,850 | $2,919 | +$69 (+2.4%) |
| E-7 | $2,922 | $2,994 | +$72 (+2.5%) |
| E-9 | $3,105 | $3,180 | +$75 (+2.4%) |
| O-1 | $2,556 | $2,607 | +$51 (+2%) |
| O-3 | $3,051 | $3,123 | +$72 (+2.4%) |
| O-5 | $3,387 | $3,471 | +$84 (+2.5%) |
Rent makes up about 87% of the housing cost the DTMO measured for the Tacoma area in 2026 and utilities 13%. Mild summers keep cooling costs low, and the allowance carries the standard 5% member cost share.
A last practical point: JBLM is large, and the commute from the southern edge of the housing area can be long, but every ZIP code in the area pays the same rate. Families choose between price, schools and distance knowing the allowance will not change with the address.
Airmen of the airlift wings at McChord Field and soldiers of I Corps at Lewis draw the same table, as do sailors and coast guardsmen stationed at commands in Tacoma itself, since all of them have duty stations within the Tacoma housing area.