BAH 2026 · housing area
BAH in the Washington DC area for 2026
The 2026 housing allowance of the Washington DC metro housing area, the largest in the DTMO file, and the neighboring areas of Quantico, Fort Meade and Annapolis.
BAH 2026 in the Washington DC area
E-5 with dependents
$3,132
| Per year, tax free | $37,584 |
| Without dependents | $2,832 |
| Difference | $300 |
An E-5 with dependents assigned in the Washington DC metro area receives $3,132 a month of BAH in 2026, $2,832 without dependents; a married O-4, a common grade on the Pentagon staff, receives $4,410. The Washington, DC Metro Area housing area (DC053) is by far the largest in the Defense Travel Management Office file, with 559 ZIP codes across the District and the inner counties of Maryland and Virginia. It covers the Pentagon, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda and the many headquarters in between. The area ranks 47 of 338 for the E-5 family rate, and its rates rose about 6.1% for an E-5 from 2025, one of the larger increases of 2026. Quantico, Fort Meade, Annapolis and Patuxent River are separate housing areas with their own tables, so the duty station's ZIP code matters even inside the region.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Washington DC metro BAH by grade
| Grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $3,096 | $2,409 |
| E-4 | $3,096 | $2,409 |
| E-5 | $3,132 | $2,832 |
| E-6 | $3,759 | $3,057 |
| E-7 | $3,855 | $3,099 |
| E-8 | $3,957 | $3,261 |
| E-9 | $4,128 | $3,447 |
| W-2 | $3,894 | $3,258 |
| W-4 | $4,167 | $3,777 |
| O-1 | $3,213 | $3,054 |
| O-2 | $3,753 | $3,126 |
| O-3 | $4,020 | $3,531 |
| O-4 | $4,410 | $3,855 |
| O-5 | $4,692 | $3,909 |
| O-6 | $4,731 | $3,999 |
| O-7 | $4,770 | $4,071 |
The national capital region, area by area
| Housing area | E-5 with dependents | E-7 with dependents | O-4 with dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington DC metro | $3,132 | $3,855 | $4,410 |
| Quantico/Woodbridge | $2,955 | $3,228 | $3,753 |
| Fort Meade | $2,901 | $3,327 | $3,759 |
| Annapolis | $2,928 | $3,303 | $3,822 |
| Patuxent River | $2,406 | $2,625 | $3,075 |
Marines at Quantico, NSA and Cyber Command personnel at Fort Meade, midshipmen's instructors at the Naval Academy in Annapolis and test pilots at Patuxent River all serve within commuting distance of the capital but draw their own tables. Members moving between these commands, which is frequent in a staff career, should check the rate of the new duty station before renewing a lease.
2025 to 2026 in the DC area
| Grade | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $2,922 | $3,096 | +$174 (+6%) |
| E-5 | $2,952 | $3,132 | +$180 (+6.1%) |
| E-6 | $3,459 | $3,759 | +$300 (+8.7%) |
| E-7 | $3,579 | $3,855 | +$276 (+7.7%) |
| E-9 | $3,876 | $4,128 | +$252 (+6.5%) |
| O-3 | $3,783 | $4,020 | +$237 (+6.3%) |
| O-4 | $4,122 | $4,410 | +$288 (+7%) |
| O-6 | $4,398 | $4,731 | +$333 (+7.6%) |
Rent represents about 89% of the housing cost the DTMO measured in the area for 2026 and utilities 11%. The published rate is set 5% below that cost, the member share built into every BAH rate.
Staff officers and the single rate
The single rates in the DC area are high in absolute terms, $3,531 for an O-3 and $3,855 for an O-4, but the gap with the family rate is wide for senior enlisted members: $756 a month at E-7. A member whose family stays at the previous station by choice still receives the with-dependents rate of the DC duty station; the family's location is used only in specific cases, such as orders that do not allow the family to move, and the finance office decides from the orders. The military pay calculator gives the monthly total, and the BAH calculator checks any ZIP code of the region.
Why one area covers so many ZIP codes
The DTMO defines housing areas around the places where members of an installation can reasonably live. In the capital region, dozens of commands sit a few miles apart, and their members draw from the same rental market, from apartments in Arlington to houses in Prince George's and Fairfax counties. Grouping them in one area keeps the rate identical for a sailor at the Washington Navy Yard, an airman at Joint Base Andrews and a soldier at the Pentagon. The ZIP codes that fall outside it, around Quantico, Fort Meade or Annapolis, belong to commands whose members live in different markets.
Senior grades in the capital
The DC area has an unusual concentration of senior officers and enlisted leaders. With dependents, an O-6 receives $4,731 a month in 2026 and an O-7 $4,770; an E-9 $4,128. Many general and flag officers live in government quarters at Fort McNair, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall or the Washington Navy Yard and do not draw BAH while they do.