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Housing

2027 BAH Rates Are Not Published Yet

USUSMilitaryMoves Team
8 min read
Military family housing, share image for the 2027 BAH rate protection guide.

2027 BAH rates were not published as of November 1, 2026. Same station, grade, and dependency status keeps the higher of the old rate and the new one.

Key Takeaways

  • 2027 Basic Allowance for Housing rates were not out as of November 1, 2026. DoD usually publishes them in mid-December, effective January 1.
  • Same station, same grade, same dependency status: you get the January 1 rate or the December 31 rate, whichever is higher.
  • A PCS, a reduction in grade, or a change in dependency status ends that protection. A promotion does not cut BAH.
  • With-dependents is one rate. A second child does not raise it. A first dependent moves you into that column at the published rate.
  • A January PCS pays the new station’s 2027 rate. Price the house on today’s BAH until the table is published.

Rate protection if you are staying

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is the monthly, tax-free housing payment based on pay grade, duty-station zip code, and whether you have dependents. The 2027 table was not public as of November 1, 2026. The rate you can budget today is the 2026 rate in the BAH calculator.

If you stay in the same military housing area, individual rate protection pays the rate published January 1 or the amount you were paid on December 31, whichever is larger. A lower rental survey does not cut the paycheck of someone who already signed a lease. A higher January rate does increase it. The landlord can still raise the rent. Protection does not freeze their price.

Three changes end it:

  1. PCS. The new area pays its own rate.
  2. Reduction in grade. You move to the published rate for the lower grade. A promotion does not cut BAH.
  3. Dependency status. With-dependents and without-dependents are different rates. Switching columns puts you on the published rate for the new column. A second or third child does not raise BAH once you are already with dependents.

A first child, a marriage, a divorce, or a dependent who moves out can flip the column. Ask finance which month it changes if that month is January. Source: the DTMO BAH FAQ.

How to sign a lease before the table exists

Renewing at the same base: price the lease against the BAH you are paid now. You already know a lower 2027 table will not shrink that check. If the new rent only works because you hope BAH rises, wait for the table or ask for a shorter term.

The 2026 program still expected members to cover about 5% of average housing costs. When DoD released those rates, it described that share as roughly $93 to $212 a month depending on grade and dependents, beside an average 4.2% increase. Nothing signed into law moves BAH to 100% of local rent on January 1. Read how much house BAH can buy and the FY2027 NDAA explainer.

January report dates

Orders for early 2027 pay the gaining area's 2027 rate. You will not see it until the mid-December release. Shop housing that still works if the new rate is flat. Treat an increase as room. A short first lease, or a contingency you can exit, is safer than a 12-month payment that only clears if the table is generous. If you must sign before orders are final, read how SCRA ends a lease.

Overseas housing pay is OHA, not this rule. Use OHA vs BAH if the orders leave the United States.

What to do this week

  1. Price the house on current BAH. Run the BAH calculator for your grade, zip, and with-dependents or without-dependents status. If you are not PCSing, rate protection pays the higher of this rate and the January rate.
  2. List anything that ends protection. A PCS, a demotion, or a switch between with-dependents and without-dependents replaces protection with the published rate for the new situation.
  3. Separate the old station from the new one. A January report date pays the gaining area's 2027 rate. Do not sign a lease that only works if that rate goes up.
  4. Recheck the official table in December. When DoD posts 2027 rates, rerun the calculator before you drop a lease contingency or raise an offer.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will 2027 BAH rates be released?
They were not published as of November 1, 2026. DoD typically releases Basic Allowance for Housing in mid-December, effective January 1. Use the official table when it posts. A prediction is not a pay document.
Can my BAH go down on January 1 if I stay at the same base?
Not if your duty station, pay grade, and dependency status stay the same. You receive the January 1 rate or the December 31 amount, whichever is larger. A PCS, a reduction in grade, or a dependency-status change ends that protection.
Does BAH rate protection follow me to my next duty station?
No. The new military housing area pays its own rate. A January report date pays that station’s 2027 rate, which is unpublished until DoD releases the table.
Does a new baby change my BAH rate protection?
A move from without-dependents to with-dependents is a status change. You are paid the published with-dependents rate. Once you are already with dependents, another child does not raise BAH and does not by itself end protection.
Does the 2027 basic pay raise change BAH?
No. Basic pay and BAH are set separately. The January 2027 basic-pay raise is still unresolved. BAH will not automatically rise by 3.6% or by the House proposal.

Ready to put this into action?

Connect with a verified military real estate agent at your gaining installation, or start planning your PCS with our free Mission Planner tool.

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