In the fiscal year 2023, the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates in California raised above the nationwide average. While the median increment in all the US states was 12.11%, in the Golden State duty stations received a formidable 12.26%. The BAH rates vary depending on the service member’s location. Areas with higher costs of living typically have higher BAH rates, while areas with lower costs of living have lower rates. The rates are updated annually to reflect changes in housing costs.
If you’re a military office, so far you might know what is the BAH. If not, well, it’s simple: The purpose of BAH is to ensure that military personnel are adequately compensated for housing expenses, regardless of whether they choose to live on-base or off-base. It is an important component of the military’s overall compensation package and helps to provide financial stability for service members and their families.
The BAH benefits in California: Top amounts for 2023
As mentioned before, the amount of BAH you can receive depends on the locality where you live or are deployed, either by yourself or with your family, but it is also subject to the rank you hold in the Army, called the “pay grade”. And here are a couple of examples for you to understand how much you could get, and then we’ll tell you how to determine your BAH allowance.
If you’re deployed in Los Angeles, your military base is Los Angeles AFB (Zip Code 90009), and your military rank is E01 (Private or Seaman Recruit in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy), you could get up to $3,291 with dependents and $2,475 without dependents.
Now, if you’re deployed in the Edwards Air Force Base, in Palmdale, California (Military Housing Area: CA457, Zip Codes 93523, 93524), your pay grade is O-3E (commissioned officer in the rank of Captain in the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, or Lieutenant in the Navy), you could get up to $2,943 with dependents and $2,772 without dependents.
You could get BAH assistance if you’re deployed in these military bases in California
You could get all the information you require using the BAH Calculator, to start the process. Enter your zip code to determine your Military Housing Area (MHA) aka County Cost Group. They range from ZZ510 to ZZ890 in increments of 10.
These are the military bases in California that are covered to request BAH resources:
- Beale AFB, Marysville
- Camp Parks (PRFTA), Dublin
- Camp Pendleton, San Diego
- Chocolate Mountain Range, Chocolate Mountains
- Defense Distribution Depot, San Joaquin
- Edwards AFB, Edwards
- Fort Hunter Liggett, Monterey
- Fort Irwin, Barstow
- ISC Alameda, Alameda
- Los Angeles AFB, El Segundo
- March Air Reserve Base, Riverside
- MCAS Miramar, San Diego,
- McClellan AFB, Sacramento
- MCLB Barstow, Barstow
- MCRD San Diego, San Diego
- Mountain Training Center, Pickel Meadows
- NAS Lemoore, Lemoore
- NAS Point Mugu, Point Mugu
- Naval Air Facility El Centro, El Centro
- Naval Base Coronado, San Diego
- Naval Base San Diego
- Naval Battalion Center, Port Hueneme
- Naval Hospital Pendleton, Camp Pendleton
- Naval Medical Center, San Diego
- Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey
- NAWS China Lake, China Lake
- NCBC Port Heuneme, Port Heuneme
- North Island Naval Complex, San Diego
- NS San Diego, San Diego
- NWS Seal Beach, Seal Beach
- Point Loma Navy Base, San Diego
- Presidio of Monterey, Monterey
- TRACEN Petaluma, Petaluma
- Travis AFB, Fairfield
- Twentynine Palms, Twentynine Palms
- USAREC, Los Angeles Battalion, Los Angeles
- Vandenberg AFB, Lompoc