Housing

Visit the Air Force Housing website to find your new home with the Air Force. This website serves as a one-stop shop for Airmen and their families to obtain information about the housing options and support services available to them at Air Force bases worldwide.

If you need assistance finding a place to live you can reach out to the Military Housing Office. They can provide referral and relocation support with off-base housing and referrals to on base privatized housing. You can find their information along with a housing Welcome packet at https://www.housing.af.mil/Home/Units/Hill/.

Annual process for calculating Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)

- Annually the Department of Defense (DoD) recalculates the BAH for service members

• Purpose: To provide fair housing allowances to service members
• Goal: To help service members cover the costs of housing in the private sector. The other 5% is out of pocket.
• Changes in CY15: Elimination of renters insurance coverage and FY15 National Defense Authorization Act Authority, out-of-pocket expense of one percent was introduced

- Allowance is set based on geographic duty location, pay grade and dependent status

• BAH distinguishes between with-dependent and without-dependents, not number of dependents

- DoD includes local price data for "average" rental housing and utilities (electricity, heating fuel, water & sewer). Rates are not established based on purchasing a home

• Data collection obtained from multiple sources (local newspapers, real estate rental listings, websites)
• Data collected is reviewed by DoD third party contractors made up of statisticians, economists and specialized housing contractors
• BAH process does not collect input from individual service members; service members with questions or concerns should submit through their chain of command

- Rates are set after rental and utility data are collected and median housing costs are calculated

• DoD and other Services: review local median costs for Market Housing Area (MHA); evaluate MHA and specific utility data; prescribe BAH rates based on data input and DoD housing standards policy
• BAH rates also incorporate a fixed dollar, out of pocket expense component, calculated as 5 percent

- Individual rate protection is applied; protection prevents decrease in housing allowances as long as the status of the service member remains unchanged

• Ensures members who have made long-term commitments in the form of a lease/contract are not penalized if the area's housing costs decrease
• Changes in service member's status: PCS, reduction in pay grade, or change independent status

Visit InMyArea.com to search for utility providers based on your zip code. This website serves as a one-stop shop where you can explore your options, compare prices and purchase services.

Annually the Department of Defense recalculates the BAH for service members

• Purpose: To provide fair housing allowances to service members
• Goal: To help service members cover the costs of housing in the private sector. The other 5% is out of pocket
• Changes in CY15: Elimination of renters insurance coverage and FY15 National Defense Authorization Act Authority, out-of-pocket expense of one percent was introduced

Allowance is set based on geographic duty location, pay grade and dependent status

• BAH distinguishes between with-dependent and without-dependents, not number of dependents

DoD includes local price data for "average" rental housing and utilities (electricity, heating fuel, water & sewer). Rates are not established based on purchasing a home

• Data collection obtained from multiple sources (local newspapers, real estate rental listings, websites)
• Data collected is reviewed by DoD third party contractors made up of statisticians, economists and specialized housing contractors
• BAH process does not collect input from individual service members; service members with questions or concerns should submit through their chain of command

Rates are set after rental and utility data are collected and median housing costs are calculated

• DoD and other Services: review local median costs for Market Housing Area (MHA); evaluate MHA and specific utility data; prescribe BAH rates based on data input and DoD housing standards policy
• BAH rates also incorporate a fixed dollar, out of pocket expense component, calculated as 5 percent

Individual rate protection is applied; protection prevents decrease in housing allowances as long as the status of the service member remains unchanged

• Ensures members who have made long-term commitments in the form of a lease/contract are not penalized if the area's housing costs decrease
• Changes in service member's status: PCS, reduction in pay grade, or change independent status

Housing

Visit the Air Force Housing website to find your new home with the Air Force. This website serves as a one-stop shop for Airmen and their families to obtain information about the housing options and support services available to them at Air Force bases worldwide.

If you need assistance finding a place to live you can reach out to the Military Housing Office. They can provided referral and relocation support with off base housing and referrals to on base privatized housing. You can find their information along with a Housing Welcome Packet at https://www.housing.af.mil/Home/Units/Hill/.