What Your BAH Pays Across the DMV's Five Bases in 2026
Andrews, Belvoir, and Walter Reed share one housing area and one rate, $3,132 for an E-5 with dependents. Quantico and Fort Meade do not. Here is the structure, and what to compare it against.
TL;DR: Three of the five major military installations in the DMV, Joint Base Andrews, Fort Belvoir, and Walter Reed at NSA Bethesda, sit inside the same Washington DC Metro housing area, so they pay the identical BAH at every rank. In 2026 that is $3,132 a month for an E-5 with dependents and $4,020 for an O-3 with dependents. Quantico and Fort Meade fall in separate housing areas and pay less. This piece lays out the structure so you can compare it against rent and commute yourself. It does not tell you where to live.
A staff sergeant with two kids opens the BAH calculator twice, once for Joint Base Andrews and once for Fort Belvoir, expecting two different numbers. The number is the same, $3,132 a month. That is not a glitch. Andrews and Belvoir sit inside the same housing area, so the allowance is identical at both. What is not identical is what that allowance covers once you are past the gate, paying Northern Virginia rent on one side of the river or Prince George's County rent on the other. The figures below are a starting point for your own math, not a recommendation about where to sign.
Why It Happens: BAH is set by Military Housing Area and ZIP, so several bases can share a single rate.
The Solution: Verify your rate by ZIP, then weigh the same allowance against live rent and the real commute.
How much BAH do DMV bases pay in 2026?
BAH is set by Military Housing Area, not by base. The Department of War recalculates rates every January 1 through its Defense Travel Management Office, and the 2026 national average rose 4.2 percent over 2025 (Source: DoD 2026 BAH tables). Across the five DMV installations families ask about most, that produces only three distinct rates, because three of the bases share a single housing area.
| Installation (ZIP) | Housing area | E-5, dependents | O-3, dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Base Andrews (20762) | Washington DC Metro | $3,132 | $4,020 |
| Fort Belvoir (22060) | Washington DC Metro | $3,132 | $4,020 |
| Walter Reed / NSA Bethesda (20889) | Washington DC Metro | $3,132 | $4,020 |
| MCB Quantico (22134) | Quantico / Woodbridge | $2,955 | $3,327 |
| Fort Meade (20755) | Fort Meade | $2,901 | $3,411 |
Source: DoD BAH Calculator, 2026, with dependents.
Why do Andrews, Belvoir, and Walter Reed pay the same BAH?
Because the allowance follows the ZIP code, and those three bases sit in the same housing area, the Washington DC Metro MHA. Enter 20762, 22060, or 20889 into the DoD BAH Calculator at the same rank and dependent status and one number comes back for all three. The Department of War draws housing areas around rental markets, not around fence lines, so a base in Fairfax County and a base in Prince George's County can carry the same rate even though they are 30 miles and a river apart. For a family weighing two assignments inside this trio, the allowance is a wash. The deciding factors live somewhere else.
BAH follows the housing area, not the base. Three DMV installations share one rate.
What about Bolling and the Pentagon?
They are in the same DC Metro area too. Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Fort McNair, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, and the Pentagon all pull the Washington DC Metro rate, which means the most common assignment cluster in the region runs on one allowance number. If your orders move you between any of these, Andrews to Bolling, the Pentagon to Belvoir, the BAH on your LES does not change. Your rent and your commute almost certainly do.
Where do Quantico and Fort Meade land?
Both sit in their own housing areas, so their rates move independently of the DC core, and both come in lower. For an E-5 with dependents, Quantico pays $2,955 and Fort Meade pays $2,901, against $3,132 in the DC Metro area, a gap of roughly $180 to $230 a month. For an O-3 with dependents the gap is wider. The DC Metro officer rate of $4,020 runs well above Quantico's $3,327 and Meade's $3,411, a difference closer to $600 or $700. The spread between the DC core and the outer bases is small for enlisted families and large for officers. Pull each ZIP on its own rather than assuming the DC Metro number carries over, because it does not. A family that PCSes from Belvoir to Meade keeps the same uniform and changes housing areas, which means the allowance changes with the move.
What is that allowance worth after taxes?
More than the published figure, because BAH is excluded from federal taxable income. The $3,132 an E-5 family draws in the DC core is take-home, so matching it with civilian salary takes more than $3,132 in gross pay. How much more depends on your bracket and your state, which is its own reason to compare the real allowance against real rent rather than against a gross paycheck. The number on the table is already net.
Does a higher BAH mean a lower out-of-pocket?
Not on its own. BAH is one number on one side of the ledger. Rent and utilities sit on the other, and in the DMV the two do not always move together. BAH is built to cover about 95 percent of local housing costs, so most families absorb something every month, roughly $93 to $212 in 2026 depending on grade and location (Source: DoD 2026 BAH rates). The Washington DC Metro rate is among the highest in the country, but Northern Virginia rent regularly runs past it for junior enlisted, which is why an E-4 at Belvoir can draw a large allowance and still write a check. A lower published rate at Quantico or Meade can leave more in your pocket if the rent on the ground is lower by more than the allowance gap. The only way to know is to set your verified rate next to live asking rent for the specific neighborhoods you are weighing. That comparison is yours to run.
What moves your out-of-pocket more than which base you draw?
Three things, in roughly this order: the rent in the neighborhood you pick, the commute you are willing to drive, and your dependent status. Inside one housing area like the DC Metro, your BAH does not change between Bowie and Burke, but your rent and your morning drive change a great deal. The DC-core bases all feed the same congestion, the Beltway, I-95, I-395, and the 14th Street and Wilson bridges, so two homes at the same rent can produce a 20-minute commute and a 70-minute one. Quantico families weigh the I-95 south corridor. Meade families weigh the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and MD-32. Run a real Monday 8 a.m. route before you decide a neighborhood is close, because the map and the morning rarely agree.
FAQ
Do all DMV military bases pay the same BAH?
No. Andrews, Belvoir, Walter Reed/Bethesda, Bolling, Fort McNair, Myer-Henderson Hall, and the Pentagon share the Washington DC Metro housing area and pay the same rate. Quantico and Fort Meade are separate areas with lower rates.
Does BAH depend on my base or my address?
On the housing area your duty station falls in, which is tied to ZIP code. Two bases in the same area pay the same allowance regardless of which side of the region they sit on.
Why is my Northern Virginia rent higher than my BAH?
The DC Metro rate is high in absolute terms, but Fairfax and Arlington rents run higher still for some bedroom counts, especially at junior ranks. Verify your rate and compare it to current asking rent before signing.
Do I get the rate for my current base or my next one when I PCS?
The rate in effect at your new duty station on your report date. If you are moving into a different housing area, expect the allowance to change with it.
Where do I confirm my exact 2026 rate?
The DoD BAH Calculator at travel.dod.mil. Enter your pay grade, ZIP, and dependent status for the current figure.
The allowance is one input. The comparison, and the decision, are yours.
Run your rank and ZIP on HomeScoop's BAH calculator at homescoop.app, then line the same allowance up against live rent at each DMV base before you commit to a neighborhood.
HomeScoop is not affiliated with the Department of War or the Department of Veterans Affairs. © 2026 GrayLogic LLC.
