The official 2026 monthly BAS rates are $328.48 for officers, $476.95 for enlisted members, and $953.90 for authorized BAS II cases.
Reviewed August 12, 2026
DFAS lists the rates effective January 1, 2026 as $328.48 per month for officers and $476.95 per month for enlisted members. The published BAS II amount is $953.90 per month, exactly twice standard enlisted BAS.
These are monthly allowance rates, not meal budgets chosen by the member. The amount that appears on an LES depends on entitlement status and any applicable meal deductions or collection procedures.
BAS is intended to help offset the service member's meal costs. It is not calculated by dependent count and should not be treated as a family food allowance simply because a member has dependents.
A household budget should list actual groceries, dining, and meal-related costs separately. MyMilPay keeps BAS income independent from food expenses so switching the allowance off does not erase a real household bill.
DFAS describes BAS II as a rate that may be payable to an enlisted member assigned to single government quarters without adequate food storage or preparation facilities when a government mess is unavailable and meals cannot otherwise be provided.
The doubled amount is not a user-selectable upgrade. BAS II requires authorization by the Secretary of the military department concerned, so a calculator should not infer eligibility from living arrangements alone.
A partial month, entry or separation, status change, correction, or meal collection can make the current statement differ from a full monthly planning rate. The gross entitlement and meal-related deduction may also appear as separate LES lines.
Use the current LES amount when reconciling a real month. If the entitlement status is unclear, verify it through the finance office instead of using household size or dining-facility access as a substitute determination.
When Receiving BAS is enabled, MyMilPay adds the 2026 officer or enlisted rate to monthly income. Food remains an expense, and users can disable BAS while preserving the expense plan when the allowance is not being received.
Compare the result with a normal LES and current food spending. BAS should be counted once as an allowance and meal deductions should be counted once as a deduction; neither should be silently netted against grocery expenses.