Check the official 2026 monthly BAH-Partial rate for every enlisted, warrant-officer, and commissioned-officer pay grade, then review when the allowance may or may not apply.
Reviewed August 15, 2026
What Partial BAH means
BAH-Partial is a small, fixed monthly housing allowance for a service member without a dependent who is assigned to qualifying single-type government quarters and is not authorized regular BAH or OHA. It is not a locality-based rent allowance and does not use a duty ZIP or Military Housing Area.
DoD Financial Management Regulation Volume 7A, Chapter 26 states that the rate is based on the partial Basic Allowance for Quarters rate in effect on December 31, 1997. The official 2026 non-locality table notes that BAH-Partial rates remain constant while other non-locality categories may be adjusted.
Common situations that may qualify
The regulation generally covers a member without a dependent who is assigned to single-type government quarters and is not receiving BAH or OHA. It also lists narrower situations involving dual-military members without other dependents, hospitalization without a PCS, certain periods between permanent duty stations, confinement status, and some government-quarters assignments.
A member in grade E-6 or below who is offered adequate government quarters, elects not to occupy them, and pays for private housing can still be treated as assigned to government quarters under the regulation. That circumstance may support BAH-Partial rather than regular locality BAH, subject to the full chapter and service determination.
When Partial BAH is not the right category
BAH-Partial is not authorized in several cases, including certain members assigned to family-type government quarters and members assigned to single-type quarters that exceed the service's minimum standards for the grade, subject to the medical-attendant exception described in the regulation.
BAH-Partial is also different from BAH-Diff. BAH-Diff concerns a member in single-type quarters whose child-support circumstances meet the governing requirements. A member receiving BAH-Diff is not treated as a member without a dependent for BAH-Partial purposes.
How to read the 2026 table
Find the pay grade shown on the member's official record and read the monthly BAH-Partial amount. The rate does not change with years of service, duty ZIP, branch, or local rent. E-1 members use the same Partial amount even though basic pay has a separate under-four-month entry.
The O-1E, O-2E, and O-3E rows use the same Partial amounts as O-1, O-2, and O-3 respectively in the official table. Prior-enlisted officer status should still be verified for basic-pay purposes rather than inferred from the housing table.
Verify the entitlement and LES line
Use the table to check an amount, not to decide eligibility. Government-quarters type, dependency status, assignment orders, grade, child support, medical status, and service-specific housing standards can change the result. The local finance office or command is the primary source for an individual entitlement determination.
Compare the expected amount with the current LES and preserve the relevant orders or quarters assignment if a correction is needed. MyMilPay does not add BAH-Partial automatically to the regular BAH calculator because the required facts are not established by a ZIP lookup.
Official 2026 monthly BAH-Partial rates
Effective January 1, 2026. These are fixed monthly Partial rates from the official DoD non-locality BAH table; they are not locality BAH, BAH RC/Transit, or BAH-Diff amounts.