Hand drawing red line above bar chart.

If it’s almost January, it’s almost time for the military’s annual pay raises. On Friday, December 14, the Pentagon announced the new 2019 rates for BAH, the military’s Basic Allowance for Housing, and it’s a 2.5% increase.

This increase is in addition to the previously-announced 2.6% annual pay raise for 2019 included in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. COLAs and other increases in January of each year are common across the board – for example, military retirement and VA disability rates also increase with annual COLAs.

As usual, service members only see a change if their rates go up. If housing costs have declined in a particular area, members already receiving BAH are “grandfathered” against a rate decrease.

Military BAH Rates

What is BAH?

Basic Allowance for Housing is an allowance that is intended to cover about 95% of an average service member’s housing costs. Although it is tax-free, it typically counts as income for purposes of calculating both child support and maintenance, including in Colorado. For more information, see our article on Understanding Military Pay in the Military Divorce Guide.

The DOD’s BAH Calculator has been updated with the 2019 rates.

Award-Winning Military Divorce Lawyer in Colorado Springs

BAH

U.S. News & World Report calls Graham.Law one of the Best Law Firms in America, and our managing partner is a Colorado Super Lawyer. Our family law attorneys have years of experience helping clients navigate the Colorado legal system. We know Colorado divorce & family law inside and out, from complex multi-million dollar property or child custody cases to basic child support modifications.

For more information about our top-rated El Paso County family law firm, contact us by filling out our contact form, calling us at (719) 630-1123 to set up a free consult, or click on:

Colorado Family Law. Period.