What is O-5 BAH at Fort Carson in 2026?

$2,913 per month with dependents ($34,956 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,517 per month.

Does BAH count as taxable income?

No. BAH is excluded from federal taxable income, so a given BAH amount is worth more than the same figure in basic pay.

What happens if my BAH rate drops this year?

BAH rate protection holds you at the prior year's amount as long as your duty location, pay grade and dependency status stay the same. The lower rate applies to members arriving on new orders.

O-5 BAH at Fort Carson 2026 — $2,913/mo with dependents

Basic Allowance for Housing by duty station, pay grade and dependency status. Official DoD rates, no login, no email.

Colorado Springs, CO

O-5 · with dependents

$2,913/ month

$34,956 / year

At O-5, this is #9 of 17 stations loaded · high San Diego $5,493 · low Fort Riley $2,325

MHA CO046 · ZIPs 80913 80911 80906

Your grade is calledARMYLTCUSMCLtColNAVYCDRUSAFLt Col

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,735 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,517 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Fort Carson — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,160	$1,689
E-2	$2,160	$1,689
E-3	$2,160	$1,689
E-4	$2,160	$1,689
E-5	$2,358	$1,860
E-6	$2,433	$1,980
E-7	$2,487	$2,166
E-8	$2,553	$2,379
E-9	$2,646	$2,388
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,448	$2,103
W-2	$2,514	$2,376
W-3	$2,598	$2,394
W-4	$2,664	$2,436
W-5	$2,754	$2,502
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,496	$2,355
O-2E	$2,583	$2,385
O-3E	$2,679	$2,418
Officer
O-1	$2,376	$1,959
O-2	$2,430	$2,295
O-3	$2,595	$2,397
O-4	$2,778	$2,484
O-5	$2,913	$2,517
O-6	$2,934	$2,574
O-7	$2,955	$2,616

What this rate means

O-5 with dependents, every station0 – $5,493 / month

San Diego$5,493

Camp Pendleton$5,391

Honolulu County$4,959

JB Elmendorf-Richardson$4,095

JB Lewis-McChord$3,471

Norfolk$3,318

Fort Stewart$3,129

Fort Campbell$3,006

Fort Carson$2,913

Fort Drum$2,784

Fort Hood$2,748

Fort Bragg$2,610

Camp Lejeune$2,553

Fort Benning$2,469

Fort Bliss$2,466

San Antonio (JBSA)$2,457

Fort Riley$2,325

Fort Carson is #9 of 17. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $3,168 a month — $38,016 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Fort Carson0 – $2,955 / month

E-1$2,160

E-2$2,160

E-3$2,160

E-4$2,160

E-5$2,358

E-6$2,433

E-7$2,487

E-8$2,553

E-9$2,646

W-1$2,448

W-2$2,514

W-3$2,598

W-4$2,664

W-5$2,754

O-1E$2,496

O-2E$2,583

O-3E$2,679

O-1$2,376

O-2$2,430

O-3$2,595

O-4$2,778

O-5$2,913

O-6$2,934

O-7$2,955

Promoting to O-6 here adds $21 a month. The pay chart moves this allowance far less than the map does.

Where you are stationed outweighs what you are paid. Moving from Fort Carson to San Diego at O-5 is worth $2,580 a month — about 123 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $21 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 16% here. That is a status your finance office determines, not a box you tick — and it is the single largest lever on this page that is not a change of address.

None of it is taxed. $2,913 a month of BAH takes more than $2,913 of basic pay to match, which is why comparing a civilian salary against military base pay alone understates the gap.

Things the rate table doesn't tell you

“With dependents” is a dependency status, not a marital status. A single member paying child support can be authorized BAH-Diff; a married dual-military couple with no children is not automatically the with-dependents rate for both. If your situation is unusual, your finance office decides — not this table.

O-8, O-9 and O-10 draw the same BAH as O-7. The table stops there for a reason, not because it is missing rows.

This is CONUS BAH only. Overseas is OHA, which works differently — it reimburses actual rent up to a cap, with separate utility and move-in allowances. Alaska and Hawaii are BAH; Germany, Japan and Korea are OHA.

O-5 with dependents at Fort Carson draws $2,913 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you