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BAH & Rent

Heritage Heights neighborhood, Fort Cavazos (now Fort Hood).
Housing allowance

Fort Hood BAH and Rent.

Your Basic Allowance for Housing helps cover typical rent near Fort Hood. It is based on where you are stationed, your pay grade, and whether you have dependents—not the ZIP code of the house you rent.

How Fort Hood BAH works.

Duty station, not home ZIP

BAH follows the installation on your orders. Renting a cheaper ZIP nearby does not lower the rate; a pricier neighborhood does not raise it. Independent summaries of DoD’s 2026 tables list Fort Hood under MHA code TX286.

With vs without dependents

Each grade has two columns. Dependency status is whatever is on your military record. Marriage or a child can change which column you are paid from—confirm with finance, not a landlord’s guess.

Rates reset each January

DoD publishes new locality rates that take effect January 1. Individual rate protection can keep a member on a higher prior rate in some situations; only your LES shows whether that applies to you.

BAH is not a rent guarantee

The allowance helps cover typical housing costs in the area. It does not promise that every lease, deposit, pet fee, utility bill or HOA charge will fit inside the number.

Sample 2026 monthly rates (TX286).

Whole-dollar amounts from independent transcriptions of DoD’s published 2026 BAH tables for Fort Hood (TX286), effective January 1–December 31, 2026.

E-4 with dependents

$1,662 / month

E-5 with dependents

$1,695 / month · $1,530 without dependents

E-6 with dependents

$1,920 / month

E-7 with dependents

$2,070 / month

O-3 with dependents

$2,340 / month · $1,833 without dependents

O-4 with dependents

$2,577 / month

Sample 2026 rates; confirm yours on DTMO or your LES. Not affiliated with the Army or DoD. Sources: independent DoD-file summaries that cite BAH-ASCII-2026 (for example rankandpay.com/bah/tx286).

Comparing rent to BAH without getting burned.

List every monthly cost

Rent + electricity + water/trash + internet + parking or HOA + renter’s insurance. Where retail electric choice is available, compare plans on Power to Choose—read the Electricity Facts Label.

Watch move-in cash

Application fees, deposits, pet deposits and first/last month can wipe out the first paycheck even when monthly rent “fits” BAH. Ask for a written fee list before you apply.

Decide rent vs buy carefully

See Housing for the rent-or-buy framework, and VA basics if you are considering a VA home loan. Buying still needs an exit plan for the next PCS.

FAQ

Does living in Belton or Temple change my BAH?

No. If Fort Hood is your permanent duty station in MHA TX286, the rate is set by grade and dependency status—not by which town you choose.

Where do I look up my personal rate?

Use the DTMO BAH Rate Lookup with your duty-station ZIP, year and pay grade, then confirm what posts on your LES.

Is BAH taxable?

BAH is generally excluded from federal taxable income under longstanding military pay rules. Tax questions for your situation belong with a qualified tax professional or your finance office—not this guide.