Understanding Your California BAH
The Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, is a U.S. military benefit designed to help service members afford housing. It acknowledges that housing costs vary widely depending on location, pay grade, and whether or not you have dependents. The goal of BAH is to ensure that military personnel can secure adequate housing wherever they’re stationed.
California, with its notoriously high cost of living, makes the BAH incredibly important for service members stationed there. In many cases, without BAH, finding suitable and safe housing would be a significant financial strain. BAH can also make homeownership a more realistic option for military families in California.
In this guide, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of the 2025 California BAH rates and how they’re calculated. We’ll break down the factors that influence your specific BAH amount and offer guidance on how to use the BAH calculator to estimate your housing allowance. If you’re looking to understand your California BAH and how it impacts your finances, you’ve come to the right place.