Pentagon releases new BAH rates

Published Dec. 18, 2018
By Senior Airman Eli Chevalier
Kirtland Public Affairs

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The 2019 Basic Allowance for Housing rates, slated to take effect in January, were released by the DoD this week.

On average, Kirtland Airmen will see a slight decrease of 0.2 percent in their BAH rates.

However, Airmen currently stationed at Kirtland will not see a decrease in the BAH they receive, as they will be grandfathered in for the duration of their assignment.

To determine BAH rates, the Kirtland Military Housing Office collects data on more than 300 properties per year. Properties surveyed must meet standards for square footage per bedroom, community amenities, age of the structures and infrastructure of the buildings.

This information is then provided to a firm contracted by the DoD to collect housing costs and recommend new rates to Congress each year.

Those rates have fluctuated recently, with Kirtland seeing about a 7 percent decrease in 2017 and a 7 percent increase in 2018.

Changes in BAH rates are also effected by a gradual decrease mandated by Congress. The 2015 Defense budget included provisions to cut BAH from 99 percent of housing costs to 95, decreasing by one percent each year until 2019.

Across the military, the 2019 BAH rate increased by an average of 2.55%.