What is the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for National Guard members during domestic deployments?
Executive summary
National Guard members ordered to active duty for more than 30 consecutive days are eligible for the standard, locality‑based Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) at the rate tied to their duty station, pay grade and dependency status, while those activated for fewer than 30 days generally receive a non‑locality, fixed Reserve/Transit BAH (also called BAH Type II) that does not vary by zip code; exact dollar amounts therefore depend on rank, location and whether the member has dependents [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. How BAH eligibility works for Guard activations: the 30‑day threshold
National Guard and Reserve personnel who are placed on active‑duty orders longer than 30 consecutive days receive the same standard BAH as active‑duty service members, with rates calculated by locality, pay grade and dependent status [2] [1]; in contrast, short activations — typically under 30 days — trigger BAH Reserve Component/Transit (BAH RC/T or BAH Type II), a different, non‑local rate [3] [4].
2. What “standard” versus “Type II” means in dollars and sourcing
Standard BAH is locality‑based and aims to cover roughly 95% of local rental costs, so the monthly figure varies widely by market and rank (for example an E‑5 with dependents might receive about $3,987 in a high‑cost market like San Diego but only $1,665 at a lower‑cost post like Fort Benning) — these locality tables are published annually and determined by the DoD’s housing surveys [3] [5]. By contrast, BAH Type II/RC/T is a fixed, national average amount that is substantially lower than many locality rates and is intended for short activations or non‑local transits [4] [3].
3. The 2026 context: rates rose but still vary by circumstance
The Defense Department’s 2026 BAH update increased national average rates by about 4.2% effective Jan. 1, 2026, with the Pentagon estimating roughly $29.9 billion in BAH payments that year; that increase affects standard locality BAH amounts, but the specific sum a Guard member gets still depends on pay grade, dependency status and duty‑station ZIP code [6] [7] [8]. Public calculators and reporting reflect those updated 2026 tables and will show the precise monthly entitlement for any given zip code and rank [5] [1].
4. Practical effects, debates and grievances
Guard and Reserve members frequently complain that BAH Type II for short activations can feel inadequate because it uses a national average rather than local rents, creating a mismatch for those who must leave civilian jobs and pay higher local rents during duty — several outlets and guides note that reservists activated for under 30 days often receive only the lower RC/T payment, which can be a real income hit for mid‑cost and high‑cost markets [3] [4]. Policymakers have periodically called for studies to refine how BAH keeps up with rental markets, and advocacy voices point to the difference between locality BAH and non‑locality rates as a fairness issue for part‑time service members [7] [6].
5. Limitations and what cannot be pinned to a single number
No single “BAH for National Guard during domestic deployments” applies across the force because entitlement hinges on the length of the orders, duty location, pay grade, and dependency status; official tables and calculators are required to produce the exact dollar figure for any guard member’s activation, and open reporting only provides illustrative examples and the 2026 national average rise rather than one uniform rate [1] [5] [8]. Sources used here publish the detailed 2026 locality tables and calculators for precise lookups, but absent a specific ZIP code, rank and activation length, a single definitive monthly amount cannot be stated from the available reporting [6] [5].