Some of the comments on there have a distinctly "joint" flavor... just goes to show that the different branches of the Armed Services are more alike than they are different.
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2011 BAH rates
- Thread starter webmaster
- Start date
Some of the comments on there have a distinctly "joint" flavor... just goes to show that the different branches of the Armed Services are more alike than they are different.
The fundamental issue here gents is the use of the term "income." While those of you who get BAH see cash in your pocket for said BAH, it is NOT income. That's why its not taxable. It is merely a means for the military to provide you the housing that you are entitled to based on existing law.
As a military member, the military will provide for your housing. If you are single, the housing that's provided is barracks if you are enlisted or BOQ if you are an officer. If you are married, you have base housing provided, with the size of the house commensurate with your rank and the size of your family.
If you choose to live out in town, an allowance is provided for you to procure housing at a rate roughly equivalent to what you would have if you lived on base. The BAH chart says that if you are an O-3 and have dependents, your BAH rate should provide for you to rent a 3 bedroom single family house. If you are a single O-3, your BAH provides for you to rent a 3 bedroom townhouse or duplex.
So the problem isn't that married people are "paid" more or have a higher "income," its that the basis for it all is that they think a single guy should live in a townhouse or duplex while the married folk get to live in a single family home.
Edit: And I should add, for those who still see this as "income," talk to the guy living in the BOQ or base housing with zero BAH coming in about your "income" discrepancy.
BTW, for those of you thinking about the civilian world, or trying to compare this to the civilian world, realize that unless you are on a union contract or working an hourly wage like at Walmart or McDonalds, your income is negotiated between you and your company on an individual basis. Yes, you work side by side with other guys doing the exact same thing but you make different amounts based on your education, work history, income history, and negotiating skills.
As a military member, the military will provide for your housing. If you are single, the housing that's provided is barracks if you are enlisted or BOQ if you are an officer. If you are married, you have base housing provided, with the size of the house commensurate with your rank and the size of your family.
If you choose to live out in town, an allowance is provided for you to procure housing at a rate roughly equivalent to what you would have if you lived on base. The BAH chart says that if you are an O-3 and have dependents, your BAH rate should provide for you to rent a 3 bedroom single family house. If you are a single O-3, your BAH provides for you to rent a 3 bedroom townhouse or duplex.
So the problem isn't that married people are "paid" more or have a higher "income," its that the basis for it all is that they think a single guy should live in a townhouse or duplex while the married folk get to live in a single family home.
Edit: And I should add, for those who still see this as "income," talk to the guy living in the BOQ or base housing with zero BAH coming in about your "income" discrepancy.
BTW, for those of you thinking about the civilian world, or trying to compare this to the civilian world, realize that unless you are on a union contract or working an hourly wage like at Walmart or McDonalds, your income is negotiated between you and your company on an individual basis. Yes, you work side by side with other guys doing the exact same thing but you make different amounts based on your education, work history, income history, and negotiating skills.
Well my BAH went up so I've got nothing to complain about. 
It's also dependent on the availability of government housing in the area. So, if there is a large military housing area near where you're stationed it will drive the overall BAH down.
While marriage and kids is a voluntary choice, being single is a voluntary choice too (I realize you have a "special" view on marriage). It's still a fact of life that I have four mouths to feed at home while I'm on deployment, while a single guy has zero. I also have normal utilities (not the mins), grocery, gasoline, clothing, etc, etc, that the single guy does not have to provide for. On top of that, I have to pay my mess bills like everyone else which is more than I make in Family Sep. If you think I'm bringing home (actually clearing) more than a single guy....I don't recall the last time I saw a married guy go pay straight up cash for a new Harley like I've seen some JO's do.
That's on top of the real reasoning why married guys get more like what SWACQ said. Big military says certain ranks with certain family sizes are permitted certain size housing. The BAH is purely a reflective marker of the pricing in the civilian market.
Don't like it? Fine. But to say a married guy "makes" more than a single guy is a stretch at best.
Thisguy
Pain-in-the-dick
My big beef here isn't so much that the dependent BAH is higher, it's that how can it go up for married guys and go down for single officers in the SAME geographic area (Norfolk)? As an example, San Diego goes down for both next year, so that makes sense.
There could be a number of factors in this equation, I wish I could see the 'equation' used to determine it. Sometimes it makes me wonder if there's just a monkey smacking key somewhere to determine BAH numbers.
The NSS Monkey moonlights as the BAH Monkey every December.
It is GOOOD to be KING! ..... rabble .... rabble.... rabble.....Does the ban rule still apply in this case? Is it even possible to ban the Websan?
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
Regardless of whether I "spend" more as a single LT....
ANY job outside the military, that paid more ONLY for the reason of "being married" would be asshole deep in lawsuits.
Calling congressman tomorrow.
It's great to be terminal. I can call congressionals and not give a shit.
ANY job outside the military, that paid more ONLY for the reason of "being married" would be asshole deep in lawsuits.
Calling congressman tomorrow.
It's great to be terminal. I can call congressionals and not give a shit.
Mb, think of it as a small monthly fee that you are paying to be free from marriage. Well worth it for you, no? That's how I look at the tax breaks for kids. Sure, I could have some extra bucks in my pocket, but I still thank sweet baby L. Ron every day that I haven't met that particular eligibility wicket.
Really though, I do agree that the BAH rules are unfair. Trophy Hinge and I don't need any more space than a single guy does. And we have an extra income earner in our house so technically, we could survive on a lower military pay. Of course, if I were staying home raising our imaginary brood, that wouldn't be the case, but I chalk that up to personal choice. Choosing to have a wife, or kid, or a stay at home wife vs. one who works is no more worthy of getting some extra pay (or allowances) than choosing to put $500/mo on the pass line or choosing to drive an Aston Martin. You make personal choices that have financial repercussions and it is silly for the military to step in and mitigate some of those repercussions for you. If you can't afford a wife without extra pay, don't get married, or find a wife who has an income (or, better yet, an inheritance). And if you can't afford to pay for your kids, find the $3 a month for Tricare birth control pills.
I understand the notion that the military wants to make sure that its people are fed and sheltered so they can be ready and focused on doing their jobs. But if you can't trust someone to house and feed his family without an extra few bucks each month, then he's also not responsible enough to make sure those few extra bucks actually make it to the rent check and grocery store.
Really though, I do agree that the BAH rules are unfair. Trophy Hinge and I don't need any more space than a single guy does. And we have an extra income earner in our house so technically, we could survive on a lower military pay. Of course, if I were staying home raising our imaginary brood, that wouldn't be the case, but I chalk that up to personal choice. Choosing to have a wife, or kid, or a stay at home wife vs. one who works is no more worthy of getting some extra pay (or allowances) than choosing to put $500/mo on the pass line or choosing to drive an Aston Martin. You make personal choices that have financial repercussions and it is silly for the military to step in and mitigate some of those repercussions for you. If you can't afford a wife without extra pay, don't get married, or find a wife who has an income (or, better yet, an inheritance). And if you can't afford to pay for your kids, find the $3 a month for Tricare birth control pills.
I understand the notion that the military wants to make sure that its people are fed and sheltered so they can be ready and focused on doing their jobs. But if you can't trust someone to house and feed his family without an extra few bucks each month, then he's also not responsible enough to make sure those few extra bucks actually make it to the rent check and grocery store.
BAH is the commercial housing reflection of your eligibility in government housing. A family of four is entitled to larger accommodations/housing than a single person in government quarters, so the BAH reflects that since the government housing can't house every single person. All other arguments aside about money/expenses/etc, it really boils down to that one simple fact.
Thisguy
Pain-in-the-dick
Yeah, but the BAH is the same for a DINK couple and a family of six.
To open another can of worms, what the fuck is FSA supposed to be intended for?