Fort Bragg – BAH, Basic Allowance for Housing, Rates, 2026
Fort Bragg (renamed Fort Liberty from 2023 to 2025) is a U.S. Army military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 military personnel.
Covering more than 251 square miles (650 km2), Fort Bragg is home to the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps and serves as the headquarters of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, which oversees the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) and the 75th Ranger Regiment. Additionally, it hosts the 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army Western Hemisphere Command, U.S. Army Reserve Command, and Womack Army Medical Center. Fort Bragg also operates two airfields: Pope Field, where the U.S. Air Force stations global airlift and special operations units, as well as the Air Force Combat Control School, and Simmons Army Airfield, which supports Army aviation units for airborne and special operations missions.
The installation was originally named for Confederate general Braxton Bragg. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense renamed the installation “Fort Liberty” due to controversy surrounding memorials to Confederate generals. In February 2025, the U.S. Army changed the name of the installation back to “Fort Bragg”, but in honor of World War II paratrooper Roland L. Bragg instead of the Confederate general.
Camp Bragg was established in 1918 as an artillery training ground. The Chief of Field Artillery, Major General William J. Snow, was seeking an area having suitable terrain, adequate water, rail facilities, and a climate suitable for year-round training, and he decided that the area met all of the desired criteria. Camp Bragg (later Fort Bragg) was originally named after Braxton Bragg, a former U.S. Army artillery commander and West Point graduate who later in life became a well known Confederate general during the American Civil War.
The aim was for six artillery brigades to be stationed there and $6 million (equivalent to $128,400,000 in 2025) was spent on the land and cantonments. There was an airfield on the camp used by aircraft and balloons for artillery spotters. The airfield was named Pope Field on 1 April 1919, in honor of First Lieutenant Harley H. Pope, an airman who was killed while flying nearby. The work on the camp was finished on 1 November 1919.
The original plan for six brigades was abandoned after World War I ended and once demobilization had started. The artillerymen, and their equipment and material from Camp McClellan, Alabama, were moved to Camp Bragg and testing began on long-range weapons that were a product of the war. The six artillery brigades were reduced to two cantonments and a garrison was to be built for Army troops as well as a National Guard training center. In early 1921 two field artillery units, the 13th and 17th Field Artillery Brigades, began training at Camp Bragg. The same year, the Long Street Church and six acres of property were acquired for the reservation. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
What is the Fort Bragg BAH?
Basic allowance for housing (BAH) at Fort Bragg is the military entitlement given to many military members. It was previously called Basic allowance for quarters (BAQ) and is administered by the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO).How does BAH work at Fort Bragg?
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is calculated based on several factors, primarily the location of the military member’s duty station, their pay grade, and whether they have dependents. BAH rates are determined annually by the Department of Defense and are intended to cover a portion of the housing costs for military personnel. The rates can vary significantly from one location to another, reflecting the cost of living in that area. If the military member has dependents, they typically receive a higher BAH rate to account for their larger housing needs. BAH is not taxable as income.Eligibility factors in Fort Bragg
Basic allowance for housing is given to members so that they can provide housing for themselves and their dependents (usually spouse and children). BAH is given when the member or their dependents do not occupy government quarters or barracks. BAH is non-taxable money paid on a monthly basis. There are 3 factors for determining the amount of BAH:Marriage Status
In the United States, as of 2018, the U.S. military required its members to produce marriage documentation.Pay grade
This is essentially synonymous with rank, the higher the grade, the higher the BAH.Dependents
There are 2 types or BAH, with dependents and without dependents. The rationale behind this is that a single person doesn’t need as much room as a couple or a family. The following do not affect the amount of BAH:- The number of dependents (a member with a spouse and no children and a spouse and one or several children receive the same amount of BAH).
- The actual amount paid for rent.
- The size of the unit (unlike other calculations like HUD’s FMR)
Location affects BAH at Fort Bragg North Carolina
BAH is intended to match the average monthly rent at Fort Bragg, thus more expensive regions (they are indexed by zip codes) to live allocate more BAH. Depending on the status of the assignment (such as temporary duty, or an unaccompanied assignment) the BAH may be calculated where the dependents actually reside.Who can qualify for BAH in Fort Bragg?
Reservists
Reservists who are activated, even if they are housed by the military during their mobilization, are still paid BAH on the assumption that a reservist still may have the civilian obligations (like a mortgage) that BAH is designed to offset.Veterans
Veterans who are full-time students taking advantage of the Post 9-11 GI Bill are given an allowance pegged to the BAH with dependents rate for an E-5, irrespective of their rank or dependent status.Service members
A service member who is married makes substantially more allowance money than a single member. Reports of soldiers marrying for the extra pay are not uncommon. Every location in the U.S. has a BAH, including those without a significant military population. Non-military areas are combined with similar priced rental markets based on U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Fair Market Rent (FMR) data, and then use same RDN BAH source data available for similar areas. These comparably priced groups are called “County Cost Groups” (CCGs). There are 39 CCGs in the U.S, consisting of half of all counties (about 1,500) containing less than two percent of the uniformed services’ population eligible to receive BAH.2026 Enlisted Rates for Fort Bragg BAH Calculator
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2026 Warrant Officer Rates for Fort Bragg BAH
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