Am I entitled to B.A.H.?

Question

I am planning on joining the U.S. Army by the end of the year. My wife and I have agreed that she and my 2 year old son will stay in California and not be accompanying me. We have a house in California and are still paying the mortgage. I know the military offers BAH (basic allowance for housing) for servicemen not living in government quarters. My question is: even if I live in government quarters, will the military provide me BAH to pay for my house in California? I've tried to do research on this and have found out a lot about BAH, but I still can't quite find this particular info online. Does anyone maybe even know the website where I can find the answer? THANKS!!!

Answer 1

While you are at basic, your wife and child should recieve BAH as soon as you start being paid through the military (which can take up to a month to start being deposited). The ammount of this will depend on her location. After basic, if your AIT is longer than 6 months, your family is able to move to the base you are at for which they pay to help you move. (They may try to argue with you or your wife about this fact, but you are). If at that point, you live on post, then you will not recieve BAH, but you won't have most living expenses. If you do not live on post you will continue to receive BAH. It doesn't matter whether or not you are on post, if your family is not and they are enrolled as your dependents in DEERS, then you are entitiled to receive BAH.

For Websties Try:

http://www.militaryonesource.com/skins/MOS/home.aspx
(this website can be very helpfull for many things, for you as well as your wife)

Military.com

Also, try to make sure your wife is in contact with someone on a base near you. Try the Army Community Service Center, or see if she can meet someone in an Army Family Rediness Group. If she has a Power of Attorney, she can fix problems if they arrise. Without it, she can do nothing. And while your at basic this can be very trying.

Lastly, Have your wife do a search for AFTB(Army Family Team Building) Online Training through the myarmylifetoo.com website. It's free and the first lesson has many basic things that she can learn to help her survive as a new military spouse and can be helpful when questions like this come up.

If for whatever reason, money issues arrise and there is a big problem. You can try to get an AER loan.

Answer 2

It really depends on where you are stationed. Most commands don't have a problem approving your GEO Bachelor request. But if you are at a base where the BKS are full, you may have a problem. Also, there could be a problem with getting the BAH for the area your wife and son live in, since it is California, and California is very expensive. Usually to be a GEO Bachelor, there must be a reason that your family can't move with you. Ultimately it is up to your command.

Answer 3

While you are in training, Basic& schools, BAH will be based on your wife's zip code and you will be provided Gov't quarters at no charge.

once you are OUT of training, however:

BAH will be based on YOUR duty station AND you will not be allowed to reside in government quarters.. no longer can married personnel on Acompanied orders live in the Barracks, even if their families choose not to reside with them.

Your spouse's place is with you, not in Califirnia. She will soon realize that having face to face access of information is the only way she will get information about stuff going on in your command, especially during a deployment.

Answer 4

It depends on your command. I lived in Connecticut for a few months after my husband and I got married. He lived in the barracks at Pearl Harbor and we were still recieving the BAH for Hawaii. But if you are asking that if your family could come live with you in military housing at your duty station and still make BAH for your house, no. Probably not.

But if your family chooses to stay in CA, you wont recieve the California's BAH but you will recieve the amount for where ever you are stationed.

Answer 5

Yes you will! You will be what is called ( in the services ) a " Geographical Bachelor " However; your BAH will be based on the location of your wifes home...not on the going rate where you are stationed. This could work for or against you depending on the region

Answer 6

My hubby and I recieve BAH. We are currently not living together (but will be soon) so we recieve BAH based on where our apartment is. So she should be able to get BAH because you too are not living together during your enlistment based on the rate of where your house is (BAH rates vary from one area to another) and also since you have a child.

Answer 7

While you are in Basic and AIT you will receive full BAH based on your homes location.
Once you are sent to a duty station you may be entitled to full or partial housing allowance depending on the housing situation at your new assignment. A lot of it depends on your assignment. When I was in Korea I received full allowance for my wife living in Michigan because families weren't allowed in Korea. When I was at Ft. Knox if she had chosen to stay in Michigan I would have only received partial allowance because housing was available on post.
Having said all that; because you have a mortgage you will probably be eligible for full allowance regardless, but you will have to file copies of your mortgage with finance and occasionally "prove" (utiitly bill in her name, etc.)that your spouse is still there.

Answer 8

As long as you live in a barracks room, you will get BAH for where your wife lives. Some posts (like fort hood) won't let you live in the barracks if you're married.

Answer 9

I'm pretty sure you will while in Basic and your job training. I'm not too sure. I remember when I was in Basic all of the married people got more money than us single ones. Talk to a recruiter and hopefully they will tell you the truth.

Answer 10

Absolutely!!!