My husband @ I likely will have to live off post when he gets his assg. @ pay rent, is on post rent free?

Question

He is still in training and I'm not sure I will be able to live with him. We will have a newborn. So far I'm going to live with my parents in law back home but really want to make it happen where we could live together as a family. I have many concerns and honestly the more I think about things the more nervous I get. I have asked MANY questions about this topic so I apologize to all the people who frequent this forum and have heard many questions before. I also have read material on many different web sites focused on military issues and hear a lot about the military from my dad (a former Marine), one grandpa(a former draftee and Vietnam Veteran), and other grandpa(a former anti military draft dodger, "hippie", peace activist, etc lol lol). They fill me with stories that to be honest make me more nervous. A lot of their information is not relevant to the military today yet it churns around in my head.

Answer 1

When you live off base, they give you additional money based on his rank. When you live on base, they don't give you the additional money. You won't know until he receives his orders and you apply for housing if you'll get it or not. I think it's very unfair, but the higher ranking individuals seem to get housing before the lower ranks. Good luck.

Answer 2

Hey, that's what we're here for...to answer questions. For housing married servicemembers recieve BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing). The amount varies and is based on what housing costs are near each base/post. Once you know where you're going you should be able to find the amount here: http://www.defenselink.mil/militarypay/pay/bah/index.html

If you live on post a lot depends on where you go and what their specific rules are. They can vary slightly from place to place. But mostly they put the BAH money on his pay paperwork and he signs over an allotment sending it straight to the private company that manages the housing. If the housing isn't privatized yet sometimes you don't even see the BAH as the government transfers the money between their accounts before you ever see it which is why so many people think on base housing is free.

If housing has a wait list you may have to look out in town for a place to stay. In that case you would have BAH to help pay the rent and the utilities. You want to be really careful then because if BAH doesn't cover everything you have to pay the rest out of the regular paycheck.

I can't remember if I put this information in a reply to you at another time or to someone else so just ignore me if I'm repeating:

Check in with the housing office when you get into town. They'll set you up with the information for base housing. And they'll get you started with rental listings and any information on places to stay away from if there are any in your area. They should also cover the guidelines for the military clause which makes it easier to break a lease if you have to move due to military orders.

You can check all of the online rental search sites as soon as you know where you're going. That should give you some idea what's out there. If you need more information you can look for local realtors that handle rentals, too. Just make sure you go by the places in the day and at night if you have time to make sure they are all that they're advertised to be.

Answer 3

Since most Army Posts now have "privatized" housing you will see the BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) on his LES (Leave and Earning Statement/pay stub) in the first column and then it will be taken back out in the third - so basically you are paying x amount for rent/utilites. If you live off post you will receive the BAH and you will pay your own rent and utilities out of that. If you can you try to come in under that amount rather than have out of pocket expense for utilites/rent.

Some privatized housing is begining to charge for any utility use that is above average - normally this is in housing built after a specific date - say 1990 something.

Honestly, don't listen to your Dad and Grandpa! Things have changed drastically just since hubby came in 18yrs ago! I mean take everything they say with a big grain of salt.

You are not on TDY orders in the Army during basic/ait and you really DON'T want to do a DITY move for your first move. It's very hard to make any money with them anymore and you probably don't have enough stuff anyhow!

Answer 4

You'll be able to live with him once you get to his first duty station.

Base housing may or may not have rent. There are a lot of newer housing that you have to pay for some things, but not always, it depends on the base and the housing (for example Lackland AFB and Ft. Sam both have free housing and rent housing.) The rent wont be much AND you'll be paid extra for it in his paycheck (BAH.)

We bought a house and our BAH covers our house payment, water, garbage and most of our electric (depending on how much we use.)

BAH is the same per grade for the area you'll live in. For example, all E-5's in our area make the same we do, but some people live in different area's of town making their payments different. We live in a nice area, but not the most expensive home, so we can make it work. We know other that live just down the street from us but bought the biggest house and pay out of pocket for their mortgage alone.

As an E-1 he wont be making much, but you should be able to find a decent place to live. And with only one child I would try and find just a one bedroom appartment, that way you can save some money for when the child is older you can afford more.

Answer 5

When you live on base, you lose your basic allowance for housing/quarters (it depends on the area for the amount). It is basically RENT.
Don't get too upset. THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS of other women have done 20 years and more as the wife of a military man and many have survived the separations, the duty nights, the dog tired husband who is beat from hours upon hours of constant go, go, go. The thing about living on base, the people you will most likely be in contact with are other military wives. This can be a positive thing when your husband is gone. However, the one negative thing I can see is it limits your contacts with other people in the 'civilian world.' The folks you'll be living near will be from all over the U.S. AND the world and will bring different experiences, life styles and ways of life. I only lived on base one time and had a bad experience, but many enjoy on base housing. When we lived overseas, I opted out of base housing for several reaons (main was that housing was on an island which took 20 minutes to drive around, had to depend on the weather to get to the 'main' island in the winter and fight tourists for a ferry in the summer, plus I only paid $89+ for a fully furnished, 3 bedroom (with a balcony where you could see Corsica) villa on a quiet street, about 10 minute walk from the beach. If I had lived in base housing, I would have lost $360 a month (this was back in the mid 70's).
You'll hear good and bad stories from spouses in the military. But over all, the good normally outweighs the bad.
Welcome aboard!
Here's a pay scale for this fiscal year:
http://www.militarytimes.com/money/pay_charts/?gclid=CPC5goSFmY8CFQSOFQodW1V6fA

Answer 6

When living in government quarters on base, the government simply does not pay the Basic Allowance for Housing, BAH, since they are giving you housing (well you earned it) but if you live off post, they pay the BAH to help you pay your rent. There are usually adjustments made to the BAH if you are in a high cost area.

I can see you are new to the military life as a wife. Don't worry, you will adjust and will likely get help from others. My wife knew 0 about the military when we married and she survived 20 years with me. You'll be fine. Keep reading up on anything you can find as you are now.

Good luck.

Answer 7

Becca,

Stories are great, but don't put any stock in them. You are correct in that they have not a lot to do with today's military. There are pros and cons to living off base as well as on base. You will recieve a housing allowance if you live off base, and in most cases, this will pay your rent, if you live on base, your rent, power (heating and lights, etc) and garbage are covered. Either way, you still pay for things like cable/satellite and phones. Specifics for the bases tend to differ from base to base, so be sure to ask questions when you find out where he will be stationed.

Answer 8

Best advice is to call one of the recruiters in your area for hubby's branch and ask them where you can get good solid information about this subject. Hubby should be able to get it from his Sgt. or detailer on base. Also you can ask a Chaplin if you are close to a base. Information from 20 plus years ago is not relevant today as the military has changed so much over the years and each branch is a little different. Hope this helps you some..And I do believe you pay utilities on base just not as much...But again info I would have is from Viet Nam era......Navy Mom P.S. All the answers above are excellent advice, they seem to be more current with the info and are correct when they say many a wife has survived 20 years with a military hubby. It is an adventure...

Answer 9

Base housing is free, you just pay utilities. We lived on base in CT for the three years we were there. It is way cheaper, but it kind of sucks in other ways. I lived in a townhouse that had 6 families. The house itself was OK, but to tell the truth the other wives were not my type. Three of the six had affairs while we were there (NOT ME) and one other said she had in the past. The last one was a house that no one ever stayed in long enough for me to get to know. I say go, but don't let the other wives get you in a position to make you look bad. The military can make it hard to have a family, but my hubby just retired after 20 in the Navy and we did fine. If you have questions, feel free to email me. As far as housing goes, that was about 12 years ago, but military in general I know. Hubby will be retired one year in January, so it hasn't been too long.

Answer 10

While your husband is in training he is traveling on TDY (temporary duty orders). TDY orders do not provide for moving expenses or for on base housing (the waiting list is too long anyway). Once he gets PCS orders (permenet change of station) you can get on the waiting list for base housing at your new post. The military will also pay to move his household goods, the amount will depend on his rank. If he is an E-1, 2 or 3 it can be pretty small so plan on a do it yourself move.

While you live off base you get BAH which is an allowance for housing. This may or may not completely cover the cost of housing in your area. If you move in to base housing, you loose your BAH, however you do not pay an additional rent check. Power, water, sewage, natural gas (if your housing uses it) and garbage are also provided. You would have to pay for phone and cable if you wanted them.

Answer 11

depends. If he is sent to say Korea, on an unaccompanied tour, the financial difficulties would be impressive, as he may not get permission to live off base at all, nor wouldyour move over be paid for.

Base housing is done one of two ways.. PPV housing, he would still receive BAH, but the entire amount is taken back out as an allotment to pay rent, which may or may not include utilities. if it has not gone PPV, he receives no BAH, but you also pay no rent. you may or may not have to pay utilities as well as the normal stuff like phone, internet and cable.

as for being able to get INTO Base housing, that depends greatly on location,paygrade and BR entitlement. waiting lists can be as long as 2 years. BAH doesn't always cover rent either, especially in expensive locations.