Military BAHRATES

Navy · California · ZIP 93555

NAWS China Lake BAH rates 2026

NAWS China Lake

CA021 · 2026 BAH

$1,563/mo

E-5 · with dependents

$18,756 a year · +9.5% vs 2025

Without dependents: $1,428/mo

Dependency status

BAH at NAWS China Lake comes from DTMO's China Lake, CA military housing area (CA021). In 2026 an E-5 with dependents receives $1,563 a month, or $1,428 without dependents. Also searched as China Lake.

$1,524
E-1 to E-4
with dependents (one shared rate)
$1,905
E-7
with dependents, $342 more than E-5
$2,154
O-3
with dependents
+2.9%
Avg change vs 2025
all 24 grades; E-5 pay ranks #109 of 127 bases

NAWS China Lake BAH by rank, with and without dependents, 2026

Monthly rates for every pay grade; your grade is highlighted. The rate depends on your duty station's ZIP code, so it applies wherever you choose to live.

DTMO’s official BAH calculator, Department of Defense (opens in a new tab) ↗
GradeWith dependentsWithout dependentsvs 2025
(with)
E-1Private (PV1) (Army), Airman Basic (AF)
$1,524
$1,344
+6.9%
E-2Private (PV2) (Army), Airman (AF)
$1,524
$1,344
+6.9%
E-3Private First Class (Army), Airman First Class (AF)
$1,524
$1,344
+6.9%
E-4Specialist / Corporal (Army), Senior Airman (AF)
$1,524
$1,344
+6.9%
E-5Sergeant (Army), Staff Sergeant (AF)
$1,563
$1,428
+9.5%
E-6Staff Sergeant (Army), Technical Sergeant (AF)
$1,767
$1,485
+2.3%
E-7Sergeant First Class (Army), Master Sergeant (AF)
$1,905
$1,530
+1.9%
E-8Master Sergeant / First Sergeant (Army), Senior Master Sergeant (AF)
$2,058
$1,611
+1.9%
E-9Sergeant Major (Army), Chief Master Sergeant (AF)
$2,238
$1,680
+1.5%
W-1Warrant Officer 1 / Warrant Officer 1
$1,785
$1,527
+2.2%
W-2Chief Warrant Officer 2
$1,968
$1,608
+2.0%
W-3Chief Warrant Officer 3
$2,157
$1,683
+2.0%
W-4Chief Warrant Officer 4
$2,268
$1,794
+1.3%
W-5Chief Warrant Officer 5
$2,403
$1,941
+0.6%
O-1EO-1 with 4+ yrs prior enlisted service
$1,932
$1,560
+2.1%
O-2EO-2 with 4+ yrs prior enlisted service
$2,130
$1,650
+1.9%
O-3EO-3 with 4+ yrs prior enlisted service
$2,289
$1,755
+1.3%
O-1Second Lieutenant
$1,596
$1,482
+9.0%
O-2First Lieutenant
$1,764
$1,554
+2.3%
O-3Captain
$2,154
$1,689
+2.0%
O-4Major
$2,445
$1,911
+0.2%
O-5Lieutenant Colonel
$2,658
$1,995
−0.3%
O-6Colonel
$2,676
$2,136
−0.6%
O-7+O-7 and above
$2,694
$2,172
−0.6%

BAH since 2022

E-5 with dependents moved from $1,143 in 2022 to $1,563 in 2026 (+36.7%).

How China Lake, CA compares →

Monthly BAH in China Lake, CA, 2022–2026

US dollars a month, with dependents, two common pay grades

E-5O-3
$1,000$1,500$2,000$2,50020222023202420252026E-5 with dependents 2022: $1,143E-5 with dependents 2023: $1,179E-5 with dependents 2024: $1,362E-5 with dependents 2025: $1,428E-5 with dependents 2026: $1,563O-3 with dependents 2022: $1,590O-3 with dependents 2023: $1,839O-3 with dependents 2024: $1,983O-3 with dependents 2025: $2,112O-3 with dependents 2026: $2,154$2,154O-3 with dependents$1,563E-5 with dependents
$1,000$1,500$2,000$2,500202220242026E-5 with dependents 2022: $1,143E-5 with dependents 2023: $1,179E-5 with dependents 2024: $1,362E-5 with dependents 2025: $1,428E-5 with dependents 2026: $1,563O-3 with dependents 2022: $1,590O-3 with dependents 2023: $1,839O-3 with dependents 2024: $1,983O-3 with dependents 2025: $2,112O-3 with dependents 2026: $2,154$2,154$1,563
Source: DTMO annual BAH rate files; rates in effect 1 January each year.
View as table: every grade, 2022–2026

With dependents

Grade20222023202420252026Change
E-1$1,074$1,146$1,323$1,425$1,524+41.9%
E-2$1,074$1,146$1,323$1,425$1,524+41.9%
E-3$1,074$1,146$1,323$1,425$1,524+41.9%
E-4$1,074$1,146$1,323$1,425$1,524+41.9%
E-5$1,143$1,179$1,362$1,428$1,563+36.7%
E-6$1,419$1,536$1,659$1,728$1,767+24.5%
E-7$1,479$1,647$1,776$1,869$1,905+28.8%
E-8$1,551$1,764$1,905$2,019$2,058+32.7%
E-9$1,665$1,938$2,064$2,205$2,238+34.4%
W-1$1,434$1,554$1,677$1,746$1,785+24.5%
W-2$1,509$1,698$1,833$1,929$1,968+30.4%
W-3$1,593$1,842$1,989$2,115$2,157+35.4%
W-4$1,692$1,980$2,097$2,238$2,268+34.0%
W-5$1,809$2,139$2,229$2,388$2,403+32.8%
O-1E$1,494$1,665$1,800$1,893$1,932+29.3%
O-2E$1,581$1,821$1,965$2,091$2,130+34.7%
O-3E$1,707$1,998$2,115$2,259$2,289+34.1%
O-1$1,179$1,227$1,407$1,464$1,596+35.4%
O-2$1,416$1,533$1,656$1,725$1,764+24.6%
O-3$1,590$1,839$1,983$2,112$2,154+35.5%
O-4$1,845$2,193$2,271$2,439$2,445+32.5%
O-5$2,028$2,445$2,472$2,667$2,658+31.1%
O-6$2,040$2,466$2,490$2,691$2,676+31.2%
O-7+$2,055$2,484$2,508$2,709$2,694+31.1%

Without dependents

Grade20222023202420252026Change
E-1$849$927$1,005$1,161$1,344+58.3%
E-2$849$927$1,005$1,161$1,344+58.3%
E-3$849$927$1,005$1,161$1,344+58.3%
E-4$849$927$1,005$1,161$1,344+58.3%
E-5$948$1,035$1,182$1,329$1,428+50.6%
E-6$1,062$1,149$1,284$1,428$1,485+39.8%
E-7$1,110$1,236$1,332$1,446$1,530+37.8%
E-8$1,203$1,323$1,428$1,515$1,611+33.9%
E-9$1,278$1,455$1,548$1,653$1,680+31.5%
W-1$1,077$1,167$1,326$1,443$1,527+41.8%
W-2$1,200$1,275$1,425$1,482$1,608+34.0%
W-3$1,287$1,458$1,551$1,656$1,683+30.8%
W-4$1,428$1,560$1,686$1,755$1,794+25.6%
W-5$1,494$1,671$1,806$1,902$1,941+29.9%
O-1E$1,143$1,248$1,359$1,452$1,560+36.5%
O-2E$1,263$1,365$1,491$1,569$1,650+30.6%
O-3E$1,413$1,527$1,650$1,719$1,755+24.2%
O-1$1,005$1,104$1,281$1,425$1,482+47.5%
O-2$1,122$1,239$1,353$1,449$1,554+38.5%
O-3$1,317$1,461$1,554$1,659$1,689+28.2%
O-4$1,479$1,647$1,779$1,872$1,911+29.2%
O-5$1,521$1,833$1,854$2,001$1,995+31.2%
O-6$1,578$1,851$1,968$2,097$2,136+35.4%
O-7+$1,593$1,863$1,998$2,133$2,172+36.3%

Other installations in California

E-5 monthly BAH, 2026.

InstallationHousing areaWithWithout
Fort IrwinBarstow/Fort Irwin, CA$2,001$1,695
Camp PendletonCamp Pendleton, CA$3,963$3,093
Twentynine PalmsTwentynine Palms MCB, CA$1,980$1,782
MCAS MiramarSan Diego, CA$3,975$3,147
Naval Base San DiegoSan Diego, CA$3,975$3,147
Naval Base CoronadoSan Diego, CA$3,975$3,147
NAS LemooreLemoore NAS, CA$2,139$1,680
Naval Base Ventura CountyVentura, CA$3,537$3,018
Naval Postgraduate SchoolMonterey, CA$3,465$2,844
Travis AFBVallejo/Travis AFB, CA$3,369$2,664
Vandenberg SFBVandenberg SFB, CA$3,333$2,778
Los Angeles AFBLos Angeles, CA$3,882$3,048
Edwards AFBEdwards AFB/Palmdale, CA$2,658$2,148
Beale AFBBeale AFB, CA$2,967$2,367

Questions

What is E-5 BAH at NAWS China Lake in 2026?
$1,563 a month with dependents and $1,428 without, from the China Lake, CA rates (MHA CA021).
Which ZIP code is used for NAWS China Lake BAH?
This page uses ZIP 93555, which DTMO maps to CA021. If your unit's duty address has a different ZIP, enter it in the calculator: neighbouring ZIPs can fall in a different housing area.
Is BAH taxable?
No. BAH is a tax-free allowance; DTMO's BAH primer describes it as tax-free housing allowances paid to about one million service members.

Sources

  1. Defense Travel Management Office, BAH rates, all locations and all pay grades, 2026 (ASCII files), BAH Rate Lookup. Downloaded 2026-10-08.
  2. DTMO, 2025 and earlier rate files (same page), used for year-over-year change.