How is military BAH issued?

i am a soon to be army wife in june.now we plan to move on post and use bah.my fiance' is deployed and cannot answer all of my questions when i think of them each day.we dont talk everyday.i know he told me we get bah and i know the amount,but my question is how often is it issued?each month on the first when rent is due?or on the 1st and 15th at the same time as your paycheck.i am creating our budget for when we move and i would love to find out this answer.i need to know how to seperate bills according to when we receive bah.just so we wont get any late fees because i was not clear on how it is issued.also my fiance' says that as soon as we marry and i am added into the system(deers) and get my id,that we can go to the closest post to us now where i live at and ask for bah.will we get it immediately?or will it kick in on the next payday?or will it not happen until we get to our new duty station and submit paperwork that we have signed a lease on an apartment?i would love someone to help me out that knows what they are talking about.not assuming or guessing.sorry since i am not a spouse yet i cannot call and get this info myself.my fiance' doesnt have all the details cause he is deployed and doesnt have the right people to answer our questions where he works at.he works with single soldiers.LOL.

thank you!!any other information would be helpful too!

â™¥willowâ™¥

The BAH is split between the two checks.

But you cannot live on post AND get BAH. If you live off post, you are issued BAH. If you live on post (and are given a place to live), you do not recieve any BAH.

Once all the paperwork is filled out and filed (and with the military this could take a while), he will start to see the BAH in his paychecks. Even though it will not be immediate, they will back pay to the day you were married.

Mark B

You will get paid on the 1st and the 15th. Yes, BAH will be split (unless you have on post housing and get a house instead of BAH).

Be careful with your budget. Your husband will receive much more money while deployed than when he returns home.

When he deploys, for longer than 30 days, he will receive Family Separation Pay ($250). Sometimes called lack-of-nookie pay. Obviously, he won't receive this when he returns.
Combat Pay (Imminent Danger) is $225 a month.
Hardship pay (because you have lousy living conditions) $100 a month.
ALL of his pay will be tax free.

Normally, the 1st and 15th month checks are pretty close to the same amount. For deployed pay, some amounts are paid once a month, so the actual paychecks on the 1st and 15th may be a couple hundred dollars different.

When you do the budget, remember that some of the pay above won't be received when he returns AND you will have to pay income taxes on the base pay.

NWIP

If you are living on post then you will not see BAH as it will go to either the housing department or the PPV company on allotment. If you are not in housing but living out in town then the BAH is divided into two and included with each pay on the 15th and 1st of each month. Sometimes there can be a wait for housing up to 2 years in length depending on location.

as soon as you are married he can take the marriage certificate to the closest base or Reserve center to your location and have you entered into DEERS. As soon as you are entered he will be eligible for the BAH based on his command's zip code, it will start immediately but can take up to 45 days before it is seen on the pay. It will be backdated to the date you got married.

If you rent out in town then you will probably have to pay a deposit plus the rent in advance. He can request an advance on BAH to be paid back over 1 year but if you can do it without that then that is better. BAH is a set rate for his Rank/Rate and if your apartment is less than that you keep the difference as it is also to pay for utilities. In housing you still have to pay for cable, telephone and internet. In some locations that are PPV (Privatized) housing electricty is charged as well but it is a set amount, you only pay if you are over the amount. With PPV housing if you move in during the month you will have to pay a prorate amount for it. But no deposit is required.

D S

You will be eligible for BAH as soon as you are married, do not plan on it to be in the pay check immediately following your "I Do's". Sometimes it takes a bit for the paperwork to get to the right person and entered.
It will be paid every month, split between the 1st and the 15th.
Although - if you live in base housing you do not get BAH.

D-Bo

If you live on post you don't get BAH. You also don't pay rent or utilities if you live on post.

If you live off post the BAH will kick in as soon as the paperwork goes through and the Army sees that you are married. There is no need for rental or lease agreements. All married service members that don't live on post receive BAH. Even if you still live with mom and dad.

As far as when you will actually receive the money, it will be on the 1st and the 15th. It will be part of the normal pay process. At the beginning of the month DFAS will estimate the total pay for the month and pay half that amount on the 15th. If the estimation was off due to changes in the meantime, the end of month pay will be adjusted to reflect that.

The most important things are #1 - get married, #2 get enrolled in DEERS, #3 have your husband report his change in status to the nearest finance office. In order to do this he will need the marriage certificate and all your personal information. As soon as all this happens BAH will automatically kick in. It usually takes about 2 or 3 weeks for the paperwork to go through.

Me,
SSG USA

P.S. - I am married w/ kids and have been through this whole process.

talcik

well you basicly get a house and dont have to pay for it? thats always a plus...

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: