Pay & Allowances

BAH Rates Naval Station Norfolk 2026

VA

Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA (MHA VA298) housing allowance for every pay grade, with and without dependents — effective January 1, 2026.

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia, active-duty U.S. Air Force

BAH at Naval Station Norfolk in 2026 is $2,430.00 a month for an E-5 with dependents and $1,908.00 without, effective January 1, 2026 (DTMO, MHA VA298).

E-5 with dependents

$2,430.00

per month · $1,908.00 without dependents

O-3 with dependents

$2,694.00

$2,505.00 without dependents

Change from 2025

+4.5%

E-5 with dependents, $2,325.00 → $2,430.00

Housing area

VA298

Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA · zip 23511

This page is the 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing table for Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia: every pay grade from E-1 to O-10, with and without dependents, as published by DTMO for the Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA housing area and effective January 1, 2026. The last column shows how each rate moved from 2025. To compare Naval Station Norfolk with other duty stations, or to see what a lease leaves in your pocket, use the BAH calculator; if you are moving mid-month, the prorated BAH calculator splits the old and new rate across the paycheck.

Naval Station Norfolk BAH 2026 — every pay grade

The small figure under each with-dependents rate is 2025.

GradeWith dep.No dep.Change
E-1$2,229.002025: $2,154.00$1,707.00+3.5%
E-2$2,229.002025: $2,154.00$1,707.00+3.5%
E-3$2,229.002025: $2,154.00$1,707.00+3.5%
E-4$2,229.002025: $2,154.00$1,707.00+3.5%
E-5$2,430.002025: $2,325.00$1,908.00+4.5%
E-6$2,559.002025: $2,469.00$2,043.00+3.6%
E-7$2,604.002025: $2,505.00$2,235.00+4.0%
E-8$2,661.002025: $2,544.00$2,463.00+4.6%
E-9$2,796.002025: $2,673.00$2,487.00+4.6%
W-1$2,574.002025: $2,484.00$2,166.00+3.6%
W-2$2,628.002025: $2,523.00$2,460.00+4.2%
W-3$2,697.002025: $2,577.00$2,496.00+4.7%
W-4$2,832.002025: $2,712.00$2,562.00+4.4%
W-5$3,000.002025: $2,877.00$2,616.00+4.3%
O-1E$2,613.002025: $2,508.00$2,427.00+4.2%
O-2E$2,685.002025: $2,568.00$2,481.00+4.6%
O-3E$2,859.002025: $2,733.00$2,547.00+4.6%
O-1$2,454.002025: $2,352.00$2,022.00+4.3%
O-2$2,556.002025: $2,466.00$2,367.00+3.6%
O-3$2,694.002025: $2,574.00$2,505.00+4.7%
O-4$3,054.002025: $2,934.00$2,601.00+4.1%
O-5$3,318.002025: $3,192.00$2,625.00+3.9%
O-6$3,342.002025: $3,219.00$2,673.00+3.8%
O-7+$3,366.002025: $3,246.00$2,718.00+3.7%

Source: Official DTMO 2026 BAH Rate Tables, effective January 1, 2026. DTMO publishes one rate for O-7 through O-10. All rates verified from official DTMO 2026 BAH Rate Excel spreadsheet downloaded from travel.dod.mil. Last verified: 2026-03-22. Verify your exact rate on the official DTMO BAH lookup.

How BAH works at Naval Station Norfolk

Your duty station sets the rate, not your address. BAH is paid for the Military Housing Area of the installation on your orders. Naval Station Norfolk falls in MHA VA298, Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA, the same housing area as Naval Air Station Oceana, so those installations pay the same table. Renting in a cheaper zip nearby does not lower it and a pricier one does not raise it.

With dependents is one rate; without is another. At E-5 the gap at Naval Station Norfolk is $522.00 a month. Dependency status is what is on your record, so a change (marriage, a child, a divorce) changes the column you are paid from.

Rates are reset every January and protected on the way down. DoD sets each MHA from local rental-market data, publishes in December and pays the new table from January 1 (the 2026 average increase across all areas was 4.2%). If the published rate for Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA ever falls, individual rate protection keeps members already at the station on the higher rate as long as they stay (DoD FMR Vol 7A, Ch 26).

BAH is tax-free and yours to keep. Off base you receive the full rate and keep what you do not spend on rent and utilities. In government or privatized housing the allowance goes to the housing provider. While you are still house-hunting after a PCS, the TLE calculator covers temporary lodging and the DLA calculator shows the one-time move-in allowance for your grade.

Compare Naval Station Norfolk with other stations

BAH rates elsewhere in Virginia

E-5 with dependents shown.

Keep going

REF: DoD FMR Vol 7A, Ch 26 · 37 U.S.C. § 403, effective January 1, 2026

Official DTMO 2026 BAH Rate Tables — Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA (MHA VA298)

Results are estimates. Always verify with your finance office.

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia · Military Toolkit editorial