2026 BAH Rates: Fort Riley, KS
An E-5 with dependents at Fort Riley, KS receives $1,314 per month in 2026, and $1,158 per month without dependents. Rates below cover every paygrade, published by the Defense Travel Management Office and effective January 1, 2026.
Fort Riley Soldiers live in one of the most affordable stretches of the country, and the BAH table below reflects the local Flint Hills market. Rates are listed by pay grade and dependency status for the Fort Riley area, covering communities like Junction City and Manhattan. The Midwest value story here is simple. The allowance is set against local housing costs, and local housing costs are kind to a Soldier's budget.
What your BAH covers at Fort Riley
Official 2026 rates. Pick your grade and see the home price your housing allowance supports.
Your 2026 BAH at Fort Riley
$1,314/mo
up $45 from 2025
Estimated purchase power
~$160,000
with $0 down, 30-yr fixed, after $179/mo property tax at the 1.315% Geary County rate, and ~$110/mo insurance
See what you qualify for2026 BAH rates published by the Defense Travel Management Office, effective January 1, 2026. O-8 and above shown at the O-7 rate. Estimate only. Not a loan offer, rate quote, or commitment to lend. Property tax is charged at 1.315% of the price, the effective rate in Geary County, KS (median taxes actually paid, Census ACS 2024 1-year, against the typical local home value), rather than a flat percentage of your allowance. Homeowners insurance is an assumption at $110 a month and varies widely, especially near the coast, and flood insurance is separate again. Your qualifying amount depends on credit, income, debts, and market conditions. Excludes any VA funding fee.
| Paygrade | With dependents | vs 2025 | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enlisted | |||
| E-1 | $1,272 | â–² +$66 | $1,050 |
| E-2 | $1,272 | â–² +$66 | $1,050 |
| E-3 | $1,272 | â–² +$66 | $1,050 |
| E-4 | $1,272 | â–² +$66 | $1,050 |
| E-5 | $1,314 | â–² +$45 | $1,158 |
| E-6 | $1,782 | â–² +$117 | $1,338 |
| E-7 | $1,845 | â–² +$126 | $1,383 |
| E-8 | $1,911 | â–² +$138 | $1,434 |
| E-9 | $2,013 | â–² +$141 | $1,548 |
| Warrant Officer | |||
| W-1 | $1,803 | â–² +$120 | $1,353 |
| W-2 | $1,872 | â–² +$132 | $1,410 |
| W-3 | $1,956 | â–² +$144 | $1,566 |
| W-4 | $2,037 | â–² +$138 | $1,794 |
| W-5 | $2,139 | â–² +$132 | $1,860 |
| Officer with prior enlisted service | |||
| O-1E | $1,854 | â–² +$132 | $1,392 |
| O-2E | $1,941 | â–² +$141 | $1,518 |
| O-3E | $2,052 | â–² +$141 | $1,776 |
| Officer | |||
| O-1 | $1,377 | â–² +$54 | $1,227 |
| O-2 | $1,779 | â–² +$117 | $1,386 |
| O-3 | $1,953 | â–² +$144 | $1,611 |
| O-4 | $2,169 | â–² +$129 | $1,842 |
| O-5 | $2,325 | â–² +$120 | $1,875 |
| O-6 | $2,340 | â–² +$117 | $1,935 |
| O-7 | $2,352 | â–² +$114 | $1,965 |
Rates published by the Defense Travel Management Office, effective January 1, 2026. Monthly amounts. Change column compares the with-dependents rate to 2025; members already stationed here keep the higher rate if local rates decrease (individual rate protection). O-8 and above shown at the O-7 rate. BAH is not a loan approval; qualifying depends on your full financial picture.
Does your BAH cover the rent at Fort Riley?
Your 2026 housing allowance next to what HUD says a rental actually costs in Geary County, KS.
Your allowance covers 90% of a 3 bedroom at fair market rent in Geary County, KS.
Or, put toward a home you own
~$162,000
estimated purchase price the same allowance supports, $0 down, 30 year fixed
See what you qualify forRent figures are HUD Fair Market Rents for fiscal year 2026, the 40th percentile of local rents for Geary County, KS, published at huduser.gov. BAH is the 2026 Defense Travel Management Office rate, effective January 1, 2026. Estimate only, not a loan offer, rate quote, or commitment to lend. Purchase figures assume the full allowance goes to housing and reserve roughly 22% for taxes and insurance; your own numbers depend on credit, income, debts, and the property.
Flood risk near Fort Riley
A VA loan is federally backed, so if the home you buy sits in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, flood insurance is required, not optional. It is a separate policy from homeowners cover and it is not included in most payment estimates, including the ones on this page.
3.5%
of homes in Geary County, KS sit in a high risk flood zone
384 of 10,972 residences
0.4%
of homes here carry a flood policy
NFIP policies in force
3.1%
more homes at risk than insured
Being outside a zone does not mean no risk
3.5% of homes in Geary County, KS are inside a mapped high risk zone while only 0.4% carry a flood policy. Whether a specific address needs one comes down to the parcel, not the county, so check the flood zone before you write an offer rather than after the appraisal. Marc can tell you what it does to the payment.
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program residential penetration data for Geary County, KS (FIPS 20061). County level figures, not a determination for any address. Only a flood zone determination on the specific property decides whether coverage is required.
Turning BAH into buying power
The value angle gets stronger when you buy. On a VA loan, lenders can include BAH in your qualifying income, and in a market this affordable that combined income often qualifies a Soldier for more house than the same money would touch at a coastal post. Qualifying is still an underwriting decision and nobody should promise you an approval before seeing your file. Marc reviews the real numbers with you first, then you decide.
2026 BAH questions, answered for Fort Riley
- How much is 2026 BAH for an E-4 at Fort Riley, KS?
- An E-4 stationed at Fort Riley, KS receives $1,272 per month with dependents and $1,050 per month without dependents. These are the 2026 rates published by the Defense Travel Management Office, effective January 1, 2026.
- How much is 2026 BAH for an E-5 at Fort Riley, KS?
- An E-5 stationed at Fort Riley, KS receives $1,314 per month with dependents and $1,158 per month without dependents. These are the 2026 rates published by the Defense Travel Management Office, effective January 1, 2026.
- How much is 2026 BAH for an E-6 at Fort Riley, KS?
- An E-6 stationed at Fort Riley, KS receives $1,782 per month with dependents and $1,338 per month without dependents. These are the 2026 rates published by the Defense Travel Management Office, effective January 1, 2026.
- How much is 2026 BAH for an E-7 at Fort Riley, KS?
- An E-7 stationed at Fort Riley, KS receives $1,845 per month with dependents and $1,383 per month without dependents. These are the 2026 rates published by the Defense Travel Management Office, effective January 1, 2026.
- How much is 2026 BAH for an O-3 at Fort Riley, KS?
- An O-3 stationed at Fort Riley, KS receives $1,953 per month with dependents and $1,611 per month without dependents. These are the 2026 rates published by the Defense Travel Management Office, effective January 1, 2026.
- Did BAH go up at Fort Riley, KS in 2026?
- The E-5 with dependents rate rose by $45 per month from 2025 to 2026. Members already stationed in the area when rates decrease keep their higher previous rate under individual rate protection, so a published decrease does not reduce what you currently receive.
- Does BAH count as income when qualifying for a VA loan?
- Yes. Basic Allowance for Housing is generally counted as qualifying income on a VA loan, and because it is not taxed, some lenders gross it up. At Fort Riley, KS that means an E-5 with dependents brings $1,314 per month of housing allowance into the qualifying calculation.
Official sources
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Marc Arrington
MSgt. USMC Ret. | Branch Manager
RWM Home Loans · NMLS# 2114896
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