BAS Calculator

Figuring your Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) for 2026 comes down to one question: are you enlisted or an officer? BAS is a non-taxable allowance meant to offset the cost of a service member's own meals, and because it forms a real slice of military pay, knowing the right rate keeps your compensation accurate. The tool settles the question without the back-and-forth of looking rates up by hand.

Unlike most military pay, BAS is a flat rate that varies only by officer or enlisted status, never by branch, pay grade or number of dependents. By law (37 U.S.C. §402) the enlisted rate for each year from January 1 equals the USDA's monthly cost of a liberal food plan for a man aged 19 to 50, and the officer rate rises by the same percentage. For 2026, the monthly figure is $476.95 for enlisted members and $328.48 for officers. Once you pick your status, the calculator shows that rate and the annual total, twelve times the monthly figure.

BAS covers the service member alone, not meals for a spouse or children, a point that trips up plenty of people. It is also separate from Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), which handles housing costs entirely on its own. The rates reset every January 1, so the DFAS BAS table is the place to confirm the current numbers.