Does Everyone Use the E-5 With Dependents for Their Post 9/11 GI Bill Housing Allowance Amount?
Q: On a previous post, it stated that when you calculate the BAH for Post 9/11 GI Bill to select pay grade E-5 and the amount with dependents. Is this for all who are receiving these benefits?
A: Yes it is the same pay grade for all, unless you are an online-only student and I talk about that farther down in the post. Regardless of your rank when you got out, your current rank if you are still in, or if you have dependents or not, the same pay grade – an E-5 with dependents – applies. However, what can affect the amount you end up getting paid is:
• Your Post 9/11 GI Bill tier percentage
• The number of credits you take verses the number your school considers to be full-time
• The zip code of your school.
So to figure out how much you would get in housing allowance money, first look up your school’s zip code in the BAH Calculator. Then enter the zip code of your school. Now select E-5 from the drop-down Pay Grade menu. Click the Calculate button.
If you are at a Post 9/11 GI Bill tier less than 100%, multiply the results by your percentage. If your rate of pursuit is less than full-time, multiply the value from the previous calculation by the number of credits you are taking and divide by the number of credits your school considers to be full-time. That is approximately the amount you would receive each month in housing allowance.
Of course, if you are at the 100% tier and considered a full-time student, you do not have to make the last two calculations.
For online-only full-time students, they are locked in at a maximum amount of $714.50 per month for housing allowance. The E-5 with dependents calculation does not apply to them, however the lesser percentage and rate of pursuit calculations could depending on their individual situations.