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Military Finance is always confusing,
and this is especially true when moving overseas. Read our
Military Finance Tips and Essential Information to ensure to find out
more about your Military Money Matters. Armed with this
knowledge, you can protect your interests and ensure that you get
everything that you are entitled to.
Housing allowances when living CONUS (Basic Allowance for Housing) and OCONUS (Overseas Housing Allowance) vary in how they are used by the
servicemember.
You can find out how much OHA you are authorized at your specific duty station by visiting
the
OHA Rate
Webpage.
OVERSEAS HOUSING ALLOWANCE
Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) is paid to servicemembers who live in
off post housing at their OCONUS
duty station. OHA is meant to offset housing costs to include
rent and utilities.
If off post housing is available to you at your overseas duty station,
you should coordinate for a lease to be signed at your selected
property through your local housing office.
Unlike CONUS Basic Allowance for Housing, you may not keep any amount
of money if your rent is under your maximum authorized OHA rate.
If your rent is above your maximum authorized OHA rate, you must pay
the difference.
You will receive additional housing funds if you have command
sponsored dependents living with you. Otherwise you will receive
OHA at the lower unaccompanied rate.
If you are serving an unaccompanied overseas tour and your family is
staying in the US, you are eligible for OHA at the "without dependents
rate", along with BAH at the "with dependents rate" based on your
dependent's residence ZIP Code.
Rent ceilings are based on reported rents and are set to cover the
rent paid by 80 percent of servicemembers, with command sponsored
dependents, within each pay grade.
OHA is reviewed at least once every six months by the Defense Finance
and Accounting Service (DFAS) Per Diem, Travel and Transportation
Allowance Committee. This committee monitors the exchange rate
and can adjust OHA every payday if necessary to maintain your proper
purchasing power. However, it does take a while for the change
to reflect on the funds in your paycheck. On the reverse side of
it, if the dollar is stronger and the committee adjusts your OHA
accordingly by decreasing your allowance, it will again take a while
to reflect in your paycheck.
Once you have found housing, you should take a copy of your lease to
your finance detachment and fill out DD Form 2367 to start your OHA
payments.
UTILITIES
OHA payments on your leave and earnings statement (LES) will list both
rent and utilities in one amount.
In some areas overseas, you may be billed for electricity, gas, etc.
only once or twice a year. In other areas, you may have to pay
estimated costs up front and you get whatever money you don't use back
at the end of the year (like a tax rebate). Be forewarned, set
money aside regularly to pay the inevitable bills.
The amount of utilities you are paid is an average based on the
expenditures reported by servicemembers at your duty station.
The utility allowance is set to fully cover the reported expenses for
80 percent of servicemembers.
MOVE-IN HOUSING ALLOWANCE
Move-in Housing Allowance (MIHA) is paid to servicemembers to
cover moving-in costs and is divided up into three separate
components.
The first is Miscellaneous MIHA, which is an up front, lump sum
payment covering the average moving in costs for your duty station
area. The second is MIHA Rent, which is a dollar for dollar
reimbursement of any fees incurred in acquiring a rental agreement of
a property. The last is MIHA Security, which applies to high
crime or high threat areas (as designated by the Department of State).
The amount of MIHA paid is an average based on the expenditures
reported by servicemembers at your duty station.
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