Gi Bill Bah Calculator

Estimate your Post-9/11 GI Bill Monthly Housing Allowance

$

Find this rate using the school ZIP code on the VA/DoD website.

In-Person or Hybrid (At least 1 class) 100% Online Classes Only

Usually 12 for undergrad, varies for grad school.

Based on your length of service (e.g., 100%, 80%).

Your Estimated Monthly Housing Allowance

$0.00

Warning: You must be more than 50% pursuit to receive MHA.

Understanding GI Bill MHA Calculations

The Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for the Post-9/11 GI Bill is often referred to by veterans as "BAH," though technically they are different. MHA is based on the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents in the ZIP code of the school you are attending.

Key Factors in Your MHA Payment

• Rate of Pursuit: This is calculated by dividing your enrolled credits by the school's full-time requirement. If your rate of pursuit is 50% or less (e.g., 6 credits when 12 is full-time), you will receive $0 in MHA.
• Online vs. In-Person: If you take all your classes online, your MHA is capped at half the national average of the BAH for an E-5 with dependents. To get the local school rate, you must take at least one class "in-person" or as a "hybrid."
• Eligibility Percentage: Your payment is multiplied by your eligibility tier (50% to 100%) based on how long you served on active duty after 9/11.
• Rounding: The VA rounds the MHA payment to the nearest multiple of 10. For example, a rate of pursuit of 0.75 is paid at 80%.

Example Calculation

Suppose your school's E-5 with dependents BAH rate is $2,100. You are enrolled in 9 credits, and 12 credits is considered full-time. You are 100% eligible.

1. Rate of Pursuit: 9 / 12 = 0.75 (75%).
2. VA Rounding: 75% rounds to 80% for payment purposes.
3. Eligibility: 100% eligibility.
4. Calculation: $2,100 × 0.80 × 1.0 = $1,680 per month.

Important Dates

MHA rates typically update on August 1st of each year to reflect the new academic year's BAH rates. Unlike active duty BAH, which changes on January 1st, the VA follows the academic calendar.

function calculateMHA() { var localRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('localRate').value); var enrolled = parseFloat(document.getElementById('enrolledCredits').value); var fullTime = parseFloat(document.getElementById('fullTimeCredits').value); var classType = document.getElementById('classType').value; var eligibility = parseFloat(document.getElementById('eligibilityPct').value) / 100; // National Average MHA for 100% online (2023-2024 academic year approx value) var nationalOnlineRate = 1054.50; if (isNaN(localRate) || isNaN(enrolled) || isNaN(fullTime) || fullTime 0.50 to get paid if (pursuit <= 0.5) { finalMha = 0; roundedPursuit = pursuit * 100; warning.style.display = "block"; } else { warning.style.display = "none"; // VA Rounds to the nearest 10% roundedPursuit = Math.round(pursuit * 10) / 10; var baseRate = (classType === 'online') ? nationalOnlineRate : localRate; finalMha = baseRate * roundedPursuit * eligibility; } document.getElementById('resultArea').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('mhaDisplay').innerText = "$" + finalMha.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2}); document.getElementById('pursuitInfo').innerHTML = "Actual Rate of Pursuit: " + (pursuit * 100).toFixed(1) + "%" + "Payment Percentage: " + (roundedPursuit * 100).toFixed(0) + "% of the applicable rate."; // Scroll to result document.getElementById('resultArea').scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' }); }