5 guides in South Carolina: 2 Air Force, 2 Marine Corps and 1 Army installations. At E-5 with dependents, 2026 BAH runs from $1,503 a month at Shaw Air Force Base to $2,403 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, across 4 housing areas, set against HUD's fair market rent for a 3-bedroom home near each.
Rates last verified August 2026 against the published source tables.
5 guides · SC taxes military pay for SC domiciliaries · TRICARE East (Humana) · E-5 with dependents: $1,503 to $2,403 BAH across 4 housing areas
| Installation | City | Branch | Allowance at E-5 with dependents | Against local rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Jackson | Columbia | Army | $1,878 BAH | Covers a 3-bedroom with $332 to spare |
| Joint Base Lindsey Graham (formerly Joint Base Charleston) | Charleston | Air Force | $2,385 BAH | Covers a 3-bedroom with only $49 to spare |
| Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort | Beaufort | Marine Corps | $2,403 BAH | Covers a 3-bedroom with only $8 to spare |
| Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island | Parris Island | Marine Corps | $2,403 BAH | Covers a 3-bedroom with only $8 to spare |
| Shaw Air Force Base | Sumter | Air Force | $1,503 BAH | Falls $91 short of a 3-bedroom |
At E-5 with dependents, 2026 BAH goes furthest at Fort Jackson, where it covers a 3-bedroom with $332 to spare, and least far at Shaw Air Force Base, where it falls $91 short of a 3-bedroom. It covers HUD's 3-bedroom rent at 4 of the 5 installations.
| Installation | 2026 BAH | HUD 3-bedroom rent | After rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Jackson | $1,878 | $1,546 | $332 left |
| Joint Base Lindsey Graham (formerly Joint Base Charleston) | $2,385 | $2,336 | $49 left |
| Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort | $2,403 | $2,395 | $8 left |
| Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island | $2,403 | $2,395 | $8 left |
| Shaw Air Force Base | $1,503 | $1,594 | $91 short |
HUD's FY2027 fair market rent is the 40th-percentile gross rent for the area, utilities included, which is what BAH is meant to cover; it is a benchmark, not a listing. Source: HUD.
South Carolina. South Carolina taxes active-duty pay for South Carolina residents. Only combat-zone pay excluded federally is excluded here. South Carolina does exempt military retirement pay, which is a separate benefit.
SCRA. Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act your military pay is taxed by the state you are domiciled in, not by the one your duty station sits in. Being assigned to an installation in South Carolina does not by itself change which state may tax you, and it does not create a filing obligation where you are stationed.
TRICARE East. Care at all 5 installations in South Carolina falls under the TRICARE East region, administered by Humana Military — enrollment and claims run through 800-444-5445.
Maintained by PCS Calculator, an independent site run by an active-duty service member. BAH checked against DTMO's 2026 table on 19 August 2026; rents from HUD's FY2027 fair market rents, fetched 28 September 2026; state tax treatment of military pay checked 19 August 2026; TRICARE regions checked 27 August 2026. This page was last updated 4 November 2026. How every figure on this site is checked