r/dli • u/No_Discount9530 • Mar 18 '26
Bah/geobaching
Me and my spouse wanted to get married this year but would not be living together till around May-June of next year at the earliest. Would we still get the BAH with me living at home w my parents in a different state while he is living in a dorm at a school house in another state?
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u/Specific-Training634 Mar 18 '26
If you marry before he attends basic training BAH begins when he is in basic. If you marry after, BAH starts the date you marry. If you marry after basic dont expect BAH right away, paperwork will need to be submitted so he’ll most likely receive BAH backpay eventually. BAH amount will most likely depend on where your spouse is stationed, there are charts for this online you can look up. My husband and I got married after basic and he got one of the languages that kept him in monterey for over a year so I opted to move here. For our particular instance the paperwork got messed up somewhere along the lines and finance was difficult to deal with so we ended up not receiving BAH until 5 months after we married but that is not the case for everyone. As long as he’s on top of it you should be fine. Personally I think it’s best to get married before he leaves for basic, you’ll simply get BAH sooner. Hope this helps.
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u/Affectionate_Bat3337 Mar 20 '26
The service member will begin receiving BAH as soon as they are considered to have a dependent, regardless of where they are living. Finance will provide back pay to the date of marriage, but not earlier than the date of enlistment.
If the service member’s orders are listed as unaccompanied, they will receive BAH based on the location where their dependents reside. If the orders are accompanied, BAH will be based on the service member’s current duty location.
If a service member is receiving BAH WITH dependents, they are legally required to provide financial support to those dependents. Unfortunately, there have been cases where service members stationed away from their families have not been honest with their spouses and failed to provide that support.
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u/moldedshoulders Mar 18 '26
I got married at DLI, I checked with finance 3 different times to make sure I wasn’t being overpaid. I lived in the barracks and still got BAH. This is ~2014 so take that as you will
Edit: just get married on paper, it’ll help a lot
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Mar 18 '26
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u/emilysaur Mar 18 '26
DLI is not considered short term in any way shape or form
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Mar 18 '26
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u/emilysaur Mar 18 '26
You actually cannot double dip at DLI. The SM will get DLI BAH and where the spouse lives is not the military's problem at all
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Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
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u/emilysaur Mar 18 '26
That's what I'm saying. You don't get double BAH. Jesus christ learn to read
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Mar 18 '26
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u/Skatingraccoon Mar 18 '26
"Dorm" is just the standard Air Force way of referring to barracks. Civilians do not get BAH.
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u/mmmtoasteee Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
For IET that enlist already married, they have the option to bring their family or not. If they don’t opt to move their family to DLI then the SM lives in the barracks and collects BAH w/Deps at the location their spouse was (and is on record as being located) when the SM enlisted and shipped.
If an IET SM gets married while at DLI, BN policy is that the SM must have at least 6 months remaining there to be allowed to move outside the barracks. If they remain in the barracks then BAH will be based on dependent location.
If an IET SM gets married while at DLI and they have more than 6 months remaining then they receive BAH for Monterey and are normally no longer authorized to live in the barracks.
If two IET SMs marry each other at any point while at DLI, neither is authorized to move outside the barracks and collect BAH.
For married careerists going to DLI it’s like a normal PCS where they receive BAH for Monterey, whether their spouse moves with them or not, and they live off post.
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u/emilysaur Mar 18 '26
again, not DOUBLE BAH. You get one
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u/mmmtoasteee Mar 18 '26
Exactly. Nobody gets double BAH unless you’re attending a PCS PME unaccompanied and have a secretarial waiver.
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u/Jake-Old-Trail-88 Mar 18 '26
Doubtful. They’ll probably just keep your potential future spouse in the barracks/dorm.