Military members are set to receive an 11% increase in the monthly Basic Living Allowance starting Jan. 1, according to information released by the Department of Defense.
The new monthly BAS rate for registered members will be $452.56, an increase of $45.58 per month from the 2022 rates.
The new monthly BAS for officers will be $311.68, an increase of $31.39.
According to Military Times calculations, this is the largest percentage jump in BAS in 21 years – and the largest percentage increase in BAS in the history of that food’s modern form. Starting in 2002, under the BAS reform, all enlisted members receive a full BAS, but pay for their meals, including those provided by the government.
The basic living allowance is intended to offset the costs of a Service member meals. It is not intended to offset meal costs for family members.
The BAS is related to the price of food, and is adjusted each year based on the increase in food prices according to the USDA Food Cost Index. inflation Food prices have hit hard this year, with the CPI for all food items increasing by 10.9% from October 2021 to October 2022.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life, and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and co-authored a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book A Battle Plan to Support Military Families. Previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, FL, and Athens, Ga.
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