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OVERSEAS HOUSING ALLOWANCE
The OHA system provides an allowance to
personnel assigned to overseas locations to help defray
a significant amount of the housing costs associated
with overseas duty stations. All members who are
authorized to live in privately leased or owned quarters
can be entitled to OHA.
Two types of housing allowances are paid under the
OHA system: (1) an up-front, lump-sum move-in
housing allowance (MIHA) to those who qualify and
(2) a monthly allowance. The monthly allowance is
discussed first.
Monthly Allowance
The computation for the monthly OHA is based on
a comparison of the cost of rent, up to a rental ceiling
at the PDS, plus the average utility/recurring
maintenance allowance with the member’s BAQ or
family separation allowance (FSA)—Type I, whichever
the member is entitled to at the overseas station. When
all the dependents are in the vicinity of the PDS and are
noncommand sponsored, the BAQ at the with
dependents rate will be used for the computation. The
monthly utility/recurring maintenance allowance is a
figure that has been determined by averaging such costs
for members at a particular location.
INDIVIDUAL OVERSEAS HOUSING
ALLOWANCE (OHA) REPORT, DD FORM
2367.— The member must complete an Individual
Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) Report, DD Form
2367, and submit it through appropriate channels to
start, change, stop, or correct OHA entitlement. Figure
8-1 shows a DD Form 2367. Annually, the member
must recertify entitlement to OHA by completing and
submitting a new DD Form 2367. In addition, the
member must submit a new DD Form 2367 whenever
any data entered on the latest DD 2367 changes.
COMPUTATION FACTORS.— The information
provided on the DD Form 2367 is used to compute the
amount of the member’s monthly allowance. The
factors used are the monthly rent amount, number of
sharers, maximum rental ceiling, and the
utility/recurring maintenance allowance.
Monthly Rent.— Monthly rent is the amount paid
per month by a member to a landlord for the possession
and use of a dwelling place. The term dwelling place
includes a mobile home or a vessel. The rent stated in
the lease or as otherwise agreed to by the landlord and
the tenant will be used in the computation. If the
member must pay a recurring condominium or
homeowner association fee, it should be prorated to a
monthly charge and included in rent. If the rent changes
for any reason, the OHA will be recomputed.
When a member owns his or her dwelling place, the
amount to be considered as monthly rent will be derived
by dividing the actual purchase price of the dwelling or
residence by 120. (NOTE: Settlement costs, fees for
title search, and other legal and related costs will not be
included in determining the actual purchase price.)
Also, the amount of any personal installment-type loans
and real estate equity loans obtained for the purpose of
renovating, repairing, or enlarging the current dwelling
place will be added to the actual purchase price before
determining the derived rent. (NOTE: Do not include
loans used to furnish or decorate a home, loans for
personal reasons, or credit card or line of credit loans.)
If the dwelling place owned by the member is a mobile
home or vessel, the monthly lot rental or berthing fees
paid will be added to this amount. If the member is a
sharer, the member’s monthly rent will be determined
by dividing the total monthly rent charged by the
number of sharers occupying the dwelling.
Sharers.— Sharers are entitled to up to the
maximum rental allowance ceiling prescribed for a
member without dependents unless they are
accompanied by one or more command-sponsored
dependents. The OHA to which each sharer is entitled
will be computed by adding (1) the sharer’s prorated
share of the rent paid or the maximum rental ceiling
established for the sharer’s grade and locality,
whichever is less, plus (2) the prorated monthly utility
recurring maintenance allowance. The difference
between this sum and the sharer’s BAQ or FSA—Type
I, whichever applies, is the sharer’s OHA. Members
entitled to MIHA will receive a full rather than prorated
miscellaneous allowance. However, only one of the
sharers may claim reimbursement for any individual
rent or security-related expense.
Maximum Rental Ceiling.— The maximum
amount of monthly rent considered in computing the
amount of OHA payable is contained in the Joint
Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR), Volume 1,
appendix K. The ceiling for members with dependents
is determined from housing cost data obtained from
members in each area using a percentile method.
Maximum rental ceilings are designed to cover fully the
rental expenses for 80 percent of the members with
dependents assigned to the area. The ceiling for
members without dependents is determined by
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