Many military families who live off post are paying more than $200 a month out of pocket for housing costs beyond what they’re getting in their Basic Allowance for Housing, according to a newly released survey. “For military families, finding housing that fulfills both location and family needs can be a costly balancing act,” stated researchers in the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey. By law, BAH is designed to cover, on average, 95 percent of service members’ housing rental and utility costs in the private sector. Families are left to pick up 5 percent of their housing costs, which according to the Defense Department, should range between $70 to $158 a month in 2021. Researchers recommend that Congress change the Basic Allowance for Housing to 100 percent of the average housing rental costs in the private sector.