It's an increase in BAH (basic allowance for housing).
The military is required to house the servicemember and his or her family, the servicemember either lives in government housing or gets an allowance for private housing.
Basically, a married couple/family has a higher housing costs than a single person so the servicemember with a family get extra money to cover those costs.
It's kinda odd though because there's only two "levels" of BAH: "with dependants" and "without dependants." Spouses are always considered dependants. So a family of 10 has the same BAH as a dual income family with no children.
BAH is also a reimbursement for housing expenses, not income, so it's not taxed.
You also get a family separation allowance if you're away from your dependants for more than 30 days. Currently around ~$300 a month.
The military is required to house the servicemember and his or her family, the servicemember either lives in government housing or gets an allowance for private housing.
Basically, a married couple/family has a higher housing costs than a single person so the servicemember with a family get extra money to cover those costs.
It's kinda odd though because there's only two "levels" of BAH: "with dependants" and "without dependants." Spouses are always considered dependants. So a family of 10 has the same BAH as a dual income family with no children.
BAH is also a reimbursement for housing expenses, not income, so it's not taxed.
You also get a family separation allowance if you're away from your dependants for more than 30 days. Currently around ~$300 a month.