VA Disability Calculator & 2026 Pay Rates
Combined Rating — Whole-Person Method
The VA doesn't add your ratings — it combines them. 70% + 50% is not 120%, it's 90% (then rounded). Enter your ratings below to see the exact math and what it takes to reach the next threshold.
2026 VA disability pay rates
These are the monthly, tax-free compensation rates effective December 1, 2025. Find your combined rating in the left column, then read across to the household that matches yours. At 10% and 20% the VA pays a flat rate — dependents do not change it.
| Combined rating | Veteran alone | With spouse | With spouse & 1 child |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $180.42(flat) | $180.42(flat) |
| 20% | $356.66 | $356.66(flat) | $356.66(flat) |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $666.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $947.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $1,322.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $1,663.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $2,074.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $2,406.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $2,704.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $4,318.99 |
What each additional dependent adds
The rates above already include the first child. Every dependent beyond that adds a fixed monthly amount on top, and the amount grows with your rating. Add these to the figure from the table above.
| Dependent | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% | 100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Each additional child under 18 | $32.00 | $43.00 | $54.00 | $65.00 | $76.00 | $87.00 | $98.00 | $109.11 |
| Each child 18–23 in school | $105.00 | $140.00 | $176.00 | $211.00 | $246.00 | $281.00 | $317.00 | $352.45 |
| Each dependent parent | $52.00 | $70.00 | $88.00 | $105.00 | $123.00 | $140.00 | $158.00 | $176.24 |
| Spouse receiving Aid & Attendance | $61.00 | $81.00 | $101.00 | $121.00 | $141.00 | $161.00 | $181.00 | $201.41 |
At 10% and 20% none of these apply — those ratings pay a flat amount regardless of your household.
A worked example
A veteran rated 70%, married, with two children under 18, starts at the “with spouse & 1 child” rate of $2,074.45. The second child adds $76.00, for a monthly total of $2,150.45 — tax-free.
Special Monthly Compensation is paid on top
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is an additional payment for specific losses, and it is not included in the tables above. The most commonly awarded level, SMC-K, adds $139.87 per month at any rating from 0% to 100% — it is paid for things like loss of use of a reproductive organ, a hand, or a foot. Higher SMC levels exist for veterans who need regular aid and attendance or are housebound. If you think an SMC level applies to you, it is worth raising: it is one of the most frequently missed benefits in the system.
Rates shown are effective December 1, 2025 and change each December 1 with the annual cost-of-living adjustment. Compensation is not taxed by the federal government and is not counted as income on a federal return. Your actual payment is determined by the VA. Verify current rates on VA.gov →
How the VA combines ratings
Under 38 CFR § 4.25, the VA uses the “whole-person” method. You start as 100% efficient (a whole person). Each rating is applied to your remaining efficiency, not added to the previous rating.
Example: with a 50% rating, you are 50% disabled and 50% efficient. A second 30% rating applies to the remaining 50% efficiency — taking 15% of the whole person (30% of 50%), not 30%. Combined: 65%, which rounds to 70%.
Ratings are applied from highest to lowest, and the final result is rounded to the nearest 10%. This is why veterans with many small ratings often feel their combined rating is “stuck” — each new rating applies to a shrinking remainder.
This calculator applies the bilateral factor (38 CFR § 4.26) when you have compensable disabilities of both arms or both legs, so the estimate matches the VA's own math. It does not include special monthly compensation (SMC). Your official combined rating is determined by the VA during adjudication.
Common questions about VA disability pay
- How much does 100% VA disability pay per month?
- As of December 1, 2025, a veteran rated 100% with no dependents receives $3,938.58 per month, tax-free. A spouse, children, or dependent parents increase that amount.
- How much does 70% VA disability pay per month?
- As of December 1, 2025, a veteran rated 70% with no dependents receives $1,808.45 per month, tax-free. Dependents increase that amount.
- Why isn't 70% plus 50% equal to 120%?
- The VA does not add ratings together — it combines them under 38 CFR § 4.25 using the whole-person method. You start as 100% efficient, and each rating applies to the efficiency you have left rather than to the whole person. A 70% rating leaves 30% efficiency; the 50% rating then takes half of that remaining 30%, not 50% of the whole. The result is 85%, which rounds to 90%. No combination of ratings can ever exceed 100%.
- Does the VA round my combined rating?
- Yes. After combining every rating, the VA rounds the result to the nearest 10%. A combined value of 84% rounds down to 80%, and 85% rounds up to 90%. This is why a single additional low rating sometimes moves your payment a great deal and sometimes not at all — what matters is which side of the rounding line it lands on.
- Do dependents increase VA disability compensation?
- Only at 30% and above. At 10% and 20% the VA pays a flat rate no matter your household. From 30% up, a spouse, dependent children, children aged 18 to 23 in a qualifying school program, dependent parents, and a spouse receiving Aid and Attendance each add to your monthly payment.
- What is the bilateral factor?
- Under 38 CFR § 4.26, when you have compensable disabilities affecting both arms or both legs, the VA adds an extra 10% of the combined value of those paired disabilities before combining them with everything else. It recognizes that losing function on both sides is more disabling than the same losses on one side. This calculator applies it automatically.
- How much does 90% VA disability pay per month?
- As of December 1, 2025, a veteran rated 90% with no dependents receives $2,362.30 per month. Note the jump between 90% and 100% is the largest step in the entire schedule — 100% pays $3,938.58, well over a thousand dollars more. That gap is why it is worth making sure every ratable condition you have is actually claimed and rated.
- Is VA disability compensation taxable?
- No. VA disability compensation is not taxed by the federal government and is not reported as income on a federal tax return. States do not tax it either. This is why a VA payment goes further than the same amount in wages.
- Can a combined rating be higher than 100%?
- No. The combined rating is capped at 100%, no matter how many conditions you have rated. But there are two ways to be paid above the 100% rate: Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), which is added on top for specific losses, and Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), which pays at the 100% rate when your service-connected conditions prevent you from maintaining substantially gainful employment even though your combined rating is below 100%.
- When do VA disability rates change?
- Rates change once a year, effective December 1, when the annual cost-of-living adjustment is applied — the same adjustment that applies to Social Security. The figures on this page are effective December 1, 2025. The VA does not require you to do anything to receive the increase; it is applied automatically.
Wondering whether you qualify for TDIU? Read the TDIU guide — it explains how veterans rated below 100% can be paid at the 100% rate.
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