VA Compensation Calculator
Estimate monthly VA disability compensation from disability rating, number of dependents, and family situation.
About this calculator
The VA Compensation Calculator estimates your monthly and annual VA disability compensation from your Combined Disability Rating and dependent status, using the VA's own published 2026 compensation pay table (effective December 1, 2025). Combined Disability Rating is by far the dominant input, since it selects an entirely different base rate row from the VA's table — the jump from a 60% to a 70% rating, for instance, changes the base monthly amount by hundreds of dollars, far more than any single dependent addition. A detail that surprises many first-time users: dependent additions for a Spouse, Children Under 18, and Children 18-23 in School only apply once your Combined Disability Rating reaches 30% or higher — below that threshold, having dependents does not add a single dollar to your payment, because the VA's own pay table simply doesn't define dependent amounts at the 10% and 20% rating levels.
This calculator rounds any entered Combined Disability Rating to the nearest 10% before looking up a rate, matching how the VA itself only pays at whole 10% increments once your combined rating (from all your service-connected conditions, calculated separately) has already been rounded. VA disability compensation is tax-free federal income, which is why the Tax-Equivalent Income output translates it into what an equivalent amount of taxable salary would need to be — an illustrative comparison only, using a flat approximate rate rather than your actual marginal tax bracket.
Legal Disclaimer
This calculator provides general estimates only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws, regulations, and court procedures vary significantly by jurisdiction. Consult a licensed attorney in your area for advice specific to your situation.
Inputs
Results
Monthly Compensation
$2,113.45
Figures current as of 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, effective Dec. 1, 2025 (2.8% COLA)
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your Combined Disability Rating (the VA rounds this to the nearest 10% before paying — see the VA Disability Rating calculator to compute a combined rating from individual conditions).
- Select whether you have a dependent Spouse, and enter the number of Children Under 18 and Children 18-23 in School.
- Note that dependent additions only apply at a 30% rating or higher — at 10% or 20%, dependents do not change the payment.
- Review Monthly Compensation and Annual Compensation for the total tax-free payment, and Base Rate (veteran alone) plus Dependent Addition to see how the total splits.
How the result changes with Combined Disability Rating
| Combined Disability Rating | Monthly Compensation |
|---|---|
| 35% | $968.84 |
| 53% | $1,349.90 |
| 100% | $4,376.39 |
What each input means
- Combined Disability Rating
- Your combined VA disability rating percentage.
- Spouse
- Whether you have a dependent spouse.
- Children Under 18
- Number of dependent children under age 18.
- Children 18-23 in School
- Number of children 18-23 attending school.
What each result means
- Tax-Equivalent Income
- Equivalent taxable income at ~22% bracket
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersCombined Disability Rating = 70, Spouse = 1, Children Under 18 = 2, Children 18-23 in School = 0 = 5 input(s) provided
- Calculate Monthly CompensationMonthly Compensation2113.45 = $2,113.45
- Calculate Annual CompensationAnnual Compensation25361.4 = $25,361.4
- Calculate Base RateBase Rate1808.45 = $1,808.45
Figures and sources
- 2026 VA disability compensation rates (veteran alone and with dependents) (2026) — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, effective Dec. 1, 2025 (2.8% COLA)
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a 70% VA disability rating pay per month?
For 2026 (effective December 1, 2025), a veteran alone at a 70% combined disability rating receives $1,808.45 per month in base compensation, before any dependent additions. Adding a spouse brings an additional $153.00, and each child under 18 adds $76.00 at the 70% rating — this calculator totals all of those into the Monthly Compensation output automatically based on what you enter.
How is my combined disability rating used if it's not exactly a multiple of 10?
This calculator rounds whatever Combined Disability Rating you enter to the nearest 10% before looking up a payment, since the VA's compensation table only defines base rates at whole 10% increments. This mirrors how VA disability compensation actually works: your individually-rated conditions are first combined using the VA's 38 CFR 4.25 procedure, and that combined result is rounded to the nearest 10% before it's used to set your actual monthly payment.
Does having dependents help at every disability rating?
No — dependent additions for a Spouse, Children Under 18, and Children 18-23 in School only apply starting at a 30% combined disability rating. Veterans rated at 10% or 20% receive only the base rate for their rating regardless of how many dependents they have, since the VA's own pay table doesn't include dependent amounts at those two lower rating levels.
Why is VA disability compensation shown as 'tax-equivalent income'?
VA disability compensation is entirely exempt from federal income tax, so a dollar of VA compensation is worth more to you than a dollar of ordinary taxable salary. The Tax-Equivalent Income output illustrates that by grossing up your tax-free annual compensation to show roughly what an equivalent taxable salary would need to be using an approximate 22% bracket assumption — it's a rough comparison, not a substitute for checking your own actual marginal tax rate.
Can this calculator tell me my combined disability rating from multiple conditions?
No — this calculator takes a single Combined Disability Rating as an input and looks up the corresponding payment; it does not combine multiple individual condition ratings using the VA's 38 CFR 4.25 procedure. Use the VA Disability Rating calculator first to combine your individual ratings, then enter that combined result here to estimate your monthly payment.
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