VA Disability Calculator - 2026 Monthly Pay & Rating

A va disability calculator is a planning tool that turns a service-connected disability rating and family status into an estimated monthly and annual tax-free compensation amount using the 2026 VA pay tables. Use it to combine ratings, compare decisions, plan a household budget, or see how adding a spouse, child, or parent changes the monthly check.

• • Combine multiple ratings: Enter the individual ratings from a VA decision letter and see the rounded combined rating and matching pay band.
• • Plan with dependents: Adjust the spouse, dependent parent, and dependent child inputs to see how each line item changes the basic rate.
• • Budget around VA income: Project the monthly and annual tax-free compensation as one income line inside a household budget.

The calculator is built around the 2026 rate table that took effect December 1, 2025. According to VA.gov's 2026 disability compensation rates for veterans, the basic monthly pay for each rating band is published in the official veteran rate table that drives this calculator's lookup, and the same 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment moved those numbers into the 2026 column.

If the decision letter says something different, treat the letter as authoritative.

Slot the monthly compensation into a household plan with the Budget Calculator to keep rent, food, and debt service aligned with the tax-free income.

The calculator combines individual ratings with the whole-person formula, rounds to the nearest 10 percent, and looks up the matching row in the 2026 VA compensation table. The output shows the base rate, added amounts for extra children, and spouse Aid and Attendance separately.

• Individual ratings: Disability ratings from your VA decision letter, each rounded to the nearest 10 percent before combination.
• Combined rating: Whole-person efficiency rounded to the nearest 10 percent, used for the table lookup.
• Dependent status: Marital status, dependent parents, and dependent children, which select the correct row in the 2026 table.
• Added amounts: Per-child amount for each child beyond the first, and a separate amount when a spouse receives Aid and Attendance.

Each individual rating is first rounded to the nearest 10 percent so it lines up with the rating increments the VA assigns. The whole-person formula then applies each additional rating to the remaining healthy portion, matching the approach in 38 CFR 4.25.

The calculator picks the right row in the 2026 compensation table from marital status, dependent parents, and dependent children, then adds extra children and spouse Aid and Attendance from the added-amounts table.

According to Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, disability compensation is paid on a schedule of ratings that increases with severity, and the rates are adjusted annually to match the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment.

For a separate look at what remains after protected allowances, the Discretionary Income Calculator can be run with the same household size.

These four concepts explain why a 70% rating does not always pay the same amount.

50% plus 30% is not 80% on the VA decision letter. After the whole-person combination and the rounding rule, the letter shows 70%.

The first dependent child is bundled into the basic rate row, so the per-child added amount only applies to the second child and beyond.

When separating the tax-free va disability calculator result from a paycheck that still owes income tax, the Disposable Income Calculator provides the after-tax view of the same monthly amount.

Pick the rating input mode that matches what you have on hand, then set the dependent-status fields so the table row lines up with your situation.

1. 1 Choose the rating input mode: Use 'Combine ratings' when you have individual ratings from a decision letter. Use 'Combined rating only' when you want to type the rating on the letter directly.
2. 2 Enter the ratings: List the individual ratings separated by commas (for example 50, 30) or enter the single combined rating.
3. 3 Set the marital status and dependents: Pick 'With spouse' if you have a qualifying spouse. Enter dependent parents (0 to 2) and total dependent children.
4. 4 Toggle the spouse Aid and Attendance flag if applicable: Switch spouse Aid and Attendance to 'Yes' only if your spouse has been approved. The calculator adds the matching amount.
5. 5 Read the result: Use the monthly amount for cash-flow planning and the annual amount for tax, savings, or budget planning.

If the decision letter lists 50, 30, and 10, the combined rating rounds to 70%. With a spouse and two children, the 70% row is $2,074.45 plus $76.00 for the extra child, giving $2,150.45 monthly and $25,805.40 annual.

When lenders or a counselor ask for a debt-to-income figure, combine the va disability calculator result with the Debt to Income Ratio Calculator to see whether total monthly debt stays within the usual ratio limits.

Putting the math in one place makes it easier to plan around VA income and see which dependent-status assumption actually moves the monthly check.

• • Auditable combination: The combination step is shown in the output so you can verify the rounded combined rating.
• • 2026 rate table: Basic rates and the added-amounts table come from the December 1, 2025 update.
• • Dependent line items: Spouse status, dependent parents, and dependent children map to a specific row or added amount.
• • Monthly and annual view: The result panel shows the monthly and annual compensation side by side for budget planning.
• • Sensitive to rating changes: Switching between rating bands (60, 70, 80, 90, 100) makes the next rating decision easier to anticipate.

The calculator is a planning number, not a binding figure, because VA compensation can be reduced by overpayments, retirement pay offset, or reevaluation, so pair the 2026 estimate with the latest VA decision letter for any financial decision.

If the result looks too high or too low compared with the letter, the basic rate row, dependent child count, or spouse Aid and Attendance flag is usually the reason.

For long-term planning that includes the va disability calculator output, the Retirement Calculator can take the annual compensation as a continuing income line.

A few external decisions and a few input choices can shift the result. Knowing which levers actually move the monthly dollar amount helps before changing a budget line.

• • This estimate is a planning number, not a payment certification. The official payment can differ if VA applies an offset, recoupment, or benefit cap outside the published table.
• • The calculator uses the 2026 rates effective December 1, 2025. It does not project future COLA changes or apply compensation reductions for hospitalization, incarceration, or other VA-specific rules.

If a household depends on VA income, check the most recent decision letter and VA.gov statement, because a new spouse, divorce, child aging out, or parent losing dependent status can change the row used.

Pair this tool's output with a broader household view so the estimate is not treated in isolation.

According to Social Security Administration, the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment was 2.8 percent, and the 2026 VA disability rates apply to the December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026 pay period. The matching rate row for a 70% rating is $1,808.45 for a veteran alone, $1,961.45 with a spouse, and $2,074.45 with a spouse and one child.

If the compensation is part of a broader VA benefits plan, the VA Loan Calculator covers the funding-fee side of a VA-backed mortgage so the same rating status carries into housing decisions.