VA Mortgage Calculator
Estimate your true monthly VA loan payment — including the 2026 VA funding fee, first-use vs. subsequent-use rates, disability exemption status, and full PITI breakdown. Built for veterans, active-duty service members, and Guard/Reserve borrowers who want a real number, not a rough guess.
Reviewed for accuracy: August 2026 · Funding fee data from VA.gov · Loan limits from FHFA.gov
Your Loan Details
VA Funding Fee Profile
Taxes, Insurance & HOA
Monthly VA Payment
VA Funding Fee Tiers — 2026 Rate Table
The VA funding fee is the single biggest variable in a VA mortgage payment calculation, and it swings hardest based on your down payment. Here’s exactly where your scenario lands.
Less than 5% down
First use / 3.30% subsequent
5%–9.99% down
Same rate, first or subsequent use
10%+ down
Lowest tier, first or subsequent use
Financed vs. Paid-Upfront Funding Fee
Rolling the VA funding fee into your loan is the default choice for most borrowers — but it costs more over 30 years than writing a check at closing. Here’s the real trade-off for your numbers.
Financed Into Loan (rolled in)
- Loan amount: $0
- Monthly payment: $0
- Total interest over the loan: $0
- Cash needed at closing for the fee: $0
Paid in Cash at Closing
- Loan amount: $0
- Monthly payment: $0
- Total interest over the loan: $0
- Cash needed at closing for the fee: $0
VA vs. FHA vs. Conventional — Same Home, Same Rate
Because VA loans skip mortgage insurance and often allow $0 down, the monthly payment gap versus FHA and conventional financing is usually larger than borrowers expect.
| Loan Type | Typical Min. Down | Mortgage Insurance | One-Time Fee | Est. Monthly Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA Loan | 0% | None, ever | Funding fee (2.15%–3.30%) | $0 |
| FHA Loan | 3.5% | Upfront + monthly MIP (life of loan) | 1.75% upfront MIP | $0 |
| Conventional | 5%–20% | Monthly PMI until 20% equity | None | $0 |
Estimates assume the same home price, rate, and term entered above, with FHA using 3.5% down + 0.55% annual MIP and Conventional using 5% down + 0.65% annual PMI until 20% equity is reached. Actual mortgage insurance premiums vary by lender and credit profile.
2026 VA Loan Limits & Entitlement Check
Veterans with full entitlement have no VA loan limit at all. The number below only matters if part of your entitlement is tied up in an existing or prior VA loan.
| Entitlement Status | 2026 Zero-Down Limit | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Full entitlement | No limit | Borrow any amount a lender approves with $0 down |
| Reduced/partial entitlement — standard county | $832,750 | Down payment required above this amount |
| Reduced/partial entitlement — high-cost county | Up to $1,249,125 | Applies in counties like San Francisco, Honolulu, NYC |
| Reduced/partial entitlement — Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, USVI | Up to $1,873,675 | Special statutory ceiling for these areas |
How This VA Mortgage Calculator Works
This calculator builds your monthly VA loan payment the same way a VA-approved underwriter would: principal and interest on your base loan amount, plus the VA funding fee applied at the correct rate for your down payment tier and usage history, plus property taxes, homeowners insurance, and HOA dues. Because VA loans never carry private mortgage insurance, that line item is permanently removed from the math — a real and often underestimated monthly savings compared to an FHA mortgage calculator or conventional mortgage calculator result on the same home.
Why the funding fee matters more than most VA loan calculators show
A generic VA loan calculator often applies a flat funding fee rate and calls it done. In reality, the fee moves across three separate variables at once: how much you put down, whether this is your first or a subsequent use of your entitlement, and whether you qualify for a full VA funding fee exemption through a disability rating. Missing any one of these produces a monthly payment that’s off by tens of dollars — which compounds to thousands over a 30-year term. This tool recalculates the exact fee tier in real time as you adjust each input.
VA IRRRL and refinance scenarios
If you already have a VA loan and are exploring a VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL, also called a VA streamline refinance), the funding fee drops to a flat 0.50% regardless of down payment history or how many times you’ve used your VA benefit. Use the down payment and rate fields above with the fee rate manually noted at 0.50% to approximate an IRRRL scenario, since streamline refinances typically don’t require a new appraisal or full underwriting.
Frequently Asked Questions
The fee is a percentage of your base loan amount (home price minus down payment). First-time use with less than 5% down is 2.15%; 5–9.99% down drops it to 1.50%; 10%+ down drops it to 1.25%. Subsequent use with less than 5% down is 3.30%, but 5% or more down brings subsequent-use borrowers down to the same 1.50%/1.25% tiers as first-time borrowers.
Veterans receiving VA disability compensation at any rating of 10% or higher, Purple Heart recipients on active duty, and surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) pay no funding fee at all. Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) confirms exemption status.
No. This is one of the defining advantages of a VA loan over FHA or conventional financing — there is never monthly private mortgage insurance, regardless of your down payment amount or loan-to-value ratio.
First use applies to your first VA-backed purchase or construction loan. Subsequent use applies once you’ve used VA loan benefits before, even if that home was sold or the loan paid off, and carries a higher fee at the lowest down payment tier (3.30% vs. 2.15%). Putting 5% or more down erases that gap entirely.
Financing it preserves cash at closing but increases your loan balance, monthly payment, and total interest paid over the life of the loan. Paying it upfront costs more cash today but reduces your loan amount and lifetime interest. Toggle the calculator above to compare both scenarios side by side for your specific numbers.
Veterans with full entitlement have no VA loan limit whatsoever and can borrow any amount a lender approves with $0 down. For veterans with reduced or partial entitlement from an existing VA loan, the 2026 baseline conforming loan limit is $832,750 in most counties, rising to $1,249,125 in high-cost counties and $1,873,675 in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A VA IRRRL carries a flat 0.50% funding fee regardless of down payment or how many times you’ve used your VA loan benefit before, making it one of the cheapest refinance options available to eligible veterans.
Yes. VA loan benefits can be used multiple times over your lifetime as long as you have remaining entitlement. If you sell a home and pay off the VA loan, your entitlement is typically restored for future use.
The core payment math is the same PITI structure, but a VA calculator must remove mortgage insurance entirely and add the VA funding fee instead — a one-time cost tied to down payment and usage history rather than an ongoing monthly charge. Getting that swap wrong is the most common error in generic mortgage calculators applied to VA scenarios.
Yes. Beyond reducing your loan amount and monthly payment, a down payment of 5% or more drops your funding fee tier substantially, and 10% or more drops it to the lowest available rate for both first-time and subsequent-use borrowers.
Yes. Enter your annual property tax and homeowners insurance estimates, plus any monthly HOA dues, and the calculator combines them with your principal, interest, and funding fee to show a complete PITI monthly payment.
Yes. The funding fee tiers reflect the rate table in effect since April 2023, confirmed unchanged for 2026 per VA guidance. Loan limit figures reflect the 2026 FHFA conforming loan limit update. Both are reviewed periodically and updated if the VA or FHFA publishes new figures.
Related Mortgage Calculators
- Mortgage Calculators Hub — compare every loan-program and state-specific calculator on DexoCalc, including FHA, USDA, and conventional tools alongside this VA calculator.
- Main Mortgage Calculator — useful if you want to compare a VA scenario against a standard conventional PITI payment with adjustable PMI.
- Closing Cost & Amortization Tools — once you’ve settled on a funding fee scenario here, run the numbers through the hub’s closing cost and amortization calculators for a full picture of your loan.