US VA Disability Calculator
Add your VA ratings to see your combined rating step by step, your monthly pay with dependants, and how close you are to the next 10%. Advanced adds the bilateral factor, parents, aid and attendance, school-age children and back pay.
Also count a child of any age who became permanently unable to support themselves before 18 as a child under 18.
Set the body part on each rating. It applies when both arms or both legs are rated.
Usually the date the VA got your claim or intent to file.
Today, or the date of your decision letter.
If you got a lower rating meanwhile, enter what it paid.
When a new December table comes out, enter its COLA here (for example 2.5) until this page is updated.
Step by step, pay breakdown and what-if
VA math, step by step
| Rating | What's left | Adds | Combined |
|---|
Your monthly pay
What a new rating would do
| Add | Exact | Rating | Monthly | Change |
|---|
Back pay by year
| Year | Months | VA rate | Owed |
|---|
How your VA rating is worked out
Biggest rating first; each next one only applies to what's left; then round to the nearest 10.
- 1
Sort high to low
50%, 30%biggest first
- 2
Apply to what's left
50+ 30% of 50 = 65= 65 exact
- 3
Round to nearest 10
65 ends in 5so it rounds up= 70%
- 4
Monthly pay
70% row of thepay table, withspouse and 1 child= $2,074.45/mo
Read more: the formula, a worked example, the bilateral factor and the 2026 pay table
The VA doesn't add ratings together. It treats you as 100% "whole", takes your biggest rating off first, and then each next rating only applies to what's left. That's why 50% and 30% make 65, not 80. The combined value is then rounded to the nearest 10, and that rating sets your monthly pay.
The formula
combined = biggest rating, then for each next rating:
combined = combined + (100 − combined) × rating ÷ 100, rounded to a whole number
VA rating = combined rounded to the nearest 10 (5 rounds up)
bilateral: combine both arms and/or both legs first, add 10% of that, then treat it as one rating
monthly pay = veteran-alone rate + amounts for your spouse, children and parents (30% and over)
Worked example
Ratings of 50% and 30%: start with the 50%, leaving 100 − 50 = 50% of you "whole". 30% of that 50 is 15, so the combined value is 50 + 15 = 65. 65 ends in 5, so it rounds up to a 70% rating. At 70%, a married veteran with one child under 18 gets $1,808.45 + $266.00 = $2,074.45 a month, or $24,893.40 a year (rates effective December 1, 2025). To reach 80% you need a combined value of 75: a new 30% rating would do it (65 + 35 × 30% = 75.5 → 76 → 80%), but a new 20% would not (65 + 7 = 72 → 70%).
The bilateral factor
If both arms, or both legs, have ratings (say 20% on the left leg and 10% on the right), the VA combines those first: 20 + 80 × 10% = 28. It then adds 10% of that value, 2.8, giving 30.8, which rounds to 31. That 31 is combined with your other ratings as if it were one rating. With a separate 30% back rating: 31 + 69 × 30% = 51.7 → 52 → 50%. Without the bilateral factor the same ratings would give 49.6 → 50 → 50%, so it can push you over a line. One arm and one leg are not bilateral.
Monthly pay table (veteran alone, and what dependants add)
| Rating | Alone | Spouse | Spouse + child | Child only | Each parent | Extra child <18 | Child in school | Spouse A&A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | No extra for dependants | ||||||
| 20% | $356.66 | No extra for dependants | ||||||
| 30% | $552.47 | +$65.00 | +$114.00 | +$44.00 | +$52.00 | +$32.00 | +$105.00 | +$61.00 |
| 40% | $795.84 | +$87.00 | +$152.00 | +$58.00 | +$70.00 | +$43.00 | +$140.00 | +$81.00 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | +$109.00 | +$190.00 | +$73.00 | +$88.00 | +$54.00 | +$176.00 | +$101.00 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | +$131.00 | +$228.00 | +$88.00 | +$105.00 | +$65.00 | +$211.00 | +$121.00 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | +$153.00 | +$266.00 | +$102.00 | +$123.00 | +$76.00 | +$246.00 | +$141.00 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | +$175.00 | +$304.00 | +$117.00 | +$140.00 | +$87.00 | +$281.00 | +$161.00 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | +$197.00 | +$342.00 | +$132.00 | +$158.00 | +$98.00 | +$317.00 | +$181.00 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | +$219.59 | +$380.41 | +$146.85 | +$176.24 | +$109.11 | +$352.45 | +$201.41 |
Rates effective December 1, 2025 (after the 2.8% cost-of-living increase). They change every 1 December, so check the official table at va.gov (Veteran disability compensation rates) before relying on an amount. Every amount was checked against the va.gov table on 10 October 2026.
Back pay
VA pay starts on the first day of the month after your effective date, and each month is paid at the start of the next. So with an effective date of 15 March 2025, payments start for April 2025. Back pay counts every month from then to the month before your first regular payment. Months before December 2025 are paid at that year's lower rates; this page estimates them by taking off each December's COLA (2.8% for December 2025, 2.5% for 2024, 3.2% for 2023, 8.7% for 2022). The VA's own figure can differ if your rating or dependants changed along the way.
Good to know
- VA disability pay is tax-free at the federal level and in every state.
- At 10% and 20% the pay is the same whether or not you have dependants. From 30% you can add a spouse, children and dependent parents.
- Children count until 18, or until 23 if they're in an approved school program; a child who became permanently unable to support themselves before 18 counts for life.
- This page doesn't cover Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), individual unemployability (TDIU, paid at the 100% rate) or temporary 100% ratings, which can pay more.
- A 0% rating pays nothing monthly but can still open doors to VA health care and other benefits.
Common questions
How does the VA calculate combined disability ratings?
The VA doesn't add ratings together. It treats you as 100% whole, takes your biggest rating off first, and each next rating applies only to what's left. The combined value is then rounded to the nearest 10. That's why 50% and 30% make 65, which rounds up to a 70% rating, not 80%.
What is the bilateral factor?
If both arms or both legs have ratings, the VA combines those first and then adds 10% of that value before combining it with your other ratings. Ratings of 20% and 10% on the two legs combine to 28, plus 2.8 makes 30.8, which rounds to 31. One arm and one leg are not bilateral.
How much is VA disability pay at 70%?
From 1 December 2025, a veteran alone with a 70% rating gets $1,808.45 a month. A married veteran with one child under 18 gets $2,074.45 a month, or $24,893.40 a year. Rates change every 1 December, so check the official table at va.gov before relying on an amount.
Is VA disability pay taxable?
No. VA disability pay is tax-free at the federal level and in every state, so the monthly amount is what you keep. A 0% rating pays nothing monthly, but it can still open doors to VA health care and other benefits.
Do dependants increase VA disability pay?
From a 30% rating, yes: you get extra for a spouse, children and dependent parents. At 10% and 20% the pay is the same whether or not you have dependants. Children count until 18, or until 23 if they're in an approved school program.
How do I get from 70% to 80%?
You need a combined value of 75 or more, which rounds up to 80%. From a combined 65, a new 30% rating would do it (65 + 35 × 30% = 75.5), but a new 20% would not (65 + 7 = 72, still 70%). The calculator shows how far you are from the next 10%.
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