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The Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606) pays $508 a month at full-time enrollment, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. It is a flat payment made to you, not to your school, and it scales down with your course load.
VA states that eligibility for Chapter 1606 usually ends the day you leave the Selected Reserve. Unused months do not follow you out. A few narrow exceptions extend eligibility to 14 years from the date you became eligible, including separation for a disability, and unit deactivation or involuntary separation for reasons other than misconduct between October 2007 and September 2014. Outside those, the benefit ends with your drilling status.
Monthly payment by enrollment level. Paid to you, not to the school.
| Enrollment | What it means | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | Full course load | $508 |
| ¾-time | 75% enrollment | $408 |
| ½-time | 50% enrollment | $253 |
| Less than ½-time | Below 50% enrollment | $127 |
These step down as your wage from the employer goes up, so the total stays roughly level across the programme.
| Period | Per month |
|---|---|
| Months 1 to 6 | $381 |
| Months 7 to 12 | $279.40 |
| After the first year | $177.80 |
VA requires at least 120 hours worked in a month to pay the full amount. Work fewer and the payment is reduced.
Chapter 1606 is the smallest of the education benefits, and it is worth knowing where it sits before you spend months of it.
Effective October 1, 2026, the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve full-time institutional rate is $508 a month. Three-quarter time is $408, half time is $253, and less than half time is $127. These rates run through September 30, 2027.
VA states that eligibility for this program usually ends the day you leave the Selected Reserve. Unused entitlement does not follow you out. There are narrow exceptions that extend eligibility for 14 years from the date you became eligible, including separation because of a disability, and unit deactivation or involuntary separation for reasons other than misconduct between October 2007 and September 2014. For most people leaving the Reserve, though, the benefit ends with the drilling status, which is why it is worth using while you are still in.
The core requirement is a 6-year service obligation in the Selected Reserve. The program provides up to 36 months of education and training benefits, and your eligibility runs until that period ends or you use all of your entitlement, whichever comes first.
Apprenticeship and OJT rates step down as your wage from the employer rises: $381 a month for months 1 to 6, $279.40 for months 7 to 12, and $177.80 after the first year. VA requires at least 120 hours worked in a month to pay the full amount.
No. Chapter 1606 is a flat monthly payment to you, based on how many credits you are taking. The Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) pays tuition directly to the school, plus a separate housing allowance and a book stipend, and it is generally far more valuable. Chapter 1606 is tied to drilling status in the Selected Reserve, which the Post-9/11 GI Bill is not.
They change on 1 October with the federal fiscal year. The rates shown here took effect October 1, 2026 and run through September 30, 2027. This page reads from the rate data directly, so it updates at the changeover rather than going stale.
Rates read directly from VA's published Chapter 1606 tables, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. General information, not legal or financial advice. Confirm your own entitlement with your unit education officer or VA.