VA Home Loan: 2025-26 Guide
$0 down, no private mortgage insurance, and a funding fee that drops or zeroes out for service-connected veterans. Here is who qualifies, how to get your Certificate of Eligibility, and what the funding fee actually costs you.
Eligibility
Active duty
90 continuous days of active service (wartime) or 181 days (peacetime).
Veteran
24 months of continuous active service, OR the full period called or ordered to active duty (at least 90 days during wartime / 181 peacetime).
National Guard / Reserve
6 years of service, OR 90 days of active-duty service under Title 10 (e.g. mobilization).
Surviving spouse
Un-remarried spouse of a service member who died in service or from a service-connected disability. Some remarried spouses qualify if remarriage was after age 57.
See VA.gov eligibility table for the full minimum-service grid by service era.
How entitlement works
Entitlement is the dollar amount the VA will guarantee on your behalf. There are two pieces:
- Basic entitlement: $36,000.
- Bonus (Tier 2) entitlement: 25% of the Freddie Mac conforming loan limit ($806,500 for 2025 → ~$201,625 in bonus). Combined, that lets most veterans buy in expensive markets with $0 down.
No loan limit with full entitlement. Since the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 (effective 2020), veterans with full entitlement have no county-by-county loan cap. Limits only apply if you have an active VA loan or had a prior VA-loan foreclosure.
Funding fee calculator
The funding fee replaces PMI on conventional loans. It scales with first-vs-subsequent use and your down payment. Service-connected veterans, Purple Heart recipients, and qualifying surviving spouses are exempt.
VA Funding Fee Calculator
Current 2025-26 rates. Calculator updates live as you change inputs.
Funding fee rate
2.15%
Funding fee
$9,675
Total loan w/ fee
$459,675
The funding fee can be financed into the loan amount (most veterans do this) or paid at closing. Rates per VA's 2025-26 schedule. Not financial advice.
Get your Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
Through your lender (fastest)
Most lenders pull your COE through the VA LGY Hub in seconds. Just hand them your DD-214 (or current LES if active duty). 70%+ are issued automatically.
Online via VA.gov
Sign in at VA.gov → Housing assistance → Request a Certificate of Eligibility. Status updates in your portal.
By mail (VA Form 26-1880)
Slowest path. Use only if the online and lender routes have failed. Mail to the VA Atlanta Regional Loan Center.
Refinance options
IRRRL — Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan
VA-to-VA streamline refi. Lower rate or convert ARM → fixed. Funding fee is just 0.5%. No appraisal or income verification typically required.
- Must already have a VA loan
- Must be refinancing to a lower interest rate (or ARM → fixed)
- You must certify you previously occupied the home (not necessarily currently)
- Funding fee can be financed into the loan
Cash-out Refinance
Pull equity out as cash, OR refinance a non-VA loan into a VA loan. Funding fee is 2.15% first use / 3.3% subsequent use (same as a purchase loan).
- Available even if your current loan is not a VA loan
- Full underwriting + appraisal required
- Up to 100% loan-to-value in many cases
- Use proceeds for any purpose
Common pitfalls
- Owner-occupancy required.You must intend to live in the home as your primary residence within 60 days of closing. Investment properties don't qualify.
- VA Minimum Property Requirements (MPRs). The VA appraiser will flag safety, sanitation, and structural issues. As-is fixers can be hard to close.
- Funding fee exemption is automatic only with a current VA rating letter. If your COD/upgrade is in flight, the lender may collect the fee at closing and refund later.
- Multi-unit properties (2-4 units). Allowed if you live in one unit. Income from the other units can help you qualify if you have rental-management experience.
If you fall behind — call before foreclosure
VA has loan technicians who intervene with your servicer to negotiate forbearance, repayment plans, loan modification, or compromise sale. They help even if your loan is not a VA loan.
- VA Loan Technician hotline: 1-877-827-3702
- Web: va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/trouble-making-payments
Adapted housing grants (SAH / SHA / HISA)
For service-connected disabilities that limit mobility, the VA pays for home modifications.
SAH (FY2026)
$126,526
Specially Adapted Housing — for severe SC disabilities (loss of use of limbs, blindness, severe burns).
SHA (FY2026)
$25,350
Special Home Adaptation — for blindness in both eyes, loss of use of both hands, or severe burns.
HISA (lifetime)
$6,800
Home Improvements and Structural Alterations — for any SC condition; $2,000 lifetime cap if non-service-connected.