Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability — eligibility check plus the real 2026 money
Not sure of your combined rating? VA stacks ratings by whole-person math — 50% + 30% + 10% lands at 70%, not 90%. The VA disability pay calculator computes it from your rating list.
| Door | Rating requirement | Example | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single disability | One service-connected disability rated 60% or more | One knee at 60% (combined 60%) | 100% rate |
| Multiple disabilities | Combined 70% or more, with at least one disability at 40% or more | 50% PTSD + 30% back + 10% tinnitus = 70% | 100% rate |
| Extraschedular referral | Ratings miss the doors above, but the combined effect clearly prevents work (4.16(b)) | Three 30% ratings = 70% combined, no single 40% | 100% rate if granted |
Every door also requires the same core finding: a service-connected inability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, judged from your work history, education, and the disabilities themselves.
| Current rating | Current monthly pay | TDIU pays (100%) | Monthly uplift | Annual uplift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% | $552.47 | $3,938.58 | $3,386.11 | $40,633.32 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $3,938.58 | $3,142.74 | $37,712.88 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $3,938.58 | $2,805.68 | $33,668.16 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $3,938.58 | $2,503.56 | $30,042.72 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $3,938.58 | $2,130.13 | $25,561.56 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $3,938.58 | $1,836.43 | $22,037.16 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $3,938.58 | $1,576.28 | $18,915.36 |
At 100% there's nothing to add — you already draw the top rate. With dependents the 100% payment grows: $4,158.17 with a spouse, $4,318.99 with a spouse and one child.
| Situation | Treated as |
|---|---|
| Earned income at or below the poverty guideline ($15,960 in 2026) | Marginal — doesn't defeat TDIU |
| Odd jobs, sporadic gigs | Marginal |
| Family business or sheltered workshop that accommodates the disability | Marginal (protected environment) |
| Steady job that pays above the poverty line | Substantially gainful — defeats TDIU |
These examples come straight from 38 CFR 4.16(a). The poverty figure updates every January with the HHS guidelines; Alaska and Hawaii run higher.
TDIU — Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, often just called Individual Unemployability or IU — is VA's admission that a rating percentage can undersell reality. When service-connected conditions make steady work impossible, VA pays the 100% rate even though the schedular rating sits lower. The rule lives in 38 CFR 4.16.
Two doors, plus a side entrance. Door one: any single service-connected disability rated 60% or more. Door two: a combined rating of 70% or more that includes at least one disability rated 40% or more. Side entrance: if neither fits, 4.16(b) lets the board refer the case for extraschedular consideration when the rating scale clearly failed to capture the employment impact. All three require the same underlying finding — inability to maintain substantially gainful employment caused by service-connected disability.
Enter your combined rating (run the VA math first if you only have your rating list), the highest single rating on your decision, and how many ratings sit at 40% or more. Add dependents and any earnings. The verdict names the door you fit — or the gap you're facing — and the money section prices the difference between your current payment and the 100% rate with your dependents.
A veteran carries 50% for PTSD, 30% for a back condition, and 10% for tinnitus. VA math stacks them to a 70% combined rating (50, then 30% of what's left pushes it to 65%, the 10% to 68.5%, rounding up to 70%). Door two fits: combined 70%, and the 50% PTSD rating clears the 40% bar. If service-connected symptoms end her career, TDIU pays $3,938.58 a month instead of $1,808.45 — a raise of $2,130.13 a month, every month, tax-free.
Three disabilities at 30% each also combine to 70% (30, then 51, then 65.7, rounding to 70). But no single rating reaches 40%, so door two is shut and door one never opened. The claim isn't dead: 4.16(b) referral exists for exactly this shape, where the combined drag on employability outruns the percentages. The calculator flags these cases instead of giving a flat no.
One of two doors in 38 CFR 4.16(a): either a single service-connected disability rated at 60% or more, or two or more service-connected disabilities with a combined rating of 70% or more where at least one disability is rated at 40% or more. You must also be unable to maintain substantially gainful employment because of those service-connected conditions.
The full 100% schedular rate: $3,938.58 a month for a single veteran, $4,158.17 with a spouse, and $4,318.99 with a spouse and one child. A veteran currently paid at 70% gains $2,130.13 a month — $25,561.56 a year, tax-free — on top of the 70% payment itself.
Not at substantially gainful employment — that's what defeats the claim. But marginal employment does not. Under 38 CFR 4.16(a), odd jobs, work in a protected environment like a family business or sheltered workshop, and earned annual income at or below the federal poverty guideline for one person ($15,960 in 2026) are all treated as marginal and don't by themselves disqualify you.
No. Your schedular combined rating stays what it was — say 70%. TDIU raises the payment to the 100% rate because service-connected conditions prevent steady work. That distinction matters later: your combined rating is what future exams and claims still reference.
VA Form 21-8940 (the unemployability application) is the core. VA also asks each recent employer to complete VA Form 21-4192, which is often what holds the claim up. Once granted, VA periodically sends VA Form 21-4140 to confirm you're still not working.
You don't meet the schedular rule — but you can still win. 38 CFR 4.16(b) lets the rating board refer your case for extraschedular consideration when your ratings fail to capture the real employment impact. Three 30% ratings combining to 70% is the classic example: no single 40, yet the combined effect on work can be severe.
It lasts as long as you can't secure or follow substantially gainful employment. Returning to steady full-time work ends it, and VA checks via the periodic employment questionnaire (Form 21-4140). Ratings in place for 20 years gain protection against reduction under 38 U.S.C. § 5114(b), and TDIU granted at older ages is far less likely to be re-examined.
Estimate only. This tool applies the schedular rules of 38 CFR 4.16 and the official 2026 rate tables; the actual unemployability decision turns on medical evidence, work history, and education, judged case by case by VA. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Nothing here is legal advice — a VSO or accredited attorney can assess a specific claim.