Combine ratings with real VA math and see your 2026 monthly compensation
School-age children are paid at a higher rate than younger children and require VA Form 21-674. Count a school-age child in addition to your children under 18; if an 18–23 child is your only child, enter 1 under 18 plus 1 in school. Dependents don't add anything at 10% or 20%.
| Combined Rating | Veteran Alone | With Spouse | With Spouse + 1 Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $180.42 | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 | $356.66 | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $666.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $947.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $1,322.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $1,663.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $2,074.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $2,406.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $2,704.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $4,318.99 |
Rates effective December 1, 2025 (the 2.8% COLA), straight from the VA's official rate tables. Ratings of 10% and 20% pay the veteran-alone rate no matter how many dependents you have.
| Rating | Each Additional Child under 18 | Child 18–23 in School | Each Dependent Parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30% | $32.00 | $105.00 | $52.00 |
| 40% | $43.00 | $140.00 | $70.00 |
| 50% | $54.00 | $176.00 | $88.00 |
| 60% | $65.00 | $211.00 | $105.00 |
| 70% | $76.00 | $246.00 | $123.00 |
| 80% | $87.00 | $281.00 | $140.00 |
| 90% | $98.00 | $317.00 | $158.00 |
| 100% | $109.11 | $352.45 | $176.24 |
The "with spouse + 1 child" column in the rates table already pays for one child, so the under-18 amount applies to each child beyond the first. A spouse receiving Aid and Attendance adds more ($141/month at the 70% rating, per the VA's own worked example).
| Ratings | Naive Sum | VA Combined Value | Paid As (rounded) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% + 10% | 20% | 19% | 20% |
| 20% + 20% | 40% | 36% | 40% |
| 30% + 20% | 50% | 44% | 40% |
| 50% + 30% | 80% | 65% | 70% |
| 60% + 20% + 10% | 90% | 71.2% | 70% |
| 60% + 20% + 20% | 100% | 74.4% | 70% |
| 40% left knee + 20% right knee (bilateral) | 60% | 57.2% before the factor, then ×1.1 | 57.2% carries forward |
| Bilateral knees above + 30% back | 90% | 70.04% | 70% |
The rounding rule only touches the final number: endings of 1–4 round down, 5–9 round up (44% → 40%, 65% → 70%, 69% → 70%). Intermediate values stay unrounded, which is exactly where most copycat calculators quietly drift from VA's official result.
VA disability compensation is a monthly, tax-free payment for conditions tied to your military service. The amount depends on two things: your combined disability rating and your dependents. This calculator reproduces both steps using the rules in 38 CFR 4.25 and 4.26 and the official 2026 rate tables, so the number you see matches what VA's own tables imply.
Ratings are sorted from highest to lowest. The first rating reduces your "whole person" efficiency; each following rating takes its percentage of whatever efficiency remains. In formula terms, a running combined value c and the next rating r become c + r − c×r/100. After all ratings, the value is rounded once, to the nearest 10%, with 1–4 rounding down and 5–9 rounding up. If both arms or both legs are affected, those ratings combine first, get multiplied by 1.1 (the bilateral factor), and rejoin the stack as a single figure.
Enter each service-connected rating from your rating decision, marking the body location for arm and leg conditions so the bilateral factor kicks in correctly. Then set your dependents. The math trace under your result shows the running combination VA-style, so you can check every step against your decision letter. Zero-percent ratings are noncompensable and can be left out.
A veteran rated 30% for a back condition and 20% for tinnitus might expect 50%. VA starts with 30, leaving 70% efficiency. Tinnitus takes 20% of that 70, or 14 points. Combined: 44%, which rounds down to a 40% rating. In 2026 that pays $795.84 a month alone, or $9,550.08 a year, all tax-free.
Knees rated 40% (left) and 20% (right) combine to 52%. Because they're a paired extremity, the bilateral factor adds 10% of 52, carrying 57.2% forward. A separate 30% back rating then applies to the remaining 42.8%, and the combined value lands at 70.04%, rounded to 70%. With a spouse and one child, that's $2,074.45 a month, or $24,893.40 a year.
VA sorts your ratings from highest to lowest and applies each one to the remaining healthy share of your body, not to the original whole. A 50% rating leaves 50% remaining, so a second 30% rating takes 30% of that remaining 50%, or 15 points, for a combined 65%. Only the final number gets rounded, to the nearest 10%: endings of 1-4 round down, 5-9 round up, so 65% becomes a 70% combined rating.
Because the second rating applies to what's left of your body after the first one. With a 30% rating, 70% of you is undamaged. The 20% rating takes 20% of that remaining 70%, which is 14 points. 30 plus 14 is 44%, and 44 rounds down to 40%. That's the VA math Congress wrote into 38 CFR 4.25, and it's why two ratings almost never add up to their plain sum.
A single veteran with no dependents gets $3,938.58 per month at 100% in 2026, or $47,262.96 a year. With a spouse and one child it's $4,318.99 per month. Those figures include the 2.8% COLA that took effect December 1, 2025 and first appeared in the January 2026 payment.
No. VA disability compensation is tax-free. There's no federal income tax on it and states don't tax it either. Unlike military retired pay, you won't see a withholding line or get a 1099 for it, which is one reason a dollar of VA disability is worth more than a dollar of salary.
No. Dependents (spouse, children, parents) only increase the payment at ratings of 30% or higher. A 20% rating pays a flat $356.66 per month in 2026 whether you're single or supporting a family of six. The 10% rate is $180.42 per month, also flat.
If you have disabilities affecting both arms or both legs, VA combines those paired-extremity ratings first, then adds 10% of that combined value before folding the result into your overall rating. Both knees rated 40% and 20% combine to 52%, and the bilateral factor lifts that to 57.2%. The rule comes from 38 CFR 4.26 and exists because paired limbs work together.
2.8%, matching the Social Security COLA. It took effect December 1, 2025, and veterans first saw it in the payment that arrived at the start of January 2026. For example, the 10% rate went from $175.51 to $180.42 a month.
Estimate only. This calculator applies the published 2026 VA rate tables and the combining rules of 38 CFR 4.25/4.26; it isn't affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and your official award is what counts. Payment timing: VA pays on the first of each month, and when the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday the deposit lands the business day before. Nothing here is financial or legal advice.