VA DIC Rates 2027
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is the tax-free monthly benefit VA pays surviving spouses, children and parents of veterans who died of a service-connected cause. The official 2026 basic rate for a surviving spouse is $1,699.36 a month, in effect since December 1, 2025. With the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment announced for 2027, we estimate $1,760.54. The 2027 figures are an estimate until VA publishes its table (expected December 2026).
Maintained by Archie Chang · Rates checked against VA and 38 U.S.C. 1311, 1313 and 1314 October 24, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Surviving spouse DIC calculator
For a surviving spouse of a veteran who died on or after January 1, 1993.
Estimated monthly DIC
2026 rates (official)
$1,699.36
2027 estimate (not yet official)
$1,760.54
+$61.18 a month
- Basic monthly rate
- $1,699.36 / $1,760.54
Each line shows the 2026 amount, then the 2027 estimate. Estimate only; VA decides eligibility and the amount.
2026 DIC rates for a surviving spouse (official)
Rates VA published, effective December 1, 2025. Start with the basic rate and add every amount that applies to you. For two children, the 8-year provision and aid and attendance, VA's own example adds up to $3,682.21 a month while the transitional benefit lasts and $3,323.21 after.
| Item | 2026 | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Basic monthly rate | $1,699.36 | Surviving spouse, veteran died on or after January 1, 1993 (38 U.S.C. 1311(a)(1)) |
| 8-year provision | $360.85 | Veteran rated totally disabled for the 8 full years before death, and you were married those 8 years (1311(a)(2)) |
| Aid and attendance | $421.00 | You need help with daily activities, are a nursing home patient, or are blind or nearly blind (1311(c)) |
| Housebound allowance | $197.22 | You are permanently housebound and do not qualify for aid and attendance; it is one or the other (1311(d)) |
| Each child under 18 | $421.00 | Added to your rate for every child under 18 (1311(b)) |
| Transitional benefit | $359.00 | With a child under 18, for 2 years from when DIC began (VA: 2 years after the veteran’s death), ending after the month all children turn 18 (1311(f)); a whole-dollar amount |
| Child 18 to 23 in school | $356.66 | Paid to the child, in addition to the spouse’s DIC (1314(c)) |
2027 DIC rates (estimate)
ESTIMATE until VA publishes (expected December 2026). Each amount is the 2026 amount raised by 3.6%. If Congress passes the annual COLA act, the new rates take effect December 1, 2026. The transitional benefit does not depend on the act.
| Item | 2026 (official) | 2027 (estimate) | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic monthly rate | $1,699.36 | $1,760.54 | +$61.18 |
| 8-year provision | $360.85 | $373.84 | +$12.99 |
| Aid and attendance | $421.00 | $436.16 | +$15.16 |
| Housebound allowance | $197.22 | $204.32 | +$7.10 |
| Each child under 18 | $421.00 | $436.16 | +$15.16 |
| Transitional benefit | $359.00 | $371.00 | +$12.00 |
| Child 18 to 23 in school | $356.66 | $369.50 | +$12.84 |
DIC for children when there is no surviving spouse
When the veteran has no eligible surviving spouse, the eligible children (under 18, 18 to 23 in school, or helpless adult children) share a total set by the number of children. Add $421.00 for each helpless child over 18. The one-child amount, $717.50, is also what a helpless adult child receives when a surviving spouse is also getting DIC.
| Eligible children | Per child (2026) | 2026 total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $717.50 | $717.50 |
| 2 | $516.09 | $1,032.18 |
| 3 | $448.97 | $1,346.92 |
| 4 | $400.72 | $1,602.87 |
| 5 | $371.76 | $1,858.82 |
| 6 | $352.46 | $2,114.77 |
| 7 | $338.67 | $2,370.72 |
| 8 | $328.33 | $2,626.67 |
| 9 | $320.29 | $2,882.62 |
| Eligible children | Per child (2027 (estimate)) | 2026 total | 2027 (estimate) total | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $743.33 | $717.50 | $743.33 | +$25.83 |
| 2 | $534.67 | $1,032.18 | $1,069.34 | +$37.16 |
| 3 | $465.14 | $1,346.92 | $1,395.41 | +$48.49 |
| 4 | $415.14 | $1,602.87 | $1,660.57 | +$57.70 |
| 5 | $385.15 | $1,858.82 | $1,925.73 | +$66.91 |
| 6 | $365.15 | $2,114.77 | $2,190.89 | +$76.12 |
| 7 | $350.86 | $2,370.72 | $2,456.05 | +$85.33 |
| 8 | $340.15 | $2,626.67 | $2,721.21 | +$94.54 |
| 9 | $331.82 | $2,882.62 | $2,986.37 | +$103.75 |
Parents' DIC
Parents' DIC (38 U.S.C. 1315) depends on yearly income and on whether one or both parents are alive and living together, so VA publishes it as income tables rather than one rate. This page does not reproduce them; use VA's parent rates tables. Under 38 U.S.C. 5312(b) those amounts and their income limits rise automatically with the Social Security COLA.
How the 2027 DIC increase works
Amount. The Social Security COLA for 2027 is 3.6%. The annual Veterans' Compensation COLA Act raises each DIC dollar amount in 38 U.S.C. 1311(a) through (d), 1313(a) and 1314 by that same percentage. Congress has to pass it each year; the 2026 bill (H.R. 8552 and S. 4487) had not passed as of October 24, 2026. Parents' DIC is different: 38 U.S.C. 5312(b) raises it automatically, as 1311(f)(4) does the transitional benefit.
Rounding. The bill text does not give a rounding rule, so the estimate copies what VA's tables show: amounts to the nearest cent. That rule reproduces all of VA's tables for December 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 from the previous year. The transitional benefit is the exception: 38 U.S.C. 1311(f)(4) requires it to rise automatically with each Social Security COLA, rounded down to the next lower whole dollar, and the bills do not list it. VA's table, not this estimate, is what you will be paid.
Timing. New rates apply from December 1, 2026. VA pays a month's benefit at the start of the next month, so the first payment at the new rate is scheduled for Thursday, December 31, 2026; see the VA pay dates page for every deposit date.
VA DIC rates questions
What are the VA DIC rates for 2026?
The basic monthly DIC rate for a surviving spouse is $1,699.36 (veteran died on or after January 1, 1993), effective December 1, 2025. Added amounts are $360.85 for the 8-year provision, $421.00 for aid and attendance, $197.22 for the housebound allowance and $421.00 for each child under 18. DIC is tax exempt.
What will VA DIC rates be in 2027?
VA has not published them. Applying the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment to the 2026 table, we estimate the basic rate at $1,760.54 a month, up $61.18 from $1,699.36. The 8-year provision would be about $373.84 and each child under 18 about $436.16. The transitional benefit, a separate amount, rises automatically with Social Security (38 U.S.C. 1311(f)(4)) to about $371.00. These are estimates until VA publishes its table (expected December 2026).
Has Congress passed the 2027 DIC increase?
Not as of October 24, 2026. DIC rises only when Congress passes the annual Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, which raises each DIC dollar amount in 38 U.S.C. 1311(a) through (d), 1313(a) and 1314 by the Social Security percentage. The 2026 bill was introduced as H.R. 8552 in the House and S. 4487 in the Senate and was still in committee (Congress.gov). Congress usually passes it each fall. The transitional benefit is the exception: it rises automatically with Social Security under 38 U.S.C. 1311(f)(4).
When would the new DIC rates start?
The act sets December 1 as the effective date. If it passes, the new rates apply from December 1, 2026, and the first payment at the new rate, for December benefits, is scheduled for Thursday, December 31, 2026.
Can I get aid and attendance and the housebound allowance together?
No. The housebound allowance ($197.22 in 2026) is paid only to a surviving spouse who does not qualify for aid and attendance (38 U.S.C. 1311(d)), so you get one or the other. The higher one, aid and attendance, is $421.00.
What is the 8-year provision?
A surviving spouse gets $360.85 more a month (2026) if the veteran was rated totally disabled, including by individual unemployability, for the 8 full years before death and the two were married for those same 8 years (38 U.S.C. 1311(a)(2)).
How much does a child add to DIC?
A surviving spouse gets $421.00 a month for each child under 18 in 2026. Children 18 to 23 in a qualified school program get $356.66 each, paid to the child. A helpless adult child (permanently unable to support themselves before 18) gets $717.50 when a surviving spouse is also receiving DIC.
What is the DIC transitional benefit?
A surviving spouse with a child under 18 gets an extra $359.00 a month (2026) for 2 years from when DIC entitlement began (VA words it as 2 years after the veteran's death), and it stops after the month all your children turn 18 (38 U.S.C. 1311(f)(2) and (3)). Unlike the other DIC amounts it does not wait for Congress: 1311(f)(4) makes the Secretary raise it with each Social Security COLA, rounded down to the whole dollar. For a spouse with two children, the 8-year provision and aid and attendance, VA's page shows $3,682.21 a month during those two years and $3,323.21 afterward.
What does DIC pay when there is no surviving spouse?
Eligible children share a set total: $717.50 for one child, $1,032.18 for two ($516.09 each), $1,346.92 for three, and $255.95 more for each child beyond three (2026). The full table is above.
What are parents’ DIC rates?
Parents’ DIC depends on income and on whether one or both parents are alive and living together, so there is no single rate. VA publishes the income tables and the aid and attendance amount on its parent rates page. These amounts also rise with the Social Security COLA, automatically, under 38 U.S.C. 5312(b).
How is the 2027 estimate calculated?
Each 2026 dollar amount is multiplied by 1.036 and rounded to the nearest cent, which is how VA's tables behave (no statute states it). The transitional benefit is raised automatically and rounded down to the whole dollar by statute (38 U.S.C. 1311(f)(4)). Children-only totals for four or more children are the three-child total plus the extra-child amount for each child beyond three. The same method reproduces every amount in VA's published December 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 tables from the previous year's table.
Can I get DIC and Survivors Pension together?
No. If you qualify for both, VA pays whichever gives you more money (VA survivor rates page). See the VA pension rates page for the pension figures.
Sources: VA: current DIC rates for spouses and dependents · VA: past DIC rates (2025) · VA: DIC rates for parents · 38 U.S.C. 1311 · 38 U.S.C. 1313 · 38 U.S.C. 1314 · SSA: 2027 COLA fact sheet · H.R. 8552 (2026 COLA bill text) · Congress.gov: H.R. 8552 status · Congress.gov: S. 4487 status · S. 4487 (2026 COLA bill text)