VA Entitlement Calculator
Work out the VA entitlement you have left after a prior VA loan: the remaining basic and bonus (second-tier) entitlement, the largest loan with $0 down in your county, and the down payment needed above it. It uses the 2026 FHFA county loan limits, which VA says match its own. With full entitlement there is no VA loan limit. In VA's own example, $50,000 used in a $900,000 county leaves $175,000 and a $700,000 loan with no down payment.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Formulas checked against 38 U.S.C. 3703 and VA's guidance October 25, 2026 · Methodology & sources
VA entitlement calculator
Choose the state and county where you will buy.
The fee rate depends on first or subsequent use (set by your entitlement choice above) and on your total cash down, including any amount above the appraisal, divided by the purchase price (38 U.S.C. 3729(b)(4), "total purchase price"). Confirm with your lender. See the VA funding fee calculator.
An estimate from 2026 county loan limits. Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and your lender decide your actual entitlement, loan amount and down payment.
Your estimate
Choose the state and county where you will buy.
How VA entitlement is calculated
Full entitlement. If you have never used your benefit, or it has been fully restored, your COE shows basic entitlement of $36,000. On a loan over $144,000 the guaranty is 25% of the loan and VA sets no loan limit (38 U.S.C. 3703(a)(1)(C)(i), added by the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 for loans closed on or after January 1, 2020; see VA's Maximum VA Guaranty Calculation examples).
Partial entitlement. If a prior VA loan still uses entitlement, the guaranty for a loan over $144,000 is 25% of the county's one-unit limit minus the entitlement used and not restored (3703(a)(1)(C)(ii)), and no more than 25% of the loan. The steps on VA's loan limits page: take the one-unit limit, multiply by 0.25, subtract the amount in the COE's Entitlement Charged column. VA calls the result your remaining bonus entitlement.
Loans of $144,000 or less. Basic entitlement governs: 50% of a loan up to $45,000, $22,500 up to $56,250, then the lesser of $36,000 and 40%, capped at $36,000 minus what you used (3703(a)(1)(A)(i) and (B)). VA's Example 4: $36,000 used and a $144,000 loan leaves no entitlement. The calculator shows the guaranty available for these loans and no down payment.
Maximum loan with $0 down. The VA Home Loan Guaranty Buyer's Guide (April 2022, pp. 38-39) says remaining entitlement times four is generally the size of loan VA can guarantee without a down payment, and that a financed funding fee counts toward the loan VA guarantees.
Down payment above that. VA words the lender test two ways. The Buyer's Guide (p. 38): most lenders require entitlement plus cash down payment to equal at least 25% of the appraised value or sales price, whichever is less, so down payment = 25% x the lesser of price and value - remaining entitlement, floored at $0. VA's loan limits page says at least 25% of your total loan amount; one reading of that, with price P and remaining entitlement G, is a down payment of (P - 4G) / 5. VA does not give that formula. The calculator headlines the Buyer's Guide figure because it is higher and shows the other beside it. If the price is above the appraised value, the gap is separate cash (Buyer's Guide p. 23) and is added to the down payment the test calls for. Neither test is in the statute; your lender decides.
Funding fee. A financed fee is part of the loan VA guarantees (Buyer's Guide p. 39), so the headline is a conservative estimate that assumes the lender's 25% test covers the lesser of price and value plus the financed fee. The fee rate (from the VA funding fee calculator) depends on the down payment tier (under 5%, 5% to under 10%, 10% or more), and the down payment depends on the fee, so the calculator searches whole cents for the smallest down payment that passes the test when the fee is computed at that down payment's own rate. The tier uses total cash down, including any amount above the appraisal, divided by the purchase price, following the definitions of 0-down, 5-down and 10-down in 38 U.S.C. 3729(b)(4) ("total purchase price"); confirm with your lender. Just under a tier, the calculator also shows the saving from paying up to the next one.
Worked example. VA's example: $50,000 used, $900,000 county limit. 0.25 x $900,000 = $225,000; minus $50,000 = $175,000; x 4 = $700,000. For a $900,000 home that needs $50,000 down on the Buyer's Guide test ($40,000 on the loan-amount test), before any funding fee. Another case: $20,000 used in Autauga County, AL ($832,750) leaves $188,187.50and a $752,750 no-down-payment maximum.
County limits. VA says its limits match FHFA's conforming loan limits, and it uses the one-unit limit for the county where the home is, even for a multi-unit property. FHFA's 2026 list sets $832,750 as the baseline and $1,249,125 as the high-cost ceiling, with $1,249,125 and $1,873,675 for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (FHFA announcement, November 25, 2025; county list). Each county row keeps its FIPS code, and Connecticut appears as planning regions (FIPS 09110 and up) rather than counties.
Restoration. Entitlement can be restored if you sold the home and paid off the loan, a qualified veteran substitutes their entitlement, or, once, you repaid the loan and kept the home (VA eligibility page). Check the restored box if that has happened. To see where you stand, request a COE.
2026 limits and what $50,000 used leaves, by county
Remaining entitlement and the no-down-payment maximum after $50,000 of entitlement used, in a few illustrative counties: a baseline county, a high-cost one, and one each in Hawaii and Alaska.
| County | 2026 one-unit limit | 25% of limit | Remaining | Max loan, $0 down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autauga County, AL | $832,750 | $208,187.50 | $158,187.50 | $632,750 |
| Alameda County, CA | $1,249,125 | $312,281.25 | $262,281.25 | $1,049,125 |
| Kalawao County, HI | $1,299,500 | $324,875 | $274,875 | $1,099,500 |
| Aleutians East Borough, AK | $1,249,125 | $312,281.25 | $262,281.25 | $1,049,125 |
VA entitlement questions
What is VA entitlement?
Entitlement is the amount VA promises to pay your lender if you stop paying a VA-backed loan. Basic (tier 1) entitlement is $36,000 and applies to loans of $144,000 or less. For bigger loans, bonus (tier 2) entitlement applies: with full entitlement the guaranty is 25% of the loan, and with partial entitlement it is 25% of the county loan limit minus the entitlement you already used (38 U.S.C. 3703(a)(1); VA's loan limits page). It is a guaranty to the lender, not money you can borrow.
How do I calculate my remaining VA entitlement?
Find the entitlement already used in the "Entitlement Charged" column of your Certificate of Eligibility, multiply the county's one-unit loan limit by 0.25, and subtract. VA's own example: a $900,000 limit gives $225,000, minus $50,000 used leaves $175,000. Multiply that by 4 and you get $700,000, the size of loan VA says it can guarantee without a down payment. VA calls that remaining amount your remaining bonus entitlement. This calculator reproduces those numbers.
What is VA bonus entitlement?
Bonus entitlement, also called second-tier or tier 2, is the guaranty for a loan above $144,000. With full entitlement it is 25% of the loan. With partial entitlement VA's loan limits page defines your remaining bonus entitlement as 25% of the county loan limit minus the entitlement you have already used, which is the figure this calculator calls remaining entitlement.
Is there a VA loan limit if I have full entitlement?
No. Since the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, a veteran with full entitlement has no VA loan limit on loans closed on or after January 1, 2020 (38 U.S.C. 3703(a)(1)(C)(i)): the guaranty is 25% of a loan above $144,000. The lender still decides how much you can borrow from your credit, income and debts, and VA's maximum loan on a property is the lower of the appraised value and the price. The county limit only matters if part of your entitlement is still in use.
What are the VA county loan limits?
VA says its limits match FHFA's conforming loan limits, and uses the one-unit limit for the county even for a two- to four-unit home. FHFA published the 2026 list on November 25, 2025: $832,750 in most counties and up to $1,249,125 in high-cost counties, with a $1,249,125 floor and $1,873,675 ceiling in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Alameda County, CA is $1,249,125. Connecticut is listed by planning region (FIPS codes starting 09110), not by county. The calculator's list comes straight from FHFA's file.
How much can I borrow with $0 down and a prior VA loan?
VA's Buyer's Guide says that, generally, remaining entitlement times four is the size of loan VA can guarantee without a down payment, and that if you finance the funding fee the loan VA guarantees includes the fee. With $175,000 left that is $700,000. You can borrow more with a down payment, but the lender must still approve the loan and can set stricter rules than VA.
How much down payment do I need above the limit?
VA words the lender test two ways. The Buyer's Guide (p. 38) says most lenders require entitlement plus cash down payment to equal at least 25% of the appraised value or sales price, whichever is less: down payment = 25% x the lesser of price and value, minus remaining entitlement, never below zero. VA's loan limits page says at least 25% of your total loan amount, and one reading of that is down payment = (price - 4 x remaining entitlement) / 5; VA does not print that formula. The calculator shows the Buyer's Guide figure as the headline, because it is the higher, and the loan-amount reading beside it. VA's example ($50,000 used in a $900,000 county) on a $900,000 home needs $50,000 on the Buyer's Guide test and $40,000 on the loan-amount reading, before any funding fee. On a $1,200,000 home in Alameda County, CA with $50,000 used, they are $37,718.75 and $30,175. If the price is above the appraised value, the gap is separate cash (Buyer's Guide p. 23) and is added: with $100,000 of entitlement left, a $500,000 price and a $450,000 appraisal, that is a $50,000 gap plus 25% x $450,000 - $100,000 = $12,500, or $62,500. Both tests are lender practice, not statute, so ask your lender.
How does the VA funding fee change the down payment?
If you finance the funding fee, the Buyer's Guide (p. 39) says the loan VA guarantees includes it. The headline is therefore a conservative estimate that assumes the lender's 25% test includes the financed fee: entitlement plus cash down must reach 25% of the lesser of price and value plus the fee. The fee rate falls at 5% and 10% down, so the calculator finds the smallest down payment that passes using the fee rate for that down payment. For VA's example with the fee financed at the subsequent-use rate, the headline down payment is $53,175.60 (a 1.5% fee of $12,702.37, so a $859,526.77 loan) and the loan-amount reading is $45,000. When your down payment lands just under 5% or 10%, the calculator also shows what paying up to the next tier would save. See the VA funding fee calculator for rates and exemptions.
What if my loan is $144,000 or less?
Then the basic entitlement rules apply: VA guarantees 50% of a loan up to $45,000, $22,500 for a loan of $45,001 to $56,250, and the lesser of $36,000 or 40% of a larger loan, and never more than the $36,000 basic amount minus entitlement used (38 U.S.C. 3703(a)(1)). A $40,000 loan, for example, has a $20,000 maximum guaranty. VA's guaranty examples show a borrower who used $36,000 and wants a $144,000 loan has no entitlement left (Example 4). For that case the calculator shows the guaranty available and does not show a down payment. If no entitlement is left even for a larger loan, or the down payment a larger loan needs would shrink it to $144,000 or less with no basic entitlement left, the calculator says restoration is needed instead of showing a down payment.
How does restoration of entitlement work?
VA lists three ways to restore entitlement used on a prior loan: you sold the home and paid that loan in full; a qualified veteran-transferee assumes your loan and substitutes their entitlement; or you repaid the loan but still own the home, which you can do only once (VA's guaranty examples, Example 6, show the one-time restoration). If your entitlement is fully restored, check the restored box and the calculator treats you as having full entitlement. Request a new COE to see what VA shows.
Does a prior VA loan I still have use up my entitlement?
Yes. Entitlement charged to a loan stays charged until it is restored, even if you moved out. What is left, if anything, is your remaining entitlement. For a loan over $144,000 closed on or after January 1, 2020 with full entitlement, the charge is about 25% of the loan, so a $400,000 loan uses about $100,000. Older loans and smaller loans are charged differently, so use the COE amount when you have it.
Why does my result differ from my lender's?
This is an estimate. Your COE shows the entitlement you actually used, the lender uses the county limit for the property's location, and lenders can add their own rules, such as a minimum down payment. VA's two documents word the 25% test differently, appraisals cap the loan at the lower of value and price, and the funding fee changes the loan amount. Treat the result as a way to know what to ask, and rely on your COE and lender for the real figures.
When do the county limits change?
FHFA announces each year's limits in late November (the 2026 list came out November 25, 2025) and they apply for the calendar year. VA says its limits match FHFA's, so check VA's loan limits page and FHFA's list when a new year's limits are released before relying on the table here.