VA Disability Pay Chart 2026, Explained
The 2026 VA disability pay chart sets monthly tax-free compensation by combined rating and dependent status, effective December 1, 2025. Rates run from $180.42 at 10% to $3,938.58 at 100% for a veteran alone, and dependency additions begin at a 30% rating for spouses, children, and dependent parents.
The VA updates disability compensation rates once a year through a cost-of-living adjustment tied to Social Security. For 2026, the adjustment was 2.8%, and the new rates took effect December 1, 2025. Every number below comes from the official rate tables published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at va.gov. Because these payments are tax-free, the listed amount is the full amount that lands in your account.
The base rates: veteran alone
Your row on the pay chart is set by your combined rating, rounded to the nearest 10%. Here is the 2026 monthly amount for a veteran with no dependents:
10%: $180.42. 20%: $356.66. 30%: $552.47. 40%: $795.84. 50%: $1,132.90. 60%: $1,435.02. 70%: $1,808.45. 80%: $2,102.15. 90%: $2,362.30. 100%: $3,938.58.
Notice the jump between 90% and 100%: it is $1,576.28 per month, or $18,915.36 per year. That gap is the single largest step on the chart, and it is why moving from a 90% combined rating to a scheduler 100% changes a veteran's finances more than any other bracket move. Annualized, a 100% veteran alone receives $47,262.96 per year, tax-free.
Why 10% and 20% have no dependent tiers
By law, the VA pays dependent additions only to veterans with a combined rating of 30% or higher. At 10% and 20%, the rate is flat: $180.42 and $356.66 per month no matter how many dependents you have. This is the first thing to check if you are reading a pay chart and wondering why your family situation does not appear on those rows.
The practical takeaway is that the 30% threshold is a meaningful line, not just a number. Moving from 20% to 30% does not only raise the base amount from $356.66 to $552.47. It also unlocks the entire dependent tier system: a spouse, children, and dependent parents all start adding dollars at 30%.
The spouse and parent tiers (30% to 60%)
At 30%, a veteran with a spouse receives $617.47 instead of $552.47. That spouse addition grows with the rating: at 60%, a spouse raises the amount from $1,435.02 to $1,566.02, a difference of $131.00 per month, or $1,572 per year. Dependent parents work the same way. At 60%, one dependent parent raises the veteran-alone amount to $1,540.02, and two parents raise it to $1,645.02. A veteran with both a spouse and two parents at 60% receives $1,776.02 per month.
If your spouse receives Aid and Attendance benefits, an added amount goes on top: $61 at 30%, rising to $121 at 60%. These added amounts stack on the basic monthly rate; they are not already included in it.
The spouse and parent tiers (70% to 100%)
The same structure continues at higher ratings with larger amounts. At 100%, a veteran with a spouse receives $4,158.17 per month. Add one dependent parent and it becomes $4,334.41; add a second parent and it becomes $4,510.65. A veteran with two dependent parents and no spouse receives $4,291.06. The Aid and Attendance addition at these ratings runs from $141 at 70% to $201.41 at 100%.
The 70% rating is worth special attention because it is the common filing threshold for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, or TDIU. A veteran who qualifies for TDIU is paid at the 100% rate, currently $3,938.58 per month for a veteran alone, even without a scheduler 100% combined rating.
Children: the basic rate plus added amounts
The VA tables give a basic monthly rate that already includes one child, and then added amounts for each additional child. At 30%, a veteran with one child and a spouse receives $666.47 per month. A veteran with one child and no spouse receives $596.47. Combining children with parents pushes it higher: at 60%, a veteran with one child, a spouse, and two parents receives $1,873.02 per month.
Each additional child under 18 adds $32 at 30%, $43 at 40%, $54 at 50%, $65 at 60%, $76 at 70%, $87 at 80%, $98 at 90%, and $109.11 at 100%. Each additional child over 18 in a qualifying school program adds substantially more: $105 at 30%, rising to $352.45 at 100%. The VA counts the children over 18 only while they are in a qualifying school program, so that status is worth documenting and keeping current.
How to read your own number
Start with the basic monthly rate table: find your rating column and your dependent status row. That intersection is your basic monthly rate. Then check the added amounts table for anything extra that applies: each child beyond the first, and the Aid and Attendance addition if your spouse qualifies. Add those to the basic rate. That total is your monthly payment.
For example, a veteran at 70% with a spouse and three children under 18 starts at the basic rate of $2,074.45 for a spouse and one child, then adds $76 for each of the two additional children, for a total of $2,226.45 per month. If the spouse also receives Aid and Attendance, add $141 more, for $2,367.45.
Using the full table
The complete 2026 rate tables, with every dependent combination at every rating, are published on the VA Disability Calculator home page, and you can download them as a CSV for your own records. If your situation involves more than two children, a spouse in a school program, or Special Monthly Compensation, the VA tables still apply, but your VSO or accredited representative can make sure every dollar you are owed is on the claim.
Figures current as of October 2026 - Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (va.gov), 2026 rates effective December 1, 2025.