VA Funding Fee Calculator
Calculate your VA funding fee based on loan type, VA loan use, down payment, and exemption status.
Loan information
The amount you're borrowing before the funding fee is added.
VA loan details
Percent of the purchase price. The rate drops at 5% and again at 10%.
See the exemption list for the categories VA recognizes.
Adds the fee to your loan amount instead of paying it at closing.
Your Funding Fee
Estimated$8,600.00
Applicable rate: 2.15% of the loan amount.
Your rate of 2.15% comes from the first use purchase row with less than 5% down, applied to a $400,000 loan.
Details
If financed
Funding fees are set by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and help keep the VA home loan program available for future Veterans.
Rates from VA.govEffective April 7, 2023Last verified August 31, 2026View VA funding fee information
Your VA funding fee
$8,600
What the VA funding fee is
The VA funding fee is a one-time payment made by the veteran, service member, or surviving spouse on a VA-backed or VA direct home loan. It keeps the program running without charging borrowers monthly mortgage insurance. You can pay it in full at closing or finance it into the loan.
Official VA purchase loan rate chart
Rates for Veterans, active-duty service members, and National Guard and Reserve members on purchase and construction loans, effective April 7, 2023:
| VA loan use | Down payment | Funding fee |
|---|---|---|
| First use | Less than 5% | 2.15% |
| First use | 5% or more | 1.50% |
| First use | 10% or more | 1.25% |
| After first use | Less than 5% | 3.30% |
| After first use | 5% or more | 1.50% |
| After first use | 10% or more | 1.25% |
Source: VA.gov — VA funding fee and loan closing costs. Last verified August 31, 2026.
Who is exempt
According to VA, you don't have to pay the funding fee if any of the following apply:
- You're receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability.
- You're eligible to receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, but you're receiving retirement or active-duty pay instead.
- You're receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) as the surviving spouse of a Veteran.
- You're a service member who received a proposed or memorandum rating before the loan closing date saying you're eligible for compensation because of a pre-discharge claim.
- You're an active-duty service member who, on or before the loan closing date, provides evidence of receiving a Purple Heart.
Your Certificate of Eligibility shows your exemption status, and your lender confirms it before closing.
How the fee affects your payment
Financing the fee increases the balance you amortize, so it raises your monthly payment slightly and adds interest over the life of the loan. Paying it at closing keeps the loan smaller but requires more cash up front. The VA Mortgage Calculator lets you toggle between the two and see the monthly difference.
Limitations of this estimate
- It covers purchase and construction loans, cash-out refinances, and IRRRLs. NADLs, manufactured home loans, assumptions, and Vendee loans have their own rates.
- Exemption status is taken from your answer, not verified against your Certificate of Eligibility.
- It doesn't include any other closing costs, which can't be financed on a purchase loan.
- Rates can change by statute. Always confirm against the VA page linked above.
Common questions
Is the VA funding fee charged on the loan amount or the home price?
On the loan amount. VA states the funding fee applies only to the loan amount, not the purchase price of the home, so a down payment reduces both the base you pay the fee on and, at 5% or 10%, the percentage itself.
Who is exempt from the VA funding fee?
Borrowers receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability, borrowers eligible for that compensation but receiving retirement or active-duty pay instead, surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, service members with a pre-discharge proposed or memorandum rating before closing, and active-duty service members who provide evidence of a Purple Heart on or before closing.
Can I get the funding fee refunded?
Possibly. VA says you may be eligible for a refund if you are later awarded VA compensation for a service-connected disability with an effective date retroactive to before your loan closing date. A rating issued after closing does not qualify for a refund.
Does using a VA loan a second time cost more?
Yes, if you put less than 5% down: the fee goes from 2.15% on a first use to 3.3% on a subsequent use. At 5% down both are 1.5%, and at 10% down both are 1.25%.
Do these rates apply to refinances?
Choose the loan type in the calculator. Cash-out refinances use 2.15% for a first use and 3.3% after first use regardless of down payment, and an Interest Rate Reduction Refinancing Loan (IRRRL) is 0.5%.
Sources and last verified
- VA funding fee rates: VA.gov funding fee and closing costs
- Rates effective April 7, 2023. Last verified August 31, 2026.
- Payments use standard amortization. No lender-specific pricing is applied.
Veteran Home Calc is an independent educational site. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and it does not sell leads or collect your numbers — results are estimates, not loan approvals, offers, or financial advice.