Updated October 14, 2026. 2027 rates calculated from the official 2026 VA compensation tables, based on the 3.6 percent COLA; the VA publishes its official 2027 tables separately. Reviewed October 2026.
About these figures. The 2027 rates below are calculated from the 2026 tables using the official 3.6 percent cost of living adjustment announced by the Social Security Administration on October 14, 2026. VA publishes its own rounded tables in early December. We will update this page the day they appear; differences, if any, will be a few cents.
VA disability compensation is a tax free monthly payment set by two numbers: your combined disability rating, from 10 to 100 percent, and your dependents. The 2027 rates below take effect December 1, 2026, after the 3.6 percent cost of living increase, and first appear in the payment that arrives December 31, 2026. The 2026 rates apply through November 30, 2026. This page has the full table, the dependent additions that start at 30 percent, and the answers to the questions the table itself raises.
Monthly Rates by Rating, Veteran With No Dependents
| Rating | Monthly payment |
|---|---|
| 10% | $186.92 |
| 20% | $369.50 |
| 30% | $572.36 |
| 40% | $824.49 |
| 50% | $1,173.68 |
| 60% | $1,486.68 |
| 70% | $1,873.55 |
| 80% | $2,177.83 |
| 90% | $2,447.34 |
| 100% | $4,080.37 |
All of it is tax free, federal and state. A 0 percent rating pays nothing monthly but is far from worthless: it establishes service connection, locks in priority for that condition, and sets the foundation for a future increase if the condition worsens.
Dependents Raise the Rate, Starting at 30 Percent
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At 10 and 20 percent the rates are flat regardless of family. From 30 percent up, a spouse, children, and dependent parents each add to the monthly amount, and the additions grow with the rating. Examples at the 2027 rates: a 30 percent veteran with a spouse receives $639.70; a 70 percent veteran with a spouse receives $2,032.06, and with a spouse and one child $2,149.13, plus $78.74 for each additional child under 18 at that rating; a 100 percent veteran with a spouse receives $4,307.86, and $4,474.47 with a spouse and one child. A spouse who needs Aid and Attendance adds more still, $146.08 monthly at the 70 percent level.
The catch is that the VA only pays for dependents it knows about, and adding them is a claim of its own, covered with the retroactive pay rules in our dependents guide.
Two Rate Questions Worth Their Own Pages
First, why your combined rating is lower than your conditions added together: the VA does not add percentages, it multiplies against your remaining capacity, which is why 50 plus 30 pays at 70, not 80, decoded fully in our VA math guide. Second, veterans who cannot work because of service connected conditions can receive the 100 percent rate without a 100 percent rating through TDIU, one of the most valuable and least claimed benefits in the system, in our TDIU guide.
When the Money Arrives, and the December Increase
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See What I Qualify For →🔒 Free · Private · Takes 2 minutesVA disability pays on the first of each month for the previous month, shifted earlier around weekends and holidays, with the full calendar in our VA payment schedule. The annual COLA matches Social Security’s, announced each October and detailed in our COLA guide, effective December 1 and first visible in the December 31 deposit. The rates on this page update the same day the VA’s do.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How much is 100 percent VA disability?
$4,080.37 monthly for a veteran alone under the 2027 rates, effective December 1, 2026, $4,307.86 with a spouse, all tax free, plus the healthcare, education, and state benefits that attach at 100 percent.
Is VA disability taxed?
No, at any rating, by federal law. It does not appear on a tax return, and it does not count as income for most benefit programs, though rules vary program by program.
How much does a spouse add to VA disability?
It scales with your rating: about $67 at 30 percent, $159 at 70 percent, and $227 at 100 percent under the 2027 rates. Children and dependent parents add separately, and none of it flows until the dependents are on file.
When do the 2027 rates start?
December 1, 2026, with the increased amount first appearing in the payment issued December 31, 2026. The percentage matches the Social Security COLA, 3.6 percent, announced October 14, 2026.
Can my rating and payment go down?
Ratings can be reduced after review if conditions improve, with protections that strengthen over time: five and ten year rules limit reductions, and twenty year ratings are essentially permanent absent fraud. A proposed reduction is contestable, and the appeal routes in our appeals guide apply.
The Bottom Line
Find your rating in the table, add the dependents the VA knows about, and that tax free amount arrives on the first of every month. If the combined number seems lower than your conditions deserve, the VA math guide explains why, and if working is no longer possible, TDIU may pay the 100 percent rate regardless of the percentage on your letter.
