# VA funding fee calculator with the 2026 fee chart

Source: https://nobullshitloans.com/tools/va-funding-fee/
By Tyler Rood, Loan Officer, NMLS ID # 2064776, Edge Home Finance, LLC (NMLS ID # 891464). Updated 2026-11-09.

## The short answer

The VA funding fee is a one-time charge on most VA loans, a percentage of the loan amount, usually rolled into the loan. As of 2026, it's 2.15% on a first-use purchase with less than 5% down, or $7,525 on a $350,000 loan; 5% down drops it to 1.5% and 10% down to 1.25%, and after first use the under-5% rate is 3.3%. Veterans receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability, and a few other groups, pay no fee.

The VA funding fee is the reason a zero-down VA loan ends up bigger than the price, and for a lot of veterans it's zero. This VA funding fee calculator uses VA's current fee table to show what you'd owe on a purchase, a cash-out refinance or an IRRRL, and what changes when you put money down or have used the benefit before.

## VA funding fee chart for 2026

These are VA's rates, in effect since April 7, 2023 and still current as of November 2026.

| Loan type | Down payment | First use | After first use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase or construction | Less than 5% | 2.15% | 3.3% |
| Purchase or construction | 5% to less than 10% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Purchase or construction | 10% or more | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Cash-out refinance | None | 2.15% | 3.3% |
| IRRRL (streamline) | None | 0.5% | 0.5% |

Other VA loans have their own rates: 0.5% on a loan assumption, 1% on a manufactured home that isn't permanently affixed. The calculator covers the three loan types in the table.

## How to use the VA funding fee calculator

- **Type of VA loan.** Purchase, cash-out refinance or IRRRL.
- **Purchase price or loan amount.** On a purchase, enter the price; the calculator takes your down payment off to get the loan. On a refinance, enter the new loan amount.
- **Down payment.** Purchases only, so the box hides for refinances.
- **Have you used your VA benefit before?** Pick "First use" if this is your first VA loan, "Used before" if you've had one. The IRRRL rate is the same either way, so the question hides there.
- **The exemption box.** Check it if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability or another exemption applies.

## How to read your result

**Worked example: First-use purchase, $350,000, nothing down**
- Base loan after down payment: $350,000
- times Funding fee rate (first use, less than 5% down): 2.15%
- equals: Funding fee: $7,525
Note: Rolled into the loan, that makes the loan $357,525.
_Hypothetical example. Not a quote._


Most buyers roll the fee into the loan rather than pay it in cash, which puts the loan above the price. To see what it does to your monthly payment, run the same numbers through the [mortgage payment calculator](https://nobullshitloans.com/tools/mortgage-payment/) with VA selected.

What moves the fee:

- **Down payment.** At 5% down the rate drops to 1.5%, and at 10% down to 1.25%.
- **Using the benefit before.** With less than 5% down the rate jumps to 3.3%, or $11,550 on $350,000. At 5% or more down, it matches first use.
- **Refinancing.** A cash-out refinance is 2.15% or 3.3% of the new loan. An IRRRL is 0.5%. More on the [VA streamline (IRRRL)](https://nobullshitloans.com/refinance/va-irrrl/).
- **An exemption.** It takes the fee to zero.

## VA funding fee exemption: who owes nothing

You pay no funding fee if you:

- receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability;
- are eligible for that compensation but receive retirement or active-duty pay instead;
- are a surviving spouse receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC);
- are a service member with a proposed or memorandum rating issued before closing, based on a pre-discharge claim;
- are on active duty and show proof of a Purple Heart on or before closing.

What counts is where your claim stands at closing. If it's still pending when you close, you pay the fee, though VA says you may get it refunded if you're later awarded compensation with an effective date before your closing. The rest of the rules are on my [VA funding fee](https://nobullshitloans.com/veterans/va-funding-fee/) page.

**My take**
Don't put money down just to shrink the fee. On a $350,000 first-use purchase, 5% down is $17,500 of cash to save $2,538 of fee and about $127 a month of payment at an example 6.5%, fee included. That's over 11 years to earn back. Keep the cash as reserves instead. And if you have a disability claim to file, file it before you start the mortgage.


If you've used the benefit before, the bigger question is usually [how much VA entitlement you have left](https://nobullshitloans.com/veterans/va-entitlement/). For the rest of a VA purchase, start with [how VA loans work](https://nobullshitloans.com/veterans/va-loan/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can the seller pay my VA funding fee?

Yes. VA treats a seller paying your funding fee as a concession, so it counts toward VA's 4% limit on seller concessions. Normal closing costs the seller pays don't use up that 4%, so the fee and your closing costs can both be covered.

### Can I roll the VA funding fee into my loan?

Yes, and most buyers do. On a VA purchase it's the one cost that can be added to the loan; everything else is paid at closing. Financing $7,525 at an example rate of 6.5% for 30 years adds about $48 a month.

### Does a bigger down payment get rid of the VA funding fee?

It shrinks it, but it never goes away unless you're exempt. On a $350,000 first-use purchase, 5% down cuts the fee from $7,525 to $4,988, and 10% down cuts it to $3,938.

### Is the funding fee the same for National Guard and Reserve members?

Yes. As of 2026, the rates are the same for veterans, active-duty service members and Guard and Reserve members.

### How much is the funding fee on a VA streamline refinance?

It's 0.5% of the loan, first use or not, so $1,500 on a $300,000 IRRRL. It's usually rolled into the new loan, and it's left out when VA tests whether the lower payment pays back your costs within 36 months.

## Sources

- [VA, VA funding fee and loan closing costs](https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs/)
- [U.S. Code, 38 U.S.C. 3709, VA refinance (IRRRL) recoupment and rate reduction](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/3709)

## Disclosures

Individual Originator: Tyler Rood, Loan Officer, NMLS ID # 2064776 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Licensed in NC, PA, TX and VA.
Edge Home Finance, LLC | NMLS ID # 891464 | www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Licensed in all U.S. states & D.C., EXCEPT New York. Edge Home Finance, LLC is a mortgage broker, not a direct lender or creditor. Virginia Broker License MC-7006. North Carolina Mortgage Broker License B-201539. Pennsylvania Mortgage Broker License 81041. Texas: Mortgage Company License, Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending.
Numbers on this page are illustrations, not offers. Any rate shown on this site is an example. Rates may change or may not be available at the time of loan commitment or lock-in.
Edge Home Finance, LLC is a private mortgage broker and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of or at the direction of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), or any other government agency.
We do business in accordance with the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.