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VA Funding Fee Calculator 2026 — Estimate Your Fee in Seconds
The VA funding fee varies by loan type, down payment, and whether this is your first use of VA loan benefits. Estimate yours and see whether you may qualify for an exemption.
Most VA-guaranteed loans carry a one-time funding fee, figured as a percentage of the loan amount rather than a flat dollar charge. That percentage moves based on the transaction type (purchase, cash-out refinance, or IRRRL), whether you've tapped VA loan benefits before, and how much you're putting down. Disability-compensation recipients, Purple Heart recipients, and certain surviving spouses don't pay it at all.
- ✓The funding fee is a percentage of the loan amount, not a flat dollar figure.
- ✓Purchase loans with 0% down and first-time use carry the highest percentage; larger down payments and IRRRLs are lower.
- ✓Subsequent use of VA benefits generally raises the purchase fee percentage compared with first use.
- ✓Veterans with service-connected disability compensation, Purple Heart recipients, and certain surviving spouses are exempt.
- ✓Rather than pay cash at closing, most borrowers roll the fee straight into the loan balance.
What this means for you: run your scenario below to see your estimated fee, then confirm your exemption status on your Certificate of Eligibility.
Written by
Simply Approved Mortgages Team
Licensed Loan Officers · NMLS# 2620881
Get your personalized scenario summary
Complete the short request and a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer sends back a written summary built from your own numbers: estimated payment breakdown, estimated cash to close, the loan structures that fit your file, and what documentation the file will need.
- Estimated monthly payment with taxes and insurance
- Estimated cash to close for your scenario
- Loan options your profile may fit
- Document checklist for your file
Takes about 3 minutes · Summary shown on screen and emailed to you
Illustration only, generated from the information you enter. Not a rate quote, lock, loan estimate, pre-qualification, offer, approval, or commitment to lend. Figures are subject to credit, income, asset and property review and full lender underwriting; binding numbers appear on your Loan Estimate.
Scenario summary
- Purchase price entered
- $412,000
- Down payment entered
- $20,600
- Estimated loan amount
- $391,400
- Estimated cash to close
- $14,300
- Programs reviewed
- 4
Sample layout with example figures — your own numbers replace these. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC · NMLS #2620881 · Equal Housing Opportunity.
VA Funding Fee Calculator
Estimate your VA funding fee
Fees below mirror the VA.gov schedule effective April 7, 2023. Select your loan type, usage history, and down payment to estimate the fee.
Funding fee rate
2.15%
Effective April 7, 2023
Estimated fee
$8,600
Rolled into the loan amount
Total financed loan
$408,600
Base loan + financed funding fee
Who is exempt?
- Veterans receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability
- Veterans entitled to receive VA compensation but receiving retirement or active-duty pay instead
- Veterans rated eligible to receive compensation based on a pre-discharge claim review or exam
- Surviving spouses of Veterans who died in service or from a service-connected disability
- Service members who provide evidence of receiving the Purple Heart on or before loan closing
Illustrative only. This estimate is not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend. Exemption status is determined by the VA, not the lender, and is confirmed on your Certificate of Eligibility. Binding figures appear on your Loan Estimate. Simply Approved Mortgages is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Next steps
Emailing your VA funding fee calculator scenario opens our secure request form so a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer can review those numbers. Estimates are illustrative and are not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend.
Assumptions, methodology, and limitations
Applies the VA.gov funding fee schedule (see src/lib/va-funding-fees.ts) by loan type, down payment tier, and first vs. subsequent use, then multiplies by your entered base loan amount.
Exemption status is determined by the VA, not the lender, and must be confirmed on your Certificate of Eligibility. Actual fee tiers can change if VA updates the published schedule.
Results are illustrative estimates only and are not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend. No rate, APR, or program approval is implied. Binding figures appear on your Loan Estimate. Eligibility, terms, and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program, and state.
Run your scenario with a loan officer
Share your numbers and a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer sends back an estimated payment, estimated cash to close, and the structures that fit your file. Educational only — not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend.
How the VA funding fee is calculated
The VA funding fee offsets the cost of the VA loan guaranty program to taxpayers, since VA loans typically require no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance. The fee is a percentage of your loan amount, and that percentage depends on three things: the type of transaction (purchase, cash-out refinance, or IRRRL streamline refinance), whether this is your first time using VA loan benefits, and, for purchases, how much you are putting down.
First use versus subsequent use
Veterans using their VA loan benefit for the first time generally receive a lower funding fee percentage on purchase loans than veterans who have used the benefit before. A larger down payment can also reduce the percentage on a purchase loan, regardless of prior use.
IRRRL and cash-out refinance fees
An Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL), also called a VA streamline refinance, carries a lower flat funding fee percentage than a purchase or cash-out transaction, reflecting its reduced documentation and lower risk profile. Cash-out refinances are priced separately from IRRRLs and from purchase loans.
Want these numbers built around your file?
A short request is all it takes to get a written scenario summary back from a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer. Binding figures appear on your Loan Estimate.
Who is exempt from the funding fee
Veterans receiving VA disability compensation, veterans who would be entitled to compensation if not for retirement pay, Purple Heart recipients on active duty, and certain surviving spouses of veterans who died in service or from a service-connected disability are exempt from the funding fee. Exemption status is confirmed by the VA on your Certificate of Eligibility, not determined by your lender.
Financing the fee versus paying cash
Most VA borrowers choose to finance the funding fee into the loan amount rather than pay it out of pocket at closing. This raises the total loan balance and the resulting payment slightly but reduces upfront cash needed. Some borrowers choose to pay it in cash instead to keep the loan balance lower.
How a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer helps
Your Certificate of Eligibility documents your entitlement usage and exemption status, and a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer can confirm the exact fee tier that applies to your file before you commit to a purchase contract.
Figures shown are illustrative estimates and not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend. Binding figures appear on your Loan Estimate. Simply Approved Mortgages is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
What you can do with this loan
Estimate your VA funding fee before making an offer.
Compare purchase, IRRRL, and cash-out refinance fee tiers.
See the difference financing the fee makes versus paying cash.
Check whether your exemption status changes the outcome.
Plan your total loan amount including a financed fee.
Pros & cons — honest tradeoffs
Pros — Pros & cons
- +Allows VA loans to remain free of monthly mortgage insurance.
- +Lower for first-time users and larger down payments.
- +IRRRLs carry a reduced flat fee.
- +Exemptions are available for many disabled veterans and surviving spouses.
- +Can be financed into the loan to reduce upfront cash needs.
Cons / watch-outs — Pros & cons
- −Adds cost to a VA loan compared with a conventional loan with the same down payment (offset by no monthly MI).
- −Subsequent use with 0% down carries a higher percentage than first use.
- −Financing the fee increases your total loan balance and payment.
- −Exemption determinations can take time to confirm through the VA.
- −Cash-out refinance fees are generally higher than purchase fees.
Compare loan officer compensation on your mortgage quote
Loan officer compensation is part of the cost of a mortgage. On eligible residential loans, Simply Approved Mortgages generally uses 1.5% lender-paid compensation. Enter the compensation shown on another lender's Loan Estimate to see the difference in dollars.
Compensation difference on this illustration: $3,750.
How lower compensation can help you
When less compensation is built into pricing, there can be room for a lower interest rate, which may lower your monthly payment.
Depending on the rate you choose, pricing can sometimes include a lender credit toward third-party closing costs, so you may bring less cash to closing.
A lower rate means a lower monthly payment, which can lower your debt-to-income ratio and may help you qualify for more home on the same income.
As a mortgage broker we compare pricing from wholesale lenders instead of offering a single bank’s retail pricing.
Tip: On page 2 of your Loan Estimate, look at Section A, "Origination Charges." If the lender pays the loan officer, that compensation usually does not appear there as its own line; it is built into the interest rate. That is why comparing the rate and any lender credits side by side matters.
Already have a Loan Estimate from another bank or broker? Share it with a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer, who will compare the rate, fees and credits side by side with options we can arrange. No cost to request a review.
Illustration only — not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend; binding figures appear on your Loan Estimate. Lender-paid compensation is paid by the lender, not directly by you, and is part of the loan's pricing, so the loan is not free of costs. A lower compensation figure does not by itself guarantee a lower rate or lower closing costs; individual results vary by credit, loan type, property and market conditions. Residential lending in FL and CO only. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC · NMLS #2620881 · Equal Housing Opportunity.
Worked example
How this loan actually works — a full example
A first-time VA buyer purchases a $400,000 home with 0% down.
Inputs
- Loan amount
- $400,000
- Down payment
- 0%
- Usage
- First use
Calculation
- 1Estimated funding fee percentageSee calculator for current schedule
- 2Estimated funding feeLoan amount x fee percentage
- 3Financed total loanLoan amount + funding fee
Illustrative only — not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend. Binding figures appear on your Loan Estimate.
Purchase market update
What buyers should know this month
30-Yr Fixed · national avg
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15-Yr Fixed · national avg
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2026 buying power
Conforming baseline: $832,750
FHA floor / ceiling: $541,287 – $1,249,125
Percentage-based, not flat
The fee scales with your loan amount, transaction type, and usage history.
Exemptions available
Disability compensation, Purple Heart, and certain surviving spouses are exempt.
Usually financed
Most borrowers roll the fee into the loan rather than pay cash at closing.
Cost and payment tools
Run your payment, affordability, closing cost and refinance numbers
Monthly payment, affordability, closing costs, refinance break-even and early payoff, all on one screen. This page is not written for one state, so property tax, insurance and transfer or recording charges start at neutral placeholder assumptions rather than published averages — Transfer, documentary-stamp and recording charges are set by your state and county — enter your own figure, or open the state page for a sourced seed. Insurance and tax assumptions vary widely by state, county and property, so replace these starting values with quotes for your address. Every figure is an illustrative estimate, not a quote, lock, offer, approval, or commitment to lend.
Your inputs
Estimated result
- Down payment
- $20,000
- Loan amount
- $380,000
- Principal & interest
- $2,402
- Property tax
- $333/mo
- Homeowners insurance
- $167/mo
- Estimated total monthly
- $2,902/mo
Reference sources: Tax Foundation — property taxes paid as a percentage of owner-occupied housing value, NAIC — Homeowners Insurance Report, CFPB — Understanding your Loan Estimate.
Assumptions, methodology, and limitations
Principal and interest use the standard amortization formula on the loan amount you enter. This page does not target a single state, so the property tax and insurance fields start at neutral placeholder assumptions rather than published averages — replace them with figures for your own address, or open the matching state page for sourced seeds. Closing costs apply your state's transfer / documentary-stamp practice (0.00% of price used as the buyer-side seed) plus typical title, recording, appraisal, credit and prepaid escrow lines. Refinance break-even divides your entered costs by the monthly payment difference. Early payoff runs a month-by-month amortization with your extra principal.
These tools do not include mortgage insurance, funding or guarantee fees, HOA special assessments, flood or windstorm premiums, seller credits, lender credits, discount points, or county and municipal charges specific to your parcel. Statewide averages will not match any individual property. Figures are estimates only.
Illustrative only. Binding figures appear on your Loan Estimate, and terms vary by borrower, property, lender, program, and state.
Turn these estimates into real numbers
Send your scenario to a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer and get a written summary back, or compare where rates sit today. Educational only — not a quote, lock, offer, approval, or commitment to lend.
VA Funding Fee Calculator 2026 FAQs
Answers to the most common VA funding fee calculator 2026 questions, written by licensed loan officers.
Ask SAM anything about mortgages
SAM is the Simply Approved Mortgages AI assistant. It answers general questions using the reviewed guides published on this site and links you to the primary government source. It is educational only — it does not quote a rate, payment, APR, approval or commitment to lend. A Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer reviews every scenario before any terms are confirmed.
Hi, I'm SAM — an AI assistant for Simply Approved Mortgages. I can explain loan programs, closing costs, DTI, down payments and which calculator or guide to use. I'm not a licensed loan officer, and nothing here is a quote, approval or commitment to lend.
Ask Sam AI provides general educational information only. It is an automated assistant, may be incomplete or out of date, and does not provide legal, tax or financial advice. Nothing it produces is a rate quote, APR, pre-approval, offer or commitment to lend. Never share a Social Security number, ITIN, date of birth, account number or password in chat. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC (NMLS #2620881) arranges residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado. Eligibility, terms, conditions and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program and state, and all loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Trusted government resources
These independent government resources can help you research mortgage programs, rates, and your rights before you apply.
Simply Approved Mortgages is not affiliated with HUD, the CFPB, the FTC, the VA, or any other government agency. Links are provided for your independent verification.
How this page connects
Where this fits in the VA lending library
This page sits inside our VA lending coverage.
What most readers open next
- VA appraisal and Minimum Property RequirementsBecause MPRs decide whether a property can be financed at all.
Explore the full guide
Keep reading — the rest of the buying playbook
Each of these is a deep-dive on one piece of the purchase mortgage process. Bookmark whichever you need next.
Guide
VA Funding Fees
Full reference guide to the fee schedule and exemptions.
Read the guide →Guide
VA Entitlement Calculator
Estimate remaining entitlement and max zero-down loan.
Read the guide →Guide
VA Residual Income Requirements
The other key VA underwriting test.
Read the guide →Guide
VA Certificate of Eligibility
Where your exemption status is documented.
Read the guide →Guide
VA Loans — Complete Guide
Every VA program and rule.
Read the guide →Guide
VA Loan Rates
Current VA rate trends and pricing factors.
Read the guide →Internal library
Related mortgage guides across our library
Follow the next relevant guide for your scenario.
Start My Approval
Complete this short request and a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer will personally review your scenario. The form only asks what your program actually needs. Submitting it is not an application for credit and is not a commitment to lend.
Tell us about your scenario
The form below is tailored to VA loan — only the questions and documents your program needs.
Simply Approved Mortgages LLC is licensed to arrange residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado only. We ask first so we never collect a mortgage inquiry we are not licensed to act on.
VA loans allow $0 down for eligible service. Purchase price is enough to size the loan.
A range is enough here — no credit report is pulled and your credit is not affected.
Illustrative estimate only — not a quote, rate lock, offer of credit, or commitment to lend.
Submitting this form is not an application for credit and is not a commitment to lend. No credit report is pulled at this step.
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Simplify Your Mortgage Journey with These Resources
Talk To A Loan Officer
A Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer will personally connect with you to walk through your options.
Mortgage insights & guides
Plain-language articles to help you understand the home loan process, save on closing costs, and make confident decisions.
7 things every first-time homebuyer should know before applying
From credit prep to down payment assistance, here’s how to walk into your first mortgage application with confidence.
Using your VA loan benefit: a step-by-step guide
Eligibility, the Certificate of Eligibility, funding fees, and how to maximize zero-down purchasing power.
Where your closing costs actually go (and where you can save)
A line-by-line breakdown of the Loan Estimate and the fees that are negotiable versus fixed.
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Equal Housing Opportunity
Broker identification. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC is a mortgage broker and is not a direct lender. We arrange residential mortgage loans with third-party wholesale lenders and do not make the lender's final credit decision or fund the loan. We arrange residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado. Business-purpose mortgage products may be arranged in additional states only where permitted by applicable law and pursuant to applicable licensing requirements or exemptions.
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