Calculators
VA Funding Fee Calculator
Most VA loans carry a one-time funding fee instead of monthly mortgage insurance, and it can be added to the loan rather than paid in cash. Know the dollar figure for a purchase, a cash-out refinance or an IRRRL before you compare offers, and check whether you are exempt.
- VA's current fee schedule
- Sent to Samantha only if you choose
What will your VA funding fee be?
VA sets the fee by the loan type, your down payment and whether you have used the benefit before, and an IRRRL costs the same either way. Your numbers are not sent unless you choose to send them to Samantha.
Enter the purchase price and your down payment.
Arithmetic on the figures you entered, using VA's funding fee schedule in effect since April 7, 2023, as described in our VA loan guide. Rules can change. Your lender confirms your fee and any exemption from your Certificate of Eligibility, and the fee appears on your Loan Estimate. Not a quote or an offer. Align Lending LLC, NMLS #2041154. Equal Housing Opportunity.
The terms
What the funding fee is, and what it replaces
VA funding fee
The VA funding fee is a one-time charge on most VA loans that helps pay for the program. It varies by loan type, down payment and whether you have used VA financing before, and it can be paid in cash or added to the loan. Veterans receiving VA disability compensation, and some others, are exempt.
VA loan
A VA loan is a mortgage for eligible veterans, service members and some surviving spouses, backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It comes with down payment options for eligible veterans and no monthly mortgage insurance, though a one-time funding fee usually applies. Eligibility comes from service, documented on a Certificate of Eligibility, and the benefit can be used more than once.
Questions about the VA funding fee
If yours is not here, send Samantha your numbers and she will walk through your fee and any exemption.
How much is the VA funding fee?
It is a share of the loan amount that VA sets by the type of loan, the size of the down payment on a purchase and whether you have used the benefit before. The calculator above applies VA’s schedule in effect since April 7, 2023 to the figures you enter and shows the fee in dollars. VA’s funding fee page lists the full chart.
Who does not pay the funding fee?
You are exempt if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, are eligible for it but take retirement or active-duty pay instead, hold a proposed or memorandum rating from a pre-discharge claim, receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation as a surviving spouse, or hold a Purple Heart while on active duty. Your Certificate of Eligibility shows the exemption, and the funding fee line on your Loan Estimate should read zero.
What if my disability rating comes through after I close?
If you paid a funding fee and were later awarded compensation with an effective date before your loan closed, VA says you may be eligible for a refund. It is worth asking.
Do I have to pay it in cash?
No. It can be added to the loan, and the seller, the lender or a family member using gift funds can pay it. VA lets seller concessions of up to 4% of the home’s reasonable value go toward the funding fee and prepaid taxes and insurance. See our guide to buying a home with a VA loan for how that fits an offer.
Is the funding fee the same as mortgage insurance?
No. VA loans have no monthly mortgage insurance. The funding fee is a one-time charge in its place, and it can be paid at closing or added to the loan.
Does a refinance charge the fee again?
Yes, unless you are exempt. An IRRRL carries a smaller fee than a cash-out refinance, and a cash-out refinance costs more after a first use of the benefit than on the first. The calculator above shows the fee for either in dollars. Our guide to refinancing a VA loan compares the two.
Keep going
Planning a VA loan
VA Homebuyer Plan
What to sort out first when you are buying with a VA loan.
VA Homebuyer PlanVA loans
How the program works, who qualifies and what it costs.
VA loansLoan Estimate check
Upload a Loan Estimate and see the lines worth asking about.
Loan Estimate checkAll calculators
Every Align tool in one place, grouped by the question it answers.
All calculatorsAlign Lending LLC, NMLS #2041154, is a mortgage broker. Samantha Shelton, NMLS 1647301. Equal Housing Opportunity. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The calculator shows arithmetic on the figures you enter and VA's funding fee schedule as described in our VA loan guides. Your lender confirms your fee and any exemption from your Certificate of Eligibility. It is not a quote, an offer of credit or advice.
