Home › Benefits › VA pension rates
Direct answer: In 2026 the VA pension maximum (MAPR) is $17,441 a year for a veteran with no dependents, $22,839 with one dependent and $34,488 with one dependent and Aid and Attendance. VA pays the MAPR minus your countable income. The net worth limit is $163,699. All rise 3.6% on Dec. 1, 2026.
By the numbers: From December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026, the net worth limit to be eligible for Veterans Pension benefits is $163,699. Source: VA: Current pension rates for Veterans
“Under federal law, the cost-of-living adjustments to VA's compensation and pension rates are the same percentage as for Social Security benefits.” — VA: Benefit rates index
Updated 2026-10-17
VA pays the difference between your Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) and your countable income. 2026 MAPRs (effective Dec. 1, 2025): veteran alone $17,441 a year, Housebound $21,313, Aid and Attendance $29,093; with one dependent $22,839, $26,710 and $34,488; add $2,984 for each extra dependent. A veteran with one dependent, Aid and Attendance and $10,000 of income gets $24,488 a year, about $2,040.66 a month.
$163,699 from Dec. 1, 2025, to Nov. 30, 2026 (it was $159,240). Net worth is your assets plus your yearly countable income. Your home (on a lot up to 2 acres), your car and basic household items don't count as assets. A married veteran's assets include the spouse's.
Aid and Attendance isn't a separate check; it raises your pension MAPR. 2026: $29,093 a year for a veteran alone, $34,488 with one dependent, $46,143 if both spouses are veterans who qualify, and $18,697 for a surviving spouse with no child ($22,304 with one child). VA pays the MAPR minus countable income.
Yes. By law (38 U.S.C. 5312) pension rates rise automatically by the Social Security COLA, which is 3.6% for 2027, effective Dec. 1, 2026. Unlike disability compensation, no act of Congress is needed. The net worth limit rises by the same percentage (38 CFR 3.274(a)), to about $169,592 by our math; VA hasn't posted its 2027 table yet.
Yes. Unreimbursed medical expenses (including qualifying in-home care, nursing-home and care-facility costs, and health, Medicare and long-term care insurance premiums, per 38 CFR 3.278) are subtracted to the extent they exceed 5% of your basic MAPR: $872 for a veteran alone and $1,141 for a veteran with one dependent in 2026 (38 CFR 3.272(g)).
VA reviews asset transfers made in the 3 years before you file. If you gave assets away for less than fair market value and they would have put you over the net worth limit, VA sets a penalty period of up to 5 years with no pension: the covered amount divided by $2,874 (2026), rounded down to whole months (38 CFR 3.276). Transfers before Oct. 18, 2018 don't count.
The 2026 MAPR for a surviving spouse is $11,699 a year with no child ($14,298 Housebound, $18,697 Aid and Attendance) and $15,311 with one child ($17,902 / $22,304), plus $2,984 per extra child. VA's example: one child, Aid and Attendance, $10,000 income = $12,304 a year, $1,025.33 a month.
As of Oct. 17, 2026 · 2026 VA pension rates (effective Dec. 1, 2025)
2026 VA pension: VA pays your MAPR minus your countable income. MAPR is $17,441 a year for a veteran alone, $22,839 with one dependent and up to $34,488 with Aid and Attendance; net worth must be $163,699 or less. Unlike disability pay, pension rises 3.6% automatically on Dec. 1, 2026.
The math:
Sources: VA pension rates 2026 · 38 CFR 3.272(g) · 38 CFR 3.274
A best fit for the situation described, not financial advice or a buy/sell recommendation. Partner links never change a pick.
Use yearly amounts. Income means everything your household gets: Social Security, pensions, wages, interest. Assets don't include your home, your car or basic household items.
| Situation | 2026 MAPR (official) | Max per month | 2025 MAPR | From Dec. 1, 2026 (3.6% estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No dependents: Basic (no Housebound or A&A) | $17,441 | $1,453.41 | $16,965 | about $18,069 |
| No dependents: Housebound | $21,313 | $1,776.08 | $20,732 | about $22,080 |
| No dependents: Aid and Attendance | $29,093 | $2,424.41 | $28,300 | about $30,140 |
| 1 dependent: Basic (no Housebound or A&A) | $22,839 | $1,903.25 | $22,216 | about $23,661 |
| 1 dependent: Housebound | $26,710 | $2,225.83 | $25,982 | about $27,672 |
| 1 dependent: Aid and Attendance | $34,488 | $2,874 | $33,548 | about $35,730 |
Add $2,984 for each additional dependent (2025: $2,902). “Max per month” is the MAPR / 12, what you'd get with $0 countable income. VA's own worked example on its rates page still uses $33,548 (the 2025 Aid and Attendance + 1 dependent amount); the 2026 table says $34,488. Sources: VA pension rates 2026 · VA 2025 rates.
| Situation | 2026 MAPR (official) | Max per month | 2025 MAPR | From Dec. 1, 2026 (3.6% estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neither qualifies for Housebound or A&A | $22,839 | $1,903.25 | $22,216 | about $23,661 |
| 1 Housebound | $26,710 | $2,225.83 | $25,982 | about $27,672 |
| Both Housebound | $30,580 | $2,548.33 | $29,747 | about $31,681 |
| 1 Aid and Attendance | $34,488 | $2,874 | $33,548 | about $35,730 |
| 1 Housebound + 1 Aid and Attendance | $38,350 | $3,195.83 | $37,305 | about $39,731 |
| Both Aid and Attendance | $46,143 | $3,845.25 | $44,886 | about $47,804 |
Add $2,984 for each child (38 U.S.C. 1521(f)(5)). Source: VA pension rates 2026 · 38 U.S.C. 1521.
| Situation | 2026 MAPR (official) | Max per month | 2025 MAPR | From Dec. 1, 2026 (3.6% estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No child: Basic (no Housebound or A&A) | $11,699 | $974.91 | $11,380 | about $12,120 |
| No child: Housebound | $14,298 | $1,191.50 | $13,908 | about $14,813 |
| No child: Aid and Attendance | $18,697 | $1,558.08 | $18,187 | about $19,370 |
| 1 child: Basic (no Housebound or A&A) | $15,311 | $1,275.91 | $14,893 | about $15,862 |
| 1 child: Housebound | $17,902 | $1,491.83 | $17,414 | about $18,546 |
| 1 child: Aid and Attendance | $22,304 | $1,858.66 | $21,696 | about $23,107 |
| No child: A&A, spouse of a Spanish-American War veteran | $19,453 | $1,621.08 | $18,923 | about $20,153 |
| 1 child: A&A, spouse of a Spanish-American War veteran | $22,979 | $1,914.91 | $22,353 | about $23,806 |
Add $2,984 for each additional child. A qualified surviving child on their own: $2,984. The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) / Minimum Income Annuity limitation is $11,699. Sources: VA survivors rates 2026 · VA survivors 2025.
| Item | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Net worth limit (Dec. 1 - Nov. 30) | $163,699 | $159,240 |
| Look-back penalty rate (per month) | $2,874 | $2,795 |
| Medical deduction floor, veteran alone (5%) | $872 | $848 |
| Medical deduction floor, veteran + 1 dependent (5%) | $1,141 | $1,110 |
| Medical deduction floor, surviving spouse alone (5%) | $584 | $569 |
| Medical deduction floor, surviving spouse + 1 child (5%) | $765 | $744 |
| Child's wages you can exclude | $16,100 | $15,000 |
| Each additional dependent | $2,984 | $2,902 |
| COLA factor applied Dec. 1 | 2.8% | 2.5% |
Sources: VA pension rates 2026 · VA 2025 rates · VA survivors rates 2026 · VA survivors 2025 · 38 CFR 3.276. The penalty rate is the Aid and Attendance + 1 dependent MAPR / 12, rounded down ($34,488 / 12 = $2,874).
Sources: VA pension rates 2026 · 38 CFR 3.272(g) · 38 CFR 3.278 · 38 CFR 3.274 · 38 CFR 3.275.
All of these: no dishonorable discharge, and yearly family income and net worth within VA's limits. Plus a service test:
And at least one: age 65 or older; permanent and total disability; a nursing-home patient for long-term care because of a disability; or getting SSDI or SSI. Pension is needs-based and doesn't require a service-connected condition (38 CFR 3.3(a)(3)).
| Period | Dates |
|---|---|
| Gulf War | Aug. 2, 1990, to a future date set by law or presidential proclamation (still open) |
| Vietnam War era (outside Vietnam) | Aug. 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975 |
| Vietnam War era (in the Republic of Vietnam) | Nov. 1, 1955, to May 7, 1975 |
| Korean conflict | June 27, 1950, to Jan. 31, 1955 |
| World War II | Dec. 7, 1941, to Dec. 31, 1946 |
| World War I | Apr. 6, 1917, to Nov. 11, 1918 |
| Mexican Border period | May 9, 1916, to Apr. 5, 1917 (served in Mexico, on its borders or adjacent waters) |
Anyone who served at least a day of active duty since Aug. 2, 1990 (and meets the length test) has wartime service for pension. Sources: VA eligibility · 38 CFR 3.3.
Survivors Pension: a surviving spouse who hasn't remarried and lived with the veteran continuously (some separations for health, work or the veteran's misconduct are OK), or an unmarried child under 18, under 23 in a VA-approved school, or disabled before 18. The veteran must have met the wartime service test above. Source: VA Survivors Pension.
When you file, VA reviews assets you transferred in the 3 years before the claim (never before Oct. 18, 2018). If you gave something away or sold it for less than fair market value, and keeping it would have put you over the net worth limit, the part over the limit is the covered asset amount. VA divides it by the monthly penalty rate ($2,874 in 2026) and rounds down: that's how many months VA won't pay pension, up to 5 years. The penalty starts the first day of the month after the last transfer.
VA's examples (using an older $123,600 limit): assets $115,900 plus a $30,000 gift would have meant $145,900, so the covered amount is $22,300; with $125,000 in assets and $30,000 in gifts, the covered amount is the full $30,000. Sources: 38 CFR 3.276 · VA pension rates 2026.
These raise your pension MAPR; they aren't separate checks. Aid and Attendance: you need help with daily activities like bathing, feeding or dressing; you're in bed most of the day because of illness; you're in a nursing home because of a disability; or your eyesight is 5/200 or less in both eyes (or a 5-degree visual field). Housebound: you spend most of your time at home because of a permanent disability. You can't get both at once. Apply with VA Form 21-2680 (a medical examiner fills in part of it); nursing-home residents also send VA Form 21-0779. A veteran with no dependents on Medicaid in a Medicaid-covered nursing facility may get a $90 monthly VA pension. Sources: VA A&A / Housebound · VA eligibility.
Facts and arithmetic only. VaultRubric isn't VA and doesn't decide eligibility or pay. Your award letter is the final word. 2027 amounts on this page are estimates until VA publishes its table.
VA pays the difference between your Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) and your countable income. 2026 MAPRs (effective Dec. 1, 2025): veteran alone $17,441 a year, Housebound $21,313, Aid and Attendance $29,093; with one dependent $22,839, $26,710 and $34,488; add $2,984 for each extra dependent. A veteran with one dependent, Aid and Attendance and $10,000 of income gets $24,488 a year, about $2,040.66 a month.
$163,699 from Dec. 1, 2025, to Nov. 30, 2026 (it was $159,240). Net worth is your assets plus your yearly countable income. Your home (on a lot up to 2 acres), your car and basic household items don't count as assets. A married veteran's assets include the spouse's.
Aid and Attendance isn't a separate check; it raises your pension MAPR. 2026: $29,093 a year for a veteran alone, $34,488 with one dependent, $46,143 if both spouses are veterans who qualify, and $18,697 for a surviving spouse with no child ($22,304 with one child). VA pays the MAPR minus countable income.
Yes. By law (38 U.S.C. 5312) pension rates rise automatically by the Social Security COLA, which is 3.6% for 2027, effective Dec. 1, 2026. Unlike disability compensation, no act of Congress is needed. The net worth limit rises by the same percentage (38 CFR 3.274(a)), to about $169,592 by our math; VA hasn't posted its 2027 table yet.
Yes. Unreimbursed medical expenses (including qualifying in-home care, nursing-home and care-facility costs, and health, Medicare and long-term care insurance premiums, per 38 CFR 3.278) are subtracted to the extent they exceed 5% of your basic MAPR: $872 for a veteran alone and $1,141 for a veteran with one dependent in 2026 (38 CFR 3.272(g)).
VA reviews asset transfers made in the 3 years before you file. If you gave assets away for less than fair market value and they would have put you over the net worth limit, VA sets a penalty period of up to 5 years with no pension: the covered amount divided by $2,874 (2026), rounded down to whole months (38 CFR 3.276). Transfers before Oct. 18, 2018 don't count.
The 2026 MAPR for a surviving spouse is $11,699 a year with no child ($14,298 Housebound, $18,697 Aid and Attendance) and $15,311 with one child ($17,902 / $22,304), plus $2,984 per extra child. VA's example: one child, Aid and Attendance, $10,000 income = $12,304 a year, $1,025.33 a month.
Estimates, not financial advice. Taxes, insurance, PMI and fees vary by lender, county and city; confirm with your lender, dealer and state agency before acting.