Free va disability calculator
Find your combined VA disability rating in two seconds. Enter your service-connected ratings and the calculator combines them with VA math — not simple addition — rounds to the nearest 10%, and looks up your 2025 tax-free monthly and annual compensation for your dependent status — updated live, as you type.
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Unofficial estimate based on 2025 VA rates and the values you enter. Your actual rating and payment are determined by the VA.
Results are estimates. Consult a professional.
What is a VA disability rating?
A VA disability rating is a percentage — from 0% to 100% in steps of 10 — that the Department of Veterans Affairs assigns to a service-connected condition to reflect how much it reduces your overall health and earning capacity. The higher the rating, the larger your tax-free monthly compensation. When you have more than one rated condition, the VA does not add the percentages together; it combines them with a method veterans call 'VA math', and this VA disability calculator does that combination for you, then looks up the 2025 payment.
Two numbers matter here: your combined rating (the single official percentage that results from all your conditions) and your monthly compensation (the dollar amount the VA pays at that rating, adjusted for your dependents). The calculator above returns both the moment you enter your ratings.
How VA math works — why ratings aren't added
The single most common surprise for veterans is that two 50% ratings do not make 100%. The VA uses a 'whole person' model: you start at 100% healthy, and each disability takes a bite out of what remains — not out of the original 100%. So a second disability is applied to the efficiency left after the first, a third to what's left after that, and so on. This is why combined ratings always come in lower than simple addition would suggest.
The Veterans Affairs explanation is blunt about the logic: "if you are 10% disabled then you are 90% healthy. Therefore, the next rating is not added but is used to take a percentage of the 'healthy' 90%." Each additional disability reduces the remaining efficiency rather than the full 100%, which is the VA's way of recognizing that a further condition has less impact on someone already disabled.
A worked example using the VA disability calculator
A veteran has a 50% rating for PTSD and a 30% rating for a back condition, and is married with no children. Adding the percentages would suggest 80% — but that is not how the VA pays. Here is the calculation step by step.
- Order the ratings, highest first. 50%, then 30%. (Ordering is for clarity only — the math gives the same answer either way.)
- Apply the first rating. A 50% disability leaves the veteran 50% efficient (100% − 50%).
- Apply the second rating to what's left. 30% of the remaining 50% efficiency is 15%. So the second condition adds 15 points, not 30.
- Combine. 50% + 15% = 65% combined.
- Round to the nearest 10. 65 rounds up to a 70% combined rating — not 80%.
VA combined ratings — how pairs of ratings combine
This table shows the combined value of two ratings before rounding to the nearest 10. Find your higher rating down the left, your lower rating across the top, and read where they meet. For three or more conditions, combine the first two, then combine that result with the next rating — the calculator chains this automatically.
| Higher ÷ Lower | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% | 37 | 44 | 51 | 58 | 65 |
| 40% | 46 | 52 | 58 | 64 | 70 |
| 50% | 55 | 60 | 65 | 70 | 75 |
| 60% | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 |
| 70% | 73 | 76 | 79 | 82 | 85 |
| 80% | 82 | 84 | 86 | 88 | 90 |
Combined values before rounding. Example: 50% and 30% meet at 65 → rounds to a 70% rating. Source: VA combined-ratings method, 38 CFR §4.25.
2025 VA monthly compensation rates
These are the 2025 VA disability compensation rates, effective December 1, 2024. Payments are tax-free. Note the rule the VA states plainly: at 10% and 20%, you do not receive a higher rate even with a dependent spouse, child, or parent. Dependent amounts begin at the 30% rating.
| Combined rating | Veteran alone | With spouse | Spouse + 1 parent | Spouse + 2 parents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $175.51 | $175.51 | $175.51 | $175.51 |
| 20% | $346.95 | $346.95 | $346.95 | $346.95 |
| 30% | $537.42 | $601.42 | $652.42 | $703.42 |
| 40% | $774.16 | $859.16 | $927.16 | $995.16 |
| 50% | $1,102.04 | $1,208.04 | $1,293.04 | $1,378.04 |
| 60% | $1,395.93 | $1,523.93 | $1,625.93 | $1,727.93 |
| 70% | $1,759.19 | $1,908.19 | $2,028.19 | $2,148.19 |
| 80% | $2,044.89 | $2,214.89 | $2,351.89 | $2,488.89 |
| 90% | $2,297.96 | $2,489.96 | $2,643.96 | $2,797.96 |
| 100% | $3,831.30 | $4,044.91 | $4,216.35 | $4,387.79 |
2025 monthly rates (effective Dec 1, 2024). Source: VA.gov, Veterans disability compensation rates.
Dependents and added amounts
From a 30% rating upward, the VA increases your monthly payment for qualifying dependents — a spouse, dependent children under 18 (or up to 23 if in school), and dependent parents. The calculator above lets you pick a dependent status so your payment reflects your household. Beyond the base statuses, the VA adds smaller fixed amounts for each additional child and for a spouse who needs Aid and Attendance.
| Added amount (monthly) | At 30%–60% | At 70%–100% |
|---|---|---|
| Each additional child under 18 | $31 – $63 | $74 – $106.14 |
| Spouse receiving Aid & Attendance | $58 – $117 | $137 – $195.92 |
Add-on amounts scale with the rating. Source: VA.gov 2025 added-amounts table.
How much does each VA disability rating pay?
For a single veteran with no dependents in 2025, the jump from 10% ($175.51) to 100% ($3,831.30) is steep and not linear — the increase from 90% to 100% alone is more than $1,500 a month. That cliff is why so much hinges on reaching a 100% combined rating, and why the difference between a 90% and a 100% schedular rating is one of the most consequential outcomes in the VA system.
How to increase your VA disability rating
Because of VA math, the way to raise a combined rating is rarely a single big claim — it is usually a combination of moves. The most effective levers are:
- File for secondary conditions. Conditions caused by a service-connected disability (for example, depression secondary to chronic pain) get their own ratings and combine in.
- Request an increase for worsened conditions. If a rated condition has gotten worse, you can file for a higher evaluation with new medical evidence.
- Claim the bilateral factor. When you have disabilities affecting both arms or both legs, the VA adds an extra 10% of the combined bilateral value before combining with the rest.
- Apply for TDIU. If service-connected conditions keep you from working, you may be paid at the 100% rate even below a 100% schedular rating.
- Appeal an underrating. If you believe a condition was rated too low, a Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, or Board appeal can correct it.
Veterans approaching home ownership should also look at the VA mortgage calculator, and those weighing income protection at the disability insurance calculator and Social Security calculator.
Sources and accuracy
All compensation figures are the official 2025 VA disability rates published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, effective December 1, 2024. The combined-rating method follows the VA's 'whole person' approach (38 CFR §4.25). This calculator is an unofficial estimate for planning only — your actual rating and payment are set by the VA based on your service-connected conditions and dependents.
VA.gov — 2025 Veterans disability compensation rates.VA.gov — About VA disability ratings (combined ratings).Frequently asked questions about the free va disability calculator
About this VA disability calculator
This VA disability calculator runs entirely in your browser — the ratings you enter never leave your device. It combines your disability ratings using the VA's 'whole person' method (each condition reduces the efficiency that remains, not the full 100%), rounds the result to the nearest 10%, and looks up the official 2025 monthly compensation, effective December 1, 2024. It is an unofficial estimate; your actual rating and payment are determined by the VA.
Calculators Cloud offers 400+ free tools with no sign-up. Veterans often pair this with the VA mortgage calculator, the disability insurance calculator, and the Social Security calculator. Or browse the full calculator directory.