About the VA Disability Rating Calculator
This VA disability calculator applies the "whole person" method the Department of Veterans Affairs uses in 38 CFR 4.25. Ratings are not added together: each one is applied to the efficiency that remains after the higher ratings, the result is rounded at every step, and the final combined value is rounded to the nearest 10% to give your official combined rating. It also applies the bilateral factor from 38 CFR 4.26 when you have disabilities affecting both arms, both legs or paired skeletal muscles.
Enter your individual ratings, list any bilateral ratings separately, and add your dependents. The calculator shows every combining step, your combined value and rating, and the monthly and yearly tax-free compensation you would receive at that rating using the VA rates effective December 1, 2025 (the 2.8% COLA). It is useful when you are filing a new claim, appealing, or checking whether a new rating would move you to the next 10% band.
Dependent amounts only apply at 30% or higher. Special monthly compensation (SMC), TDIU, and the next COLA (normally effective each December 1) are not included, so treat the result as an estimate and confirm with your VA decision letter.
With the default inputs, the combined va rating is 80%. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the va disability rating calculator
- 1List each separate disability rating, separated by commas.
- 2Put ratings for paired arms, legs or skeletal muscles in the bilateral box instead.
- 3Add your spouse, children and any dependent parents.
- 4Read your combined value, the official rounded rating and your monthly pay.
- 5Use the step table to see how close you are to the next 10% band.
Formula and method
VA treats a veteran as 100% efficient and applies each disability to whatever efficiency is left. Ratings are sorted from highest to lowest; the first rating is taken as is, and each later rating R takes R% of the remaining (100 − C)%. The combined value is rounded to a whole number at each step, exactly as in Table I of 38 CFR 4.25, and the final value is rounded to the nearest 10% (values ending in 5 round up).
For the bilateral factor (38 CFR 4.26), the ratings for paired extremities are first combined with each other, then 10% of that combined value is added (not combined) before the result is treated as one rating and combined with the rest. Compensation is then read from the VA rate table for the rounded rating, adding the dependent amounts for a spouse, children, dependent parents and Aid and Attendance where they apply.
- C
- Combined value so far (%)
- R
- Next individual rating, highest first (%)
- BF
- Bilateral factor = 10% of the combined bilateral ratings
Worked examples
50%, 30%, 20% plus bilateral 10% knees, married with one child
The two 10% knee ratings combine to 19%, plus a 1.9 bilateral factor gives 21%. Applying 50, 30, 21 and 20 in order gives 50 → 65 → 72 → 78, which rounds to 80%. At 80% with a spouse and one child the December 2025 rate is $2,406.15 a month.
Single veteran with 70%, 30% and 10%
70% leaves 30% efficiency; 30% of that is 9, giving 79; 10% of the remaining 21 is 2.1, giving 81. 81 rounds down to 80%, paying $2,102.15 a month for a veteran alone — not 100%, even though the ratings add up to 110.
The 38 CFR 4.26 example: 60%, 20% and bilateral 10% + 10%
This is the regulation’s own example: the bilateral ratings become 21, then 60 and 21 combine to 68 and 68 and 20 combine to 74, which rounds to 70%. With a spouse and two children under 18 the payment is $2,074.45 plus $76 for the second child, or $2,150.45.
Frequently asked questions
Why don’t VA disability ratings simply add up?+
VA uses the combined ratings table in 38 CFR 4.25. Each rating applies only to the efficiency left after the higher ratings, so 50% and 50% combine to 75% (rounded to 80%), not 100%. This keeps the combined rating from ever exceeding 100%.
How does VA round the combined rating?+
The combined value is rounded to the nearest 10%. A value ending in 1–4 rounds down and a value ending in 5–9 rounds up, so 74 becomes 70% and 75 becomes 80%. Intermediate steps are rounded to whole numbers.
What is the bilateral factor?+
When disabilities affect both arms, both legs or paired skeletal muscles, VA combines those ratings, then adds 10% of that combined value before combining with your other ratings. It is a small boost that can push you into the next 10% band.
When do dependents increase VA compensation?+
Additional amounts for a spouse, children, dependent parents and a spouse needing Aid and Attendance are paid only when your combined rating is 30% or higher. At 10% and 20% everyone receives the same flat rate.
Which VA rates does this calculator use?+
It uses the compensation rates effective December 1, 2025, which include the 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment. VA normally announces a new COLA each autumn that takes effect on December 1.
How are children over 18 in school counted?+
The first child under 18 is covered by the “with 1 child” basic rate, and each additional child under 18 adds the under-18 amount. Every child aged 18–23 in a VA-approved school program is paid the higher schoolchild amount on top of the rate without that child (38 U.S.C. 1115(1)(F)), so a veteran whose only child is in college gets the no-child rate plus the schoolchild amount.
Results are estimates for educational purposes and are not financial advice. Rates, fees and terms vary — confirm with your lender or a licensed advisor before making decisions.