What this calculator does
Find out what your VA disability ratings add up to, and about how much you could receive each month. VA doesn't add ratings together, so 50% and 30% don't make 80%. It uses its own method, often called VA math. This calculator follows that method step by step and shows every number along the way.
Enter your ratings and any paired ratings, such as both knees. Then tell it about your spouse, children and dependent parents. You'll see your combined rating, your estimated monthly payment and a table of pay at every rating. It uses the VA rates that took effect on December 1, 2025.
Where it's used
Why this math matters outside the classroom:
- Combining two ratings. A veteran rated 50% and 30% finds 30% of the remaining 50, adds 15, and gets 65, which rounds to 70%.
- Checking a decision letter. A veteran rated 60%, 40% and 20% works through 76 and 81, then confirms the letter's combined 80% rating.
- Paired knee ratings. A veteran with 10% on each knee combines them to 19, then adds 10% of that value to reach 21.
- Family budgeting. A couple at 70% with one child multiplies $2,074.45 by 12 to plan around $24,893.40 a year.
- Comparing rating steps. A veteran living alone compares $1,808.45 a month at 70% with $2,102.15 at 80%, a gap of $293.70.
Grade level and standards: Grades 6–7; Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 7.RP.A.3. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
How to use it
- Type your ratings, separated by commas. For example, enter 50, 30.
- If you have ratings on both arms, both legs or matching muscles, enter those in the paired box instead.
- Tell the calculator about your spouse, dependent parents and children.
- Read your combined rating and estimated monthly payment. Then open the table to see pay at other ratings.
What the inputs mean
- Your ratings
- Use the ratings on your VA decision letter. Enter each one separately, even when two are the same. VA's combined ratings table works in steps of 10, so this tool does too.
- Paired ratings on both arms, both legs or matching muscles (optional)
- Use this box when a condition affects both arms, both legs or a matching pair of skeletal muscles, and each side has a rating of 10% or more. Don't enter these ratings in the first box as well.
- Dependent parents
- A parent counts only if VA accepts them as your dependent, which depends on their income.
- Children 18 or older in a qualifying school program
- This means a child from 18 up to 23 who attends a school VA has approved. If no younger child lives at home, confirm your amount with VA, because its table doesn't spell out that case.
Formula and method
new value = current value + (next rating ÷ 100) × (100 − current value) each new value rounds to a whole number bilateral value = paired ratings combined + 10% of that value final rating = last value rounded to the nearest 10 (values ending in 5 go up) monthly pay = table rate + any added amounts for your family
VA starts with your highest rating and treats you as that much disabled. The rest of you counts as not disabled. Each new rating then applies only to the part that's left. So at 50%, a 30% rating adds 30% of the remaining 50, which is 15. That makes 65, not 80.
Paired ratings get a small boost called the bilateral factor. VA combines them first, then adds 10% of the result. That boosted number joins your other ratings in order from highest to lowest.
VA rounds to the nearest 10 only once, at the very end. This is the part most people miss: rounding early can change your answer. A final value of 65 becomes 70, while 64 becomes 60.
Worked example
You have ratings of 50% and 30%, plus 10% on each knee. You have a spouse and one child under 18.
- Combine the paired knees: 10 and 10 make 19.
- Add the bilateral factor: 19 + 1.9 = 20.9, which rounds to 21.
- List the values from highest to lowest: 50, 30, 21.
- Combine 50 and 30: 50 + 0.3 × 50 = 65.
- Combine 65 and 21: 65 + 0.21 × 35 = 72.35, which rounds to 72.
- Round once to the nearest 10: 72 becomes 70%.
- Look up 70% with a spouse and one child: $2,074.45 a month.
Result: Your combined rating is 70%, and your estimated payment is $2,074.45 a month, or $24,893.40 a year.
Understanding the result
Your combined rating is the number VA pays on. The value before rounding shows how close you are to the next step. For example, 74 still rounds down to 70, while 75 rounds up to 80.
Pay jumps sharply between some ratings. Use the table to see what each step would mean for your family. Dependents add to your pay only at 30% and above, so it's worth telling VA about them once you reach that level.
VA disability compensation isn't taxed as income by the federal government, so this monthly figure is close to what reaches your account. Other payments, such as military retired pay, can change what you receive.
Assumptions and limitations
- It uses VA's compensation tables effective December 1, 2025. VA usually updates them each December.
- Ratings combine under 38 CFR 4.25, and paired ratings follow 38 CFR 4.26.
- Each rating is a separate one that VA has granted, in steps of 10.
- All paired ratings entered belong to one bilateral group.
- This is an estimate, not a VA decision. Only VA can set your rating or your pay. Calcapedia isn't connected to VA.
- It doesn't cover special monthly compensation, individual unemployability, or separate benefits for surviving spouses.
- It doesn't reduce pay for military retirement, severance or other offsets.
- Rare exceptions to the bilateral factor aren't modeled, and neither are separate bilateral groups for arms and legs.
- VA's page doesn't explain how it pays a child 18 or older in school when there's no child under 18. In that case, this tool adds the school amount to the rate with no children and shows a note.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't my VA ratings just add up?
VA applies each rating only to the part of you it still counts as not disabled. With 50% and 30%, the 30% applies to the remaining 50. That adds 15, for a value of 65, which rounds to 70%.
What is the bilateral factor?
It's a small boost for conditions on both arms, both legs or matching muscles. VA combines those ratings, then adds 10% of the result. Two 10% ratings combine to 19, and the factor raises that to 21.
Does VA round up?
VA rounds to the nearest 10, once, at the end. Values ending in 5 or higher go up, so 75 becomes 80. Values ending in 4 or lower go down, so 74 becomes 70.
Do dependents increase my VA disability pay?
Yes, if your rating is 30% or higher. A spouse, children and dependent parents can each add to your monthly pay. At 10% and 20%, everyone at that rating gets the same amount.
When do the rates change?
New rates usually take effect on December 1 each year, after the yearly cost-of-living change. This page uses the rates effective December 1, 2025 until VA publishes the next table.
Sources
- VA: Veterans disability compensation rates (checked 2026-10-31)
- 38 CFR 4.25, Combined ratings table (checked 2026-10-31)
- 38 CFR 4.26, Bilateral factor (checked 2026-10-31)
How this calculator is checked
Method: VA compensation tables effective December 1, 2025; combining rules in 38 CFR 4.25 and the bilateral factor in 38 CFR 4.26. Tests reproduce the regulations' printed examples, Table I rows and VA's own payment example. Figures live in src/lib/finance/va-rates.json. The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-31. Found a problem? Tell us.
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