VetFree tool
VA Disability Lifetime Value Calculator
Your monthly VA payment is only the beginning. Enter your rating and dependents below, and see what that tax-free check adds up to over 10, 20, 30 years — and over your lifetime — with the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) compounded in. Every dollar below is computed from the official 2026 VA compensation tables (effective Dec 1, 2025).
Educational estimate only. This is a projection, not a promise — future COLA rates are set by law each year and are not guaranteed. This is not your official VA payment, not claims advice, and not financial advice. Your actual award depends on VA's determination of your rating, dependents, and effective dates. Confirm everything at va.gov.
Your monthly payment
$0.00 / month, tax-free
What it's worth over time
Totals compound the COLA you selected each year. Year one uses the 2026 rate tables.
Tax-free equivalent salary
VA disability pay is federal tax-free. This is the pre-tax monthly salary you'd need to earn to take home the same amount, at each marginal tax rate.
How this is computed. Your monthly payment comes straight from the 2026 VA compensation tables via the same math as our Pay Calculator — nothing is estimated or rounded off. The annual figure is monthly × 12. For multi-year totals, year one is the current annual amount and each following year is multiplied by (1 + COLA), so a 2.8% COLA means each year's payment is 1.028× the last. The lifetime figure runs that compounding from your current age to age 85. The tax-free equivalent is monthly ÷ (1 − tax rate). This is a simplified projection: it does not model rating changes, dependent changes, or actual future COLA law.
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