VA back pay calculator
Enter the effective date and rating from your VA decision. See the months VA owes and the amount, using each year's VA rate table.
- Payment starts the month after the effective date, as the law sets it.
- Each month at the right year's rate, from VA's tables since December 2017.
- Increases too: enter your old rating and see the difference owed.
How VA back pay adds up
Back pay is the compensation for the months between your effective date and your first regular payment. VA sets the effective date in its decision, and your decision letter shows it.
By law, payment starts on the first day of the month after the effective date (38 U.S.C. 5111). So with an effective date of March 15, 2025, the first month paid is April 2025.
| First month | The month after the effective date, whatever day of the month it falls on. |
|---|---|
| Rate for each month | VA's rate tables run from December 1 to November 30. December 2025 to November 2026 is paid at the 2026 rates. |
| Increases | If VA raised your rating, back pay is the new monthly rate minus what VA already paid, for each month. |
| Dependents | Dependent amounts count from 30% and only for months VA includes the dependent in your award. |
| Taxes | Back pay is VA disability compensation, which isn't subject to federal income tax (IRS Publication 525). |
Example: 70% with a spouse and one child
Effective date March 15, 2025, counting through October 2026. These are the calculator's starting numbers.
| April to November 2025: 8 months × $2,018.19 (2025 rate) | $16,145.52 |
|---|---|
| December 2025 to October 2026: 11 months × $2,074.45 (2026 rate) | $22,818.95 |
| Back pay for 19 months | $38,964.47 |
The rates come from VA's tables for a veteran rated 70% with a spouse and one child under 18: $2,018.19 a month in 2025 and $2,074.45 in 2026.
Questions people ask
How is VA back pay calculated?
Count the months from the first day of the month after your effective date to the last month VA hasn't paid. Multiply each month by the VA rate in effect that month for your rating and dependents, and add them up.
Why isn't the month of my effective date paid?
Federal law says payment can't be made for any period before the first day of the month after the award becomes effective (38 U.S.C. 5111). There is an exception for an original claim by a veteran retired or separated for a catastrophic disability, paid from the effective date itself. This calculator doesn't apply that exception.
Which rates does back pay use?
The rates in effect for each month. VA's yearly tables start on December 1 and are named for the year that follows. So December 2024 to November 2025 uses the 2025 rates.
How does back pay work for a rating increase?
For each month from the month after the increase's effective date, VA owes the difference between the new rate and the rate it already paid you.
Is VA back pay taxable?
VA disability compensation isn't subject to federal income tax, and back pay is VA disability compensation. The IRS lists veterans' disability compensation as income you don't report (IRS Publication 525).
Will VA pay the full amount?
Not always. VA may withhold part of back pay, for example to repay a debt or when you received military retired pay for the same months. VA also recovers separation pay and disability severance pay from compensation, though some combat-related severance pay is exempt (38 CFR 3.700). Your award letter shows what VA pays.
Updated November 7, 2026. Sources: 38 U.S.C. 5111; 38 CFR 3.31; 38 CFR 3.700; VA, "Current Veterans disability compensation rates" and VA's past rate tables for 2018 to 2025 (va.gov); IRS Publication 525. Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.