The free VA Disability Calculator from Veteran Compass Corps computes your combined VA disability rating using the official 2026 VA compensation rates. Also known as a VA combined rating calculator, VA compensation calculator, or VA rating calculator, this tool applies the same whole-person formula the VA uses, then estimates your monthly tax-free pay with dependents, flags potential Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), and suggests secondary conditions that could increase your rating. No account is required and your numbers are never stored.
Enter each of your service-connected disability ratings and the calculator applies the official VA combined rating formula from 38 CFR 4.25. Unlike simple addition, VA math applies each rating to whatever healthy body percentage you have left. Your highest rating comes off 100% first, the next rating is applied to the remaining healthy percentage, and so on. The running total is then rounded to the nearest 10%. This is why a 50% plus a 30% rating produces a 65% combined rating that rounds to 70%, not 80%.
Start at 100% healthy. Apply 50% PTSD: 50 disabled, 50 healthy remaining. Apply 30% sleep apnea to the remaining 50: that adds 15 more disabled points. Total disabled is 50 plus 15, which equals 65%. Sixty-five rounds up to a 70% combined rating. Regular arithmetic would say 80%, but VA math says 70%, a gap worth roughly $279 per month, or about $3,348 per year, in tax-free pay. The calculator shows both the exact and rounded result automatically.
When you claim conditions affecting both sides of the body, such as both knees, both ankles, both hands, or both ears, the VA combines the paired ratings first and then adds a 10% bilateral factor before combining with everything else. The calculator handles this automatically, which is why veterans with paired extremity issues should always claim both sides. The bonus is small per condition but compounds across multiple paired claims.
Monthly tax-free compensation by rating for a veteran with no dependents in 2026: 10% = $171.23, 20% = $338.49, 30% = $524.31, 40% = $755.28, 50% = $1,075.16, 60% = $1,361.88, 70% = $1,716.28, 80% = $1,995.01, 90% = $2,241.91, 100% = $3,737.85. Veterans rated at 10% or 20% do not receive additional pay for dependents. All VA disability compensation is federal tax-free and most states also exempt it from state income tax.
Once your combined rating reaches 30%, you can add dependents for extra monthly compensation by filing VA Form 21-686c. A spouse adds roughly $430 per month at the 100% level and proportionally less at lower ratings, each dependent child adds about $103, and dependent parents and school-age children over 18 add more. The calculator includes spouse, child, and dependent parent additions so you can see your true monthly total, not just the bare rating-table number.
When a new rating or increase is granted, the VA pays retroactively to your effective date. To estimate back pay, find the monthly difference between your old and new combined rating, then multiply by the number of months back to your effective date. A $300 per month increase backdated three years is worth more than $10,000 in retro. Use the dedicated VA Back Pay Calculator to refine the estimate before you file or appeal.
Use What-If mode to simulate how adding a new condition would change your combined rating and monthly pay before you ever file. Plug in the most realistic rating for the potential condition, using the lower end of the range, and see whether it moves you to a new tier. The calculator also suggests common secondary conditions linked to your rated disabilities. For example, a knee condition may point to depression, radiculopathy, or sleep disturbances as potential secondary claims worth opening at the same time.
The calculator automatically detects potential SMC eligibility based on the ratings you enter. SMC-S (Housebound) can apply when you have one condition rated 100% plus additional conditions combining to 60% or more, worth roughly $4,179 per month in 2026. SMC-K applies for loss of use of a creative organ or other specific anatomical losses and stacks on top of regular compensation. When SMC indicators light up, check eligibility with the SMC Calculator and SMC Tools Suite.
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) pays at the 100% rate without requiring a 100% combined rating. The schedular threshold is one condition rated 60% or higher, or a combined 70% with at least one condition at 40% or higher, plus an inability to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected conditions. If the calculator shows you stuck at 70% or 80% and your conditions limit your ability to work, TDIU is often a faster route to 100% pay than chasing more ratings.
Do not add ratings together like normal arithmetic: a 60% plus a 30% is a 72% that rounds to 70%, not 90%. Do not file small ratings when already at 80% or 90%, because a 10% claim on top of a 90% combined adds one point and rounds away. Always claim the bilateral side. Add dependents once you reach 30%. And remember the VA rounds to the nearest 10%, so 75% rounds up to 80% while 74% rounds down to 70%. A single point can be the difference between hundreds of dollars a month and nothing.
Is this VA disability calculator free? Yes, it is completely free with no account required. How does VA math work? The VA applies each rating to your remaining healthy body percentage instead of adding ratings together, then rounds to the nearest 10%. What are the 2026 rates? They range from $171.23 per month at 10% to $3,737.85 at 100% for a veteran with no dependents. Does it include dependents and SMC? Yes, it adds dependent pay at 30% and higher and flags potential SMC eligibility.
Calculate your combined VA disability rating for free. No account required.