# VA Entitlement Codes on Your COE, Explained (2026)
> VA entitlement codes decoded from VA's own manuals: what each code on your COE means, what code 05 means for your funding fee, and which COE lines set the loan.
Source: https://veteranhomematch.com/learn/va-entitlement-codes
*Author:* VeteranHomeMatch Editorial Team
*Reviewed by:* VeteranHomeMatch Editorial Review
*Published:* 2026-10-24
*Updated:* 2026-10-24
---
**VA entitlement codes are two-digit numbers on your Certificate of Eligibility that record how you became eligible: the service era you qualified under, or a special category such as restored entitlement, a surviving spouse, or the Selected Reserve.** The code itself doesn't set how much you can borrow. The lines that do are the basic entitlement, the entitlement already charged to earlier VA loans, and the funding fee status. This guide decodes each code we could trace to a VA document, then walks through the rest of the COE.
- **The code is a category label.** VA's own manual tells staff to pick it from your separation, effective, or discharge date, so it reflects the era or category you qualified under.
- **Code 05 flags a cost.** It means used entitlement was restored, and VA's Lenders Handbook says you pay the subsequent-use funding fee next time (3.3% with less than 5% down in 2026) unless you're exempt. Any earlier use of a VA loan puts you on the after-first-use rates, whatever your code; code 05 just makes that earlier use visible on the COE.
- **Code 11 is the Selected Reserve code.** VA's 1996 manual assigns it to Guard and Reserve members who qualify through 6 years of service.
- **Code 10 isn't in the VA code list we found.** Lender guides call it the Persian Gulf War code. We flag below where that label comes from.
- **Your borrowing power is on other lines.** A basic entitlement of $36,000 means full entitlement and no VA loan limit, though a lender still has to approve you.
## VA entitlement codes and what each one means
VA's internal M26-1 manual gives VA staff the list. Under "Entitlement Code," the 1996 revision says to "Use the separation, effective, or discharge date to determine the code," followed by the codes below ([M26-1, Chapter 2, §2.13](https://web.archive.org/web/20260109165335/https://www.benefits.va.gov/WARMS/docs/admin26/m26_01/ch02.doc)). The date ranges come from the wartime and peacetime periods defined in the same chapter.
| Code | VA's label | Period as the same VA manual defines it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 01 | World War II | 9/16/1940 – 7/25/1947 |
| 02 | Korean War | 6/27/1950 – 1/31/1955 (Korean conflict) |
| 03 | Post-Korean | 2/1/1955 – 8/4/1964 |
| 04 | Vietnam War | 8/5/1964 – 5/7/1975 (Vietnam era) |
| 05 | Entitlement Restored | Not an era. Assigned when used entitlement is restored |
| 06 | Unremarried Surviving Spouse | Not an era. Eligibility through a spouse's death |
| 07 | Spouse of POW/MIA | Not an era. Spouse of a service member missing in action or held as a prisoner of war |
| 08 | Post-World War II | 7/26/1947 – 6/26/1950 |
| 09 | Post-Vietnam | 5/8/1975 – 8/1/1990 |
| 11 | Selected Reserve | Not an era. Guard or Reserve eligibility through the 6-year requirement |
Two notes on the table. The manual is old (revised September 16, 1996, with a 1997 change), and the live benefits.va.gov copy now redirects to VA's KnowVA portal, so we cite an archived copy of VA's own file. Later VA documents show codes 05 and 06 still in use as of 2017–2019: the [M26-7 Lenders Handbook](https://web.archive.org/web/20250527102822/https://www.benefits.va.gov/WARMS/docs/admin26/m26-07/m26-7-chapter2-veterans-eligibility-and-entitlement.pdf) (2019) describes code 5, and VA's 2017 [M26-1 chapter on the COE](https://web.archive.org/web/20250615084826/https://www.benefits.va.gov/WARMS/docs/admin26/m26_01/CertificateofEligibilityandEntitlementFINAL.docx) tells loan specialists to "process the COE to show entitlement code “06”" for an eligible surviving spouse.
### What about entitlement code 10?
If you served after 1990, code 10 is the one you've probably searched for. Lender and broker guides list it as the Persian Gulf War code, and the 1996 manual does define the Persian Gulf War as a wartime period starting 8/2/1990 with an "undetermined" end date. But that manual's code list jumps from 09 to 11, and no VA document we could retrieve defines code 10. We've left it out of the sourced table instead of guessing. What we can say is that neither VA's entitlement guidance nor its funding fee table depends on which era code you have.
### Code 05: restored entitlement
When VA approves a restoration, the 1996 manual's instructions to staff begin with "Change entitlement code to 5." Restoration is how you get entitlement back after a VA loan. Under [38 U.S.C. § 3702(b)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/3702), one route is disposing of the property (usually by selling it) and paying the loan in full. Restoration while you still own the home (paragraph (4)) can be used only once. Our guide to [using a VA loan twice](/learn/use-va-loan-twice) covers each path.
Where this code matters is the funding fee. Any earlier use of a VA loan puts you on the after-first-use rates, whatever your code; code 05 just makes that earlier use visible on the COE. VA's Lenders Handbook lists this COE condition word for word: "Subsequent Use Funding Fee – Entitlement code of “5” indicates previously used entitlement has been restored. The Veteran must pay a subsequent use funding fee on any future loan unless the Veteran is exempt."
### Code 11: Selected Reserve
The 1996 manual tells VA staff to "Enter entitlement code "11"" when a Guard or Reserve member qualifies by meeting the 6-year requirement. The same section says a Guard or Reserve member who qualifies under the general rule (active-duty service) gets the regular COE form instead. So a reservist with qualifying federal activation may see an era code rather than 11. The service rules for both paths are in our [VA loan guide for National Guard and Reserve members](/learn/va-loan-national-guard-reserves).
## Does the entitlement code change what you can borrow?
Nothing in VA's guidance ties the size of your loan to the code. On its [entitlement and limits page](https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-limits/), VA explains borrowing in terms of other lines on the COE:
- **Basic entitlement.** If the COE says "THIS VETERAN’S BASIC ENTITLEMENT IS $36,000," VA says you have full entitlement and "You don’t have a loan limit (as long as you can afford the loan amount and the property appraisal supports the purchase price of the home)." The $36,000 is the most VA pays the lender on a loan of $144,000 or less. Above $144,000, VA guarantees up to 25% of the loan amount.
- **Prior loans.** VA lists entitlement you've already used in a table called "Prior Loans charged to entitlement," in the Entitlement Charged column. If that entitlement is still tied up, your $0-down amount depends on the county loan limit. Our [VA entitlement calculator guide](/learn/va-entitlement-calculator) works through that math.
- **Lender approval.** VA says that even with full entitlement, "your lender will still need to approve you for a loan," based on your credit, income, debts and assets.
In practice the code is a filing label for how you qualified, and that's about it.
## The other COE fields people confuse with the code
These lines change what happens at closing. The descriptions below follow VA's [Lenders Handbook, Chapter 2](https://web.archive.org/web/20250527102822/https://www.benefits.va.gov/WARMS/docs/admin26/m26-07/m26-7-chapter2-veterans-eligibility-and-entitlement.pdf) unless noted.
| COE field | What it tells you |
| --- | --- |
| Funding fee status | Near the top of the COE: "exempt," "non-exempt," or "contact RLC." Contact RLC means VA's system couldn't make the call, or the loan may need VA's prior approval. |
| Basic entitlement | Near the center: "THIS VETERAN’S BASIC ENTITLEMENT IS $______. TOTAL ENTITLEMENT CHARGED TO PREVIOUS VA LOANS IS $______." $36,000 means full entitlement. |
| Bonus entitlement | Not printed. VA says "Bonus entitlement isn’t listed on your COE because you’ll need to calculate it" ([VA](https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-limits/)). |
| Conditions | Rules the lender has to meet before VA will guarantee the loan. See below. |
### Funding fee status
If the field says **exempt**, the conditions section may state that you receive service-connected disability compensation and list the monthly amount. The handbook says lenders may rely on that exempt status, with no need to fax VA Form 26-8937 to confirm it. VA's [funding fee page](https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs/) lists who doesn't pay, including veterans receiving compensation for a service-connected disability and surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. Our [funding fee disability exemption guide](/learn/va-funding-fee-disability-exemption) covers the rating and refund rules.
If it says **non-exempt**, you pay the fee. For 2026 purchase loans, VA's rates are 2.15% on first use and 3.3% after first use with less than 5% down, 1.5% with 5% or more down, and 1.25% with 10% or more down. VA publishes one table for "Veterans, active-duty service members, and National Guard and Reserve members." The 2019 handbook still lists an older "Reserve/National Guard Funding Fee" condition that calls for an increased fee. If you see it on a COE, ask your lender, because VA's current published table doesn't charge Guard and Reserve borrowers more. You can run the numbers with our [VA funding fee calculator](/calculator/funding-fee).
### Conditions you might see
The handbook lists these conditions, among others:
- Active duty service member: the COE is "Valid unless discharged or released subsequent to date of this certificate," and the lender needs a certification of continuous active duty as of the note date. Active-duty borrowers usually prove service with a [statement of service](/learn/va-loan-statement-of-service).
- Reserve or National Guard member: the same wording, with continuous service in the Selected Reserve or National Guard as of the note date.
- Refinance restoration: restored entitlement is available only for the property that secured the earlier loan. VA's own page puts it this way: if your COE has a cash-out refinance condition, "you can only use it for a cash-out refinance of the property identified in the COE."
- One-time restoration: entitlement was restored without selling the property under 38 U.S.C. 3702(b)(4), and "Any future restoration requires disposal of all property obtained with a VA loan."
- Paid-in-full loan: entitlement on a paid-off loan isn't restored until you apply for restoration.
- Foreclosed loan: entitlement charged on a foreclosed loan can't be restored until VA's loss has been repaid in full.
- Surviving spouse: eligibility becomes void if your marital status changes after the COE date and before closing, unless the lender didn't know and obtained the affidavit VA prescribes.
The handbook says that when a COE comes back with reduced entitlement and restoration is needed, lenders use WebLGY's "Correct COE" function to request an updated one. It also notes that failing to get an automatic COE "does not mean the Veteran is ineligible." VA's COE page says your lender may be able to request your COE through Web LGY, so bring any discrepancy to them first.
## How to get your COE and see your code
You can request a COE online through VA.gov, or ask your lender, who VA says "may be able to use an online system (called Web LGY) to get your COE." You can also mail VA Form 26-1880 to your regional loan center ([VA](https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/how-to-request-coe/)). Which documents you need depends on your status. The full checklist is in our [VA loan eligibility and COE guide](/learn/coe-eligibility).
## Bottom line
Your entitlement code tells a lender how you qualified, not how much you can borrow. Most codes are era or category labels. Code 05 is the one to watch, because it signals the subsequent-use funding fee unless you're exempt. Any earlier use of a VA loan puts you on the after-first-use rates, whatever your code; code 05 just makes that earlier use visible on the COE. For borrowing power, read the basic entitlement line, the prior-loans table and the funding fee status. If you want help reading your certificate, start with our [2-minute eligibility check](/start/loan-purpose).
## Frequently asked
### What does entitlement code 10 mean on a VA COE?
Lender guides describe code 10 as the Persian Gulf War code, the era VA's manual dates from August 2, 1990 with no end date set. We could not find a VA document that defines code 10: the code list in VA's M26-1 manual (revised 1996) runs 01 to 09 and then 11. Either way, the code doesn't set your loan amount. Your entitlement lines and the lender's approval do.
### What does entitlement code 05 mean?
Code 05 means entitlement you used on an earlier VA loan has been restored. VA's Lenders Handbook says a code of 5 means you must pay the subsequent-use funding fee on any future loan unless you're exempt. In 2026 that fee is 3.3% with less than 5% down, 1.5% with 5% or more down, and 1.25% with 10% or more down. Any earlier use of a VA loan puts you on the after-first-use rates, whatever your code; code 05 just makes that earlier use visible on the COE.
### What is VA entitlement code 11?
VA's M26-1 manual lists code 11 as Selected Reserve. The 1996 manual tells VA staff to enter code 11 when a Guard or Reserve member qualifies through the 6-year requirement. A Guard or Reserve member who qualifies under the general active-duty rule was issued a regular COE instead.
### Does my entitlement code change how much I can borrow?
Nothing in VA's guidance ties the loan amount to the code. VA explains borrowing power through the basic entitlement line and the entitlement charged to prior loans. A COE showing $36,000 of basic entitlement means full entitlement, which carries no VA loan limit, though your lender still has to approve the loan amount.
### What does 'non-exempt' next to Funding Fee on my COE mean?
It means you are not exempt from the VA funding fee. VA's Lenders Handbook lists three statuses for that field: exempt, non-exempt, and contact RLC, which means VA's system could not make the determination or the loan may need VA's prior approval.