VA Loan Requirements 2026: The Complete Checklist

VA loan requirements come down to three things VA names itself: you qualify for a Certificate of Eligibility through your service, you meet VA's and your lender's standards for credit and income, and you'll live in the home. On top of that, the house has to appraise and meet VA's property standards, and you pay a one-time funding fee unless you're exempt. This page is the one-screen checklist for 2026. Each item gets a short answer and a link to the guide that covers it in full.

VA loan requirements at a glance

If you only read one part of this page, read this table. The middle column is VA's rule. The third is where lenders may add their own layer on top, which is why two lenders can give you two different answers.

New to the program itself, meaning who lends, what VA guarantees and why there's no PMI? Start with what a VA loan is and come back here for the checklist.

1. Service eligibility and the COE

VA eligibility starts with your service record. VA's eligibility page sets these minimums for the most common cases:

• Service members: 90 continuous days of active duty.
• Veterans who served from August 2, 1990 to the present: 24 continuous months, or the full period (at least 90 days) you were called or ordered to active duty. Less time can qualify if you were discharged for a service-connected disability.
• National Guard: 90 days of non-training Title 10 active duty, 90 days of active duty that includes 30 consecutive days under certain Title 32 orders, or 6 creditable years.
• Reserve members: 90 days of non-training active duty, or 6 creditable years in the Selected Reserve.
• Surviving spouses: if you're eligible for or receive certain DIC, or your spouse is an active-duty member who is missing in action or a prisoner of war.

The six-year Guard and Reserve routes apply if you're still serving or you were honorably discharged or placed on the retired list. Earlier eras have their own minimums, and an other than honorable discharge gets a case-by-case review. The proof is a Certificate of Eligibility, and you can request it online or ask your lender to submit the application for you. Our COE eligibility decision tree covers every era.

2. Credit: VA has no minimum score

VA's entitlement page puts it directly: "We don't require a minimum credit score, but some lenders do have a requirement, so be sure to contact more than one lender to compare." VA's Buyer's Guide adds that lenders "may want borrowers to have a minimum credit score of 620, unless there is a large down payment."

What VA does require is that you be a satisfactory credit risk, which underwriters judge from your payment history rather than a number. A few rules from 38 CFR 36.4340(g) and the Buyer's Guide:

• Outside of bankruptcy, satisfactory credit is generally considered re-established after 12 months of satisfactory payments, counted from the date the last derogatory item was satisfied.
• A Chapter 7 discharge within the past 12 months generally means the borrower can't yet be found a satisfactory credit risk. A discharge 1 to 2 years back may still be a problem unless credit has been re-established and the bankruptcy was beyond the borrower's control.
• During a Chapter 13 plan, favorable consideration may be given after at least 12 months of satisfactory payments if the trustee or bankruptcy judge approves the new credit.

How underwriters weigh collections, late payments and thin files is in our VA loan credit score guide.

3. Income: DTI and residual income

VA doesn't set a minimum salary. Under 38 CFR 36.4340, "the two primary underwriting standards" are the debt-to-income ratio and residual income. Ordinarily you must meet both, but missing one doesn't automatically disqualify you.

Debt-to-income: 41% is the standard, not a wall

VA's DTI is one ratio: the new payment (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, plus HOA or condo fees) and your long-term debts, divided by gross monthly income. The regulation says "the standard is 41 percent or less." Above that, the loan may be approved if the underwriter's supervisor signs a justification based on compensating factors. If your residual income exceeds VA's guideline by at least 20%, that second-level review isn't required. Lenders may apply a stricter cap of their own. Worked examples at 45% to 60% are in our VA loan DTI guide.

Residual income: the money left over

Residual income is what's left each month after your housing costs and other obligations are paid. VA wants it to be enough to cover living expenses, and it publishes minimums by region, household size and loan amount. Everyone in the household counts, including a spouse who isn't on the loan, unless that spouse's own stable income is verified.

Those are the South and Midwest figures. The Northeast and West run higher: a family of four needs $1,025 in the Northeast and $1,117 in the West on a loan of $80,000 or more. For active-duty borrowers and military retirees, the regulation reduces the figure by at least 5% when there's clear indication they'll keep using a nearby base's facilities. The full tables, including the smaller-loan chart and which states fall in which region, are in our VA residual income chart.

What counts as income

Income has to be stable and reliable, meaning likely to continue. Verified tax-free income such as certain military allowances can be "grossed up" for the DTI calculation, but only actual income counts toward residual income. Self-employment income is generally considered stable after two years in business. Our VA loan income requirements guide covers BAH, disability compensation, overtime and side income.

Not sure where your numbers land?

A VA-experienced specialist can walk through your DTI and residual income with you before a lender pulls credit. We're not a lender, and it's free to start.

Check my numbers

4. Occupancy: you have to live there

Federal law, 38 U.S.C. § 3704(c), bars a VA purchase or construction loan unless you certify that you intend to occupy the property as your home. VA's Lenders Handbook (Chapter 3) defines the timing: "Occupancy within a 'reasonable time' means within 60 days after the loan closing." A later date can qualify if you certify a specific move-in date tied to a particular future event, but a date more than 12 months after closing "generally cannot be considered reasonable by VA."

A couple of details often get missed. A 2–4 unit property can qualify when one of the units is your home. And if you're on active duty and can't move in because of it, the statute lets your spouse, or a dependent child through your attorney-in-fact or the child's legal guardian, satisfy the requirement. Deployment, retirement dates and refinance rules are in our VA loan occupancy requirements guide.

5. Property: appraisal and minimum property requirements

VA's Buyer's Guide says all VA purchase and cash-out refinance loans require an appraisal by a VA-approved appraiser. The appraisal checks two things: the home's value, and whether it meets VA's minimum property requirements (MPRs). VA's basic MPR checklist covers items such as heating adequate for "healthful and comfortable living conditions," "a continuing supply of safe and potable water," mechanical systems that are safe to operate, and a roof covering that prevents moisture from getting in.

The appraisal also caps the loan. VA's maximum on a property is the appraised value or the purchase price, whichever is lower. If the appraisal comes in low, you can request a reconsideration of value, renegotiate, or bring cash to closing for the difference. An appraisal isn't a home inspection, and VA recommends getting one as well. The MPR list item by item, including where termite reports are required, is in our VA minimum property requirements checklist.

6. Funding fee, entitlement and loan limits

These aren't hurdles you pass or fail, but they decide what the loan costs and how much you can borrow with nothing down.

The funding fee. VA's funding fee chart for purchase loans, effective April 7, 2023:

You don't pay it if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, among five exemptions VA lists, which also cover surviving spouses receiving DIC and active-duty members who show a Purple Heart on or before closing. The fee can be financed. On a purchase, it's the only closing cost you can roll into the loan. Price yours with the VA funding fee calculator or read the 2026 funding fee guide.

Entitlement and limits. With full entitlement, VA's page says "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)." County limits come into play only when part of your entitlement is still tied up, usually in an open VA loan. Then 25% of the county's one-unit limit minus the entitlement you've used gives your remaining entitlement, and four times that is about the most lenders typically lend with no down payment. Our VA county loan limits guide runs it with 2026 figures, and the county loan limit lookup finds your county.

What to have ready before you apply

The paperwork follows from the requirements above:

1. Your COE, or the service documents your lender needs to request it (such as a DD214 for veterans).
2. Income proof. VA requires employment income to be verified. Active-duty borrowers use a Leave and Earnings Statement, and VA wants employment verifications and pay stubs no more than 120 days old (180 for new construction). Self-employed borrowers need two years of signed tax returns, a profit-and-loss statement and a balance sheet.
3. A list of your monthly debts and any explanation for past credit problems.
4. Proof of exemption from the funding fee if it applies, such as a disability compensation award.

Bottom line

The VA loan requirements in 2026 are short: a COE from qualifying service, credit and income that satisfy VA and your lender, a home you'll live in, and a property that appraises and meets VA's standards. VA sets no minimum score, no minimum salary and, with full entitlement, no loan limit. Many of the hard numbers people quote are lender overlays, and those vary from lender to lender. Our 2-minute eligibility check maps your service to the right loan and connects you with a VA-experienced specialist.