VA Loan Entitlement Calculator
| Loan amount | VA guarantee (full entitlement) | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| $144,000 or less | $36,000 | flat basic entitlement |
| $200,000 | $50,000 | 25% of loan |
| $350,000 | $87,500 | 25% of loan |
| $500,000 | $125,000 | 25% of loan - no limit with full entitlement |
The VA does not lend money - it guarantees a quarter of your loan to the lender, which is why VA loans need no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance. The guarantee math has two tiers: on loans of $144,000 or less the VA guarantees up to $36,000 flat, and above that it guarantees 25% of the loan amount - $50,000 on a $200,000 loan, $100,000 on $400,000. With FULL entitlement there is no loan limit at all: any size, zero down, as long as the appraisal and your income support it.
Entitlement gets interesting when it has been used before: the basic $36,000 is a lifetime bucket, and an active or defaulted VA loan can leave part of it consumed. What remains changes the deal - the guarantee on the next loan is capped by what is left, and partial-entitlement loans above the county limit are where down payments enter the picture, under tiered rules your lender computes from your Certificate of Eligibility. This calculator shows the guarantee on your loan size, what your remaining bucket covers, and honestly flags where the full-entitlement story ends.
How to use
- Enter your loan amount - the tool shows the VA guarantee at the two-tier rates ($36,000 flat, 25% above $144,000).
- Enter entitlement already used on active or defaulted VA loans (your Certificate of Eligibility lists it) to see what remains.
- Read the coverage line: whether your remaining entitlement fully covers a quarter of this loan, or how much of the guarantee is unfunded.
Frequently asked questions
How much entitlement do I have?
Full basic entitlement is $36,000 on loans of $144,000 or less, and 25% of the loan amount above that - which is why full-entitlement borrowers have NO loan limit. What remains depends on history: a prior VA loan paid off and the property sold usually restores entitlement in full (reuse), an active VA loan on a property you still own typically consumes part of the bucket, and a foreclosure or short sale on a VA loan can consume substantially more. Your Certificate of Eligibility lists the exact remaining figure.
What is the VA guarantee on a $400,000 loan?
25% - $100,000. The $36,000 flat figure only applies to loans of $144,000 or less; above that the guarantee is a straight quarter of the loan. Since the lender's loss is capped at a quarter, they finance the full amount with no private mortgage insurance, which is the structural advantage of the program.
Does full entitlement really mean no loan limit?
Yes - since 2020, a veteran with full entitlement can borrow any amount a lender will underwrite, with no VA ceiling and zero down. The county loan limits still matter for one group: borrowers with PARTIAL entitlement (a prior VA loan still active or defaulted), where limits define how much of the second-tier guarantee is available and whether a down payment fills the gap.
Does using entitlement twice cost more?
The funding fee does rise on a second or subsequent use without 5% down (3.3% versus 2.15% on a purchase under 5% down), but entitlement restoration itself is free: pay off the prior VA loan and dispose of the property, then request restoration on the same COE. Many repeat VA buyers run two concurrent VA loans on one entitlement bucket without ever paying a down payment.