Who's eligible — the short list
Five paths to VA loan eligibility. You only need to qualify under one.
- Active-duty service members — 90+ continuous days of service
- Veterans — 90+ days during a wartime period, or 181+ days during peacetime, with discharge other than dishonorable
- National Guard / Reserve — 6+ years of service, OR 90+ days of active-duty service under Title 10
- Surviving spouses — spouses of service members who died in the line of duty, or from a service-connected disability (and not remarried, with some exceptions)
- Certain other categories — public health service officers, NOAA officers, certain cadets and midshipmen
If you are reading this and unsure which bucket you fit, pull your COE first. The VA will tell you in writing whether you qualify and how much entitlement you have. It is free and it takes minutes.
Service requirements — the details
Active duty
90 continuous days of active service. Once you hit day 91, you are eligible. This includes time at training, deployment, sea duty, all of it.
Veteran (post-9/11)
24 continuous months OR the full period for which you were called to active duty, with a minimum of 90 days. Discharge has to be other than dishonorable.
Veteran (Vietnam, Gulf War, etc.)
Wartime: 90 days active duty. Peacetime: 181 days continuous active duty.
National Guard & Reserve
The eligibility math here trips a lot of folks up. Two paths:
- 6+ years of service in the Guard or Reserve, with one of: honorable discharge, placement on retired list, transferred to Standby Reserve or Ready Reserve element other than Standby Reserve after honorable service, or continued service.
- 90+ days of active service under Title 10 (federal mobilization) — this is the faster path for Guard/Reserve members who have deployed.
The Reserve/Guard funding fee surcharge was eliminated January 1, 2020. Guard and Reserve members now pay the same funding fee as active-duty.
Surviving spouses
Eligible if you are the spouse of:
- A veteran who died in service or from a service-connected disability
- A service member missing in action or a prisoner of war for at least 90 days
- A veteran who was totally disabled (some conditions)
You generally have to be unmarried, though VA rules now allow surviving spouses who remarried after age 57 (and after Dec 16, 2003) to retain eligibility.
Getting your Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
The COE is the document that proves to a lender you qualify for a VA loan. Three ways to get it:
Option 1 — VA.gov / eBenefits (fastest, free). Sign in at va.gov, navigate to the Home Loans section, click "Request a COE." If your records are in the system (most active-duty and recent veterans are), you get the COE in your inbox in minutes. Done.
Option 2 — Your lender pulls it. Most Hampton Roads VA-savvy lenders will pull the COE for you as part of pre-approval. This is the path most of our buyers take because it is one less form to fill out yourself.
Option 3 — Mail VA Form 26-1880. Slowest path (4–6 weeks). Only use this if the online system can't find your records — usually older veterans or those with unusual service records.
Disability rating implications
If you have a VA-rated service-connected disability of 10% or higher, you are exempt from the VA funding fee. On a $340K Hampton Roads home with first-use at 2.15%, that exemption saves you about $7,310 right at closing. Make sure your COE reflects your disability rating; if it doesn't, your lender will ask for a copy of your VA rating decision letter.
If you are awaiting a disability rating decision and you close before the rating comes through, you can apply for a refund of the funding fee retroactively — but it is a paperwork battle. If you are within 30 days of a likely rating decision, ask your lender about timing the close to capture the waiver.
Common eligibility gotchas
- Bad-paper discharge. Other-than-honorable, bad conduct, and dishonorable discharges generally disqualify, though there are appeal paths through the VA.
- Less than 24 months in for post-9/11 vets. If you separated before 24 months and were not called to active duty under Title 10, you may not qualify under the post-9/11 rule. Check the COE.
- Reservists who never deployed and have under 6 years. Not yet eligible. Keep the date 6 years from your start handy.
- Re-marriage for surviving spouses. Can disqualify, with exceptions noted above.