Tool · Eligibility
Do you qualify for the VA loan?
A few questions, about two minutes, and we never ask who you are. This walks the same service requirements the VA publishes and tells you what your likely path is, including when the honest answer is “the VA has to decide.”
Question 1 of 3
Which best describes you?
Educational tool only, based on the service requirements published at VA.gov. This is not an eligibility determination. Only your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is. Special cases (early separation for hardship, reduction in force, certain medical separations) can qualify with less service time than shown here.
The requirements, in one table
| Who | Minimum service |
|---|---|
| Currently on active duty | 90 continuous days |
| Service academy cadet or midshipman | Academy time counts as active duty by law; proven with a statement of service. See the cadet guide |
| Veteran, service on/after Aug 2, 1990 | 24 continuous months, or the full period called to active duty (at least 90 days) |
| Veteran, earlier peacetime service | 181 continuous days |
| Veteran, WWII / Korea / Vietnam | 90 total days |
| National Guard | 6 creditable years, or 90 cumulative full-time days (30 consecutive), or 90+ days on federal orders |
| Selected Reserve | 6 creditable years, or 90 days of non-training active duty |
| Surviving spouse | Spouse died in service or from a service-connected cause (generally unremarried; remarriage after age 57 preserves eligibility) |
Source: VA.gov — Eligibility for VA home loan programs, checked July 2026. Early separations (hardship, reduction in force, certain medical) can qualify with less time.
Eligible and wondering what it buys you? Run the buying-power calculator.