VA disability calculator: combined rating and pay
Ratings don't simply add. This calculator combines them the way the published formula in 38 CFR 4.25 does, applies the bilateral factor when both sides of a pair are rated, and turns the result into an estimated monthly payment at the current published rates, with every step of the math shown.
Add each rating from your decision letters:
Tap the percentages in any order. If a rating is for an arm or a leg, tag it below after adding, and the bilateral factor applies automatically when both sides of a pair are rated.
How it works: the formula starts you at 100 percent efficiency and applies each rating, largest first, to what remains. Two ratings of 50 and 30 combine to 65, which rounds to 70. The full explanation with worked examples is in the guide, how VA combined rating math works.
The bilateral factor: when both arms or both legs carry ratings, the regulation combines those first and adds 10 percent of that value before the rest (38 CFR 4.26). Tag each arm or leg rating with its body part and the calculator handles it automatically, showing the extra steps in the math.
Just got a decision letter? The back pay calculator counts the whole months from your effective date and prices each one at the rates that were in effect, dependents included. Or look up any rating directly on the full 2026 pay rate chart.
What it doesn't do: paired skeletal muscle groups, SMC levels L through S, and individual unemployability aren't modeled here, and 0 percent ratings don't change the combined number. Your official rating and payment are the ones the VA states, period. This tool exists so your letter makes sense, not to predict anything.
Combined rating questions, answered
How do you calculate a combined VA disability rating?
Ratings don't add. The VA starts you at 100 percent efficiency and applies each rating, largest first, to what remains. A 50 percent rating leaves 50; a 30 percent rating then takes 30 percent of that remaining 50, which is 15, for a combined 65, rounded to 70. This calculator runs that published 38 CFR 4.25 formula and shows each step.
Why is 50 + 30 not 80 in VA math?
Because each added rating only applies to the efficiency you have left, not to the whole. 50 and 30 combine to 65 (rounded to 70), not 80. The higher your existing combined rating, the less each new rating moves the number.
What is the bilateral factor?
When both arms or both legs carry ratings, 38 CFR 4.26 combines those first and adds 10 percent of that value before combining the rest. Tag each arm or leg rating with its body part above and the calculator applies it automatically.
How much does VA disability pay in 2026?
The rates effective December 1, 2025 run from $180.42 per month at 10 percent to $3,938.58 at 100 percent for a veteran alone, higher with a spouse, children, or dependent parents at 30 percent and above. Enter your ratings and dependents above for the full estimate.
The app goes further, still offline
MusterVault saves your ratings with your conditions so you never re-enter them, models SMC levels L through S from your award letter, and keeps the rate tables current automatically each December. All on your own computer, no account.
Informational only: the published formula applied to numbers you enter, computed in your browser and never stored. MusterVault never estimates a rating from your symptoms and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.