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VA loan limits for 2026

Andrew Dehan Mia Taylor Katie Lowery, CFHC Thomas Brock, CFA, CPA
Written by
Andrew Dehan
and
Mia Taylor,
Edited by
Katie Lowery, CFHC,
Reviewed by
Thomas Brock, CFA, CPA,
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Published on December 10, 2025 | 3 min read

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Key takeaways

  • For eligible veterans with full entitlement, there are no VA loan limits.
  • VA loan limits apply to the amount the VA will guarantee, not how much the lender will let you borrow.
  • VA loan limits range from $832,750 to $1,299,500, depending on the property’s location.
VA loan limits were eliminated in 2020. That means VA loan borrowers with full entitlement can borrow the maximum allowed by lenders. However, VA loan limits still apply to borrowers without full entitlement.

What are VA loan limits?

VA loan limits are the maximum mortgage amount the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) guarantees to lenders for VA loans. If you borrow a VA loan and stop paying it — known as defaulting — the VA guarantees it’ll pay the lender for the loss, up to a certain amount.

What are VA loan limits if you have full entitlement?

In 2020, the VA eliminated VA loan limits on mortgages for eligible veterans, service members and surviving spouses who have full entitlement. You have full entitlement — meaning the entirety of your entitlement is available for use — if you meet at least one of the following criteria, according to the VA:

  • You’ve never used the VA home loan benefit
  • You’ve repaid a previous VA loan in full and sold the property
  • You’ve used the VA home loan benefit, but had a foreclosure or short sale and repaid the VA in full

Borrowers with this level of entitlement don’t have to make a down payment, and the VA will guarantee the mortgage lender up to 25% of the VA loan if the borrower defaults, provided the mortgage is for more than $144,000. If a mortgage is less than $144,000, the VA guarantees up to $36,000 for those with full entitlement.

When do VA loan limits apply?

VA loan limits apply if you have remaining entitlement, meaning that part of the VA-guaranteed dollar amount you’re eligible for has already been tapped. According to the VA, you could fall under this category if:

  • You have an active VA loan
  • You’ve paid a previous VA loan in full and still own the property
  • You refinanced your VA loan into a non-VA loan and still own the property
  • You had a short sale, deed in lieu of foreclosure, or foreclosure and didn’t repay the VA in full

If you have remaining entitlement, your county of residence determines your VA loan limit. If you default on the loan, the VA will only guarantee the lender up to 25% of the county limit minus the entitlement already used. Some borrowers in this category may have to make a down payment.

VA loan limits by county

For borrowers with remaining entitlement, the VA loan limits vary by county, and are the same as the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) conforming loan limits. The limits are based on the median home values in each county. Adjusted annually, each state’s loan limits are detailed county by county and apply to one-unit (single-family) through four-unit homes.

$832,750

The 2026 conforming loan limit in most places around the continental U.S.

VA loan limits example

Say you’re buying a home in a county with a $832,750 loan limit, and you’re already using $50,000 of your entitlement.

Remember, the VA guarantees up to 25% of the county loan limit — here, $208,188. You’ll need to pay the difference between the entitlement you’re using ($50,000) and the 25% guarantee ($208,188). This equals $158,188.

From there, most lenders limit you to no more than four times that amount. In this example, the maximum you could borrow with no down payment would be $632,752, or $158,188 multiplied by four. If you’d like to borrow more, you’ll need to make a down payment. You’ll also be responsible for closing costs.

What VA loan limits mean for you

VA loan limits don’t necessarily dictate the amount you can borrow to finance a home — that’s up to your mortgage lender, which will qualify you within the parameters of the VA and its own business. Rather, the VA loan limit is the maximum amount the VA will guarantee to the lender. If you’re approved for a bigger mortgage (more than $144,000), you’re free to borrow beyond these limits, but without full entitlement, you might need to make a down payment to do so.

Now that VA loans no longer have limits for borrowers with full entitlement, first-time borrowers have no cap on the size of a zero-down payment VA loan. But remember that VA funding fees, which most borrowers must pay to obtain a VA loan, are still required. Even if you have full entitlement and aren’t subject to loan limits, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can get any size VA loan you want. Your lender will still need to evaluate your credit history, income and assets to approve you for a loan, and for a specific amount.

You can use Bankrate’s VA loan calculator to estimate what your monthly payments will be based on the loan amount, loan term and interest rate.

Learn more: Compare current VA loan rates

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Written by
Andrew Dehan Arrow Right Icon
Former Senior Writer, Home Lending
Andrew Dehan is a former Bankrate housing reporter. He's taken the NMLS Loan Originator education classes and passed the MLO SAFE test. Besides Bankrate, his work has been published by Rocket Mortgage, Forbes Advisor and Business Insider. He’s also a poet, musician and nature-lover. He lives in metro Detroit with his wife and children.
Co-written by
Mia Taylor Arrow Right Icon
Contributing Writer
Mia Taylor is a contributor to Bankrate who writes about personal finance and small business loan topics, and an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience.