Calculator / DIC rates
VA survivor rates · effective December 1, 2025 · checked 2026-10-21
VA DIC rates for surviving spouses and children
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) pays a surviving spouse $1,699.36 a month when the veteran died on or after January 1, 1993, under VA's table effective December 1, 2025. Each child under 18 adds $421.00. When there is no surviving spouse, the children are paid directly: $717.50 for one child, rising to $2,882.62 for a family of 9.
- 1One child, no spouse $717.50
- 29 children, family total $2,882.62
- 3Surviving spouse, basic $1,699.36
Surviving spouse: basic rate and added amounts
| Item | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Basic monthly rate (veteran died on or after January 1, 1993) | $1,699.36 |
| 8-year provision: veteran rated totally disabled for 8 years before death, and married to the spouse for those 8 years | +$360.85 |
| Surviving spouse receiving Aid and Attendance | +$421.00 |
| Surviving spouse who is housebound | +$197.22 |
| Each dependent child under 18 | +$421.00 |
| Transitional benefit, first 2 years after the veteran's death | +$359.00 |
| Child 18 to 23 in a qualifying school program (paid on the child's own award) | $356.66 |
| Helpless child over 18 (paid on the child's own award) | $717.50 |
The basic spouse rate equals 43.1% of the 100% rate a veteran alone receives ($3,938.58), $2,239.22 less. A spouse with one child under 18 receives $2,120.36; with the 8-year provision alone, $2,060.21; housebound, $1,896.58. VA's table lists Aid and Attendance and housebound as separate added amounts; the calculation here adds one or the other.
VA's example, line by line
VA's survivor-rates page works this case: surviving spouse with two children under 18, the 8-year provision and aid and attendance, in the first two years after the veteran's death. $1,699.36 (basic monthly rate) + $421.00 (child under 18) + $421.00 (child under 18) + $360.85 (8-year provision) + $421.00 (aid and attendance) + $359.00 (transitional benefit (first 2 years)) = $3,682.21 a month. When the transitional benefit ends after two years, the same family receives $3,323.21, which is VA's second figure. The site's tests reproduce both totals.
Children with no surviving spouse
| Eligible children | Each child | Family total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $717.50 | $717.50 |
| 2 | $516.09 | $1,032.18 |
| 3 | $448.97 | $1,346.92 |
| 4 | $400.72 | $1,602.87 |
| 5 | $371.76 | $1,858.82 |
| 6 | $352.46 | $2,114.77 |
| 7 | $338.67 | $2,370.72 |
| 8 | $328.33 | $2,626.67 |
| 9 | $320.29 | $2,882.62 |
For a family of 10 or more, each further child adds $255.95; from the fourth child on, VA's family totals already rise by that same amount per child. A helpless child over 18 gets $421.00 added to that child's share: in a family of two, that child's amount is $516.09 + $421.00 = $937.09, VA's own example.
Veteran died before January 1, 1993
For a veteran who died before January 1, 1993, VA's table lists the spouse rate by the veteran's pay grade. E-1 to E-6 equals the basic rate. Each child under 18 adds $421.00 in every grade.
| Pay grade | Monthly |
|---|---|
| E-1 to E-6 | $1,699.36 |
| E-7 | $1,758.09 |
| E-8 | $1,856.02 |
| E-9 regular | $1,935.72 |
| E-9 special capacity | $2,089.58 |
| W-1 | $1,794.49 |
| W-2 | $1,865.80 |
| W-3 | $1,920.33 |
| W-4 | $2,032.23 |
| O-1 | $1,794.49 |
| O-2 | $1,856.02 |
| O-3 | $1,983.26 |
| O-4 | $2,102.15 |
| O-5 | $2,313.37 |
| O-6 | $2,608.49 |
| O-7 | $2,815.45 |
| O-8 | $3,092.41 |
| O-9 | $3,307.79 |
| O-10 regular | $3,628.08 |
| O-10 special capacity | $3,893.83 |
With the 8-year provision: 8-year provision add-on (E-1 to E-7) $360.85; E-8 or E-9 increased payment (8-year provision) $2,060.20; Increased payment (8-year provision) $2,060.20; O-1 to O-3 increased payment (8-year provision) $2,060.20. VA's E-3 example, spouse of an e-3 who died before january 1, 1993, with the 8-year provision and two children under 18, comes to $2,902.21. VA's E-9 example prints the 8-year figure as $2,060.21 while its table shows $2,060.20; this site uses the table.
Left out
- Parent DIC: the survivor-rates page links to separate parent rate pages and lists no parent amounts; parent rates are not included.
This page covers the rates only; who qualifies for DIC is set out on VA's DIC pages. The free help below applies to survivors too: an accredited VSO representative can file a DIC claim without charge. For the veteran's own rates, see VA pay by rating and special monthly compensation.
Source: VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, effective December 1, 2025, checked 2026-10-21.
Rating Ledger is not part of VA and does not file or decide claims. Amounts are VA's published Dependency and Indemnity Compensation rates effective December 1, 2025, for surviving spouses and children. Last checked 2026-10-21. Only a VA decision sets eligibility or a payment. See the methodology.