Calculator / Special monthly compensation
38 U.S.C. 1114(k)–(t) · effective December 1, 2025 · checked 2026-10-21
VA special monthly compensation (SMC) rates
Special monthly compensation is paid on top of, or instead of, the basic rating for losses such as amputation, loss of use, blindness, being housebound or needing aid and attendance. SMC-K adds $139.87 a month per qualifying loss; the lettered levels run from $4,408.53 (SMC-S) to $11,271.67 (SMC-R.2/T) for a veteran alone.
- 1100% schedular $3,938.58
- 2SMC-L $4,900.83
- 3SMC-R.2/T $11,271.67
| Level | Statute | Alone | With spouse | Spouse + 1 child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMC-K | 1114(k) | +$139.87 per award, added to the basic rate | ||
| SMC-L | 1114(l) | $4,900.83 | $5,120.42 | $5,281.24 |
| SMC-L 1/2 | 1114(p) | $5,154.00 | $5,373.59 | $5,534.41 |
| SMC-M | 1114(m) | $5,408.55 | $5,628.14 | $5,788.96 |
| SMC-M 1/2 | 1114(p) | $5,780.00 | $5,999.59 | $6,160.41 |
| SMC-N | 1114(n) | $6,152.64 | $6,372.23 | $6,533.05 |
| SMC-N 1/2 | 1114(p) | $6,514.00 | $6,733.59 | $6,894.41 |
| SMC-O/P | 1114(o) | $6,877.12 | $7,096.71 | $7,257.53 |
| SMC-R.1 | 1114(r) | $9,826.88 | $10,046.47 | $10,207.29 |
| SMC-R.2/T | 1114(r) | $11,271.67 | $11,491.26 | $11,652.08 |
| SMC-S | 1114(s) | $4,408.53 | $4,628.12 | $4,788.94 |
| 100% schedular | 1114(j) | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $4,318.99 |
Source: VA, Current special monthly compensation (SMC) rates, effective December 1, 2025, checked 2026-10-21. Monthly amounts in US dollars.
How the levels fit together
SMC-K is an add-on: it is paid with any rating from 0% to 100% and with SMC-S and SMC-L through N 1/2. The lettered levels replace the basic rate. L, M, N and O each have their own list of losses; the half steps (L 1/2, M 1/2, N 1/2) are intermediate rates under 1114(p), set at the mean of their neighbours rounded down to the dollar. R.1 and R.2 add an aid and attendance allowance to the O/P rate, and T pays the R.2 amount for traumatic brain injury residuals. SMC-S, the housebound rate, sits just above 100%. Dependents are added exactly as at 100%: each child under 18 beyond the first adds $109.11, each child in school $352.45 and a spouse on Aid and Attendance $201.41.
VA's own example: a veteran at smc-l with a spouse who receives aid and attendance, three children under 18 and one child over 18 in a qualifying school program receives $6,053.32 a month at SMC-L. SMC-Q ($67.00) is not listed above: SMC-Q is a protected rate that VA has not awarded since August 19, 1968; it is paid in place of the basic rate. Survivors are paid under a different table; see DIC rates.
Rating Ledger is not part of VA and does not file or decide claims. Amounts are VA's published special monthly compensation rates effective December 1, 2025, under 38 U.S.C. 1114 and 38 CFR 3.350; whether a level applies is decided by VA from the evidence. Last checked 2026-10-21. Only a VA decision sets a rating, an SMC level or a payment. See the methodology.