Calculator / Back pay
Retroactive pay · 6 VA rate tables, December 1, 2020 to December 1, 2025 · checked 2026-10-23
VA disability back pay calculator
VA back pay is the monthly rate for each month from the first of the month after the effective date up to the decision, each month at the rate table then in force. Enter the effective date from the decision letter, the decision date, the combined rating and the dependents, and the months are listed one by one.
- 170% alone, from December 1, 2020 $1,444.71
- 270% alone, from December 1, 2025 $1,808.45
- 3Rise over the six tables 25.2%
Month-by-month table
How VA back pay is computed
Three rules set the amount. First, the effective date: under 38 CFR 3.400, an award is effective on the date VA received the claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later; a claim received within one year after separation can be effective the day after separation, and an increase can reach back to the earliest date the worsening is factually ascertainable when the claim arrives within one year of it (3.400(o)(2)). VA puts it this way: "The effective date is the day you can start getting your disability benefits." (VA, Disability compensation effective dates).
Second, the first paid month: 38 CFR 3.31 provides that payment of an original, supplemental or increased award may not be made for any period before the first day of the calendar month following the month in which the award became effective. So an effective date of March 1, 2025 and one of March 31, 2025 both start payment with April 2025. The calculator applies this rule to the date entered.
Third, the rate for each month: VA compensation tables change every December 1 by cost-of-living adjustment, and 3.31(c)(4) excludes increases that result solely from legislation, such as a COLA, from the next-month rule, so the new table applies from December itself. A month of back pay is therefore valued at the table in force on the first of that month, not at today's rate. At 100% for a veteran alone, November 2025 was $3,831.30 and December 2025 $3,938.58, a $107.28 difference in a single month. This site holds the 6 tables effective December 1, 2020 through December 1, 2025, each read from VA's rates pages. Months before December 2020 are listed without an amount rather than priced at a later table, and months after November 30, 2026 are priced at the latest table and marked, because the next table is not published yet.
VA calls the result retroactive compensation: "The assigned effective date impacts the amount of retroactive compensation you may receive." (VBA, Filing a Disability Claim: FAQs (March 2022)), and "We call this retroactive benefits (or backdated benefits)." (VA News). It is paid as one retroactive payment covering the past months, separate from the monthly rate that then continues. The figure here is an estimate from the published tables; the decision letter and VA's payment history are the record.
Worked example, computed by the engine
A veteran alone is rated 70% with an effective date of March 15, 2024, and the decision is dated March 15, 2026. Under 3.31 the first paid month is April 2024; the last month of the retroactive period is February 2026, because the decision month itself is paid with the regular monthly payment. That is 23 months: 8 months at $1,716.28, 12 months at $1,759.19, 3 months at $1,808.45.
| Rate table | Months | Monthly rate, 70% alone | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective December 1, 2023 | 2024-04 to 2024-11 (8) | $1,716.28 | $13,730.24 |
| Effective December 1, 2024 | 2024-12 to 2025-11 (12) | $1,759.19 | $21,110.28 |
| Effective December 1, 2025 | 2025-12 to 2026-02 (3) | $1,808.45 | $5,425.35 |
| Total | 23 months | $40,265.87 |
Pricing all 23 months at today's 70% rate would give $41,594.35, $1,328.48 too much. The site's tests reproduce this example from the three tables by hand. For the same veteran with a spouse and one child, the 70% row is $2,074.45 under the current table and $1,968.28 under the December 1, 2023 table; the calculator above takes dependents into account for every month, using the dependent rows and added amounts of each year's table in the same way as the pay pages.
The rate tables used
| Effective | 10% | 70% alone | 70%, spouse and 1 child | 100% alone | Change at 70% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2020 | $144.14 | $1,444.71 | $1,656.71 | $3,146.42 | — |
| December 1, 2021 | $152.64 | $1,529.95 | $1,754.95 | $3,332.06 | +5.9% |
| December 1, 2022 | $165.92 | $1,663.06 | $1,907.06 | $3,621.95 | +8.7% |
| December 1, 2023 | $171.23 | $1,716.28 | $1,968.28 | $3,737.85 | +3.2% |
| December 1, 2024 | $175.51 | $1,759.19 | $2,018.19 | $3,831.30 | +2.5% |
| December 1, 2025 | $180.42 | $1,808.45 | $2,074.45 | $3,938.58 | +2.8% |
Each row links to the VA page it was read from (checked 2026-10-23). Every table carries all twelve dependent rows from 30% to 100%, the flat 10% and 20% rates and the three added amounts, so a family's rate is computed for each month, not scaled. Two cells are kept exactly as VA prints them although they break the column's pattern by ten cents or a dollar: the 2020 table, spouse and two parents at 80%, $2,043.45; and the 2022 table, spouse and two parents at 80%, $2,353.15. The current table is on the pay by rating pages, and the combined rating calculator gives the rating to enter here.
What the estimate leaves out
- A change of dependents during the period (a marriage, a birth, a child turning 18 or leaving school). The calculator applies one dependent status to every month; VA adjusts from the date of the change, subject to its own effective-date rules.
- Staged ratings, where the decision assigns different percentages to different parts of the period. Run each stage separately with its own dates and add the results.
- Offsets: military retired pay waived for VA compensation, separation or severance pay VA recoups, drill pay, or an earlier award already paid for part of the period. These reduce the retroactive payment and are specific to the case.
- Special monthly compensation. The SMC pages give the current levels; past SMC tables are not held here.
Questions
What effective date does VA use for back pay?
Under 38 CFR 3.400 the effective date of an award is the date VA received the claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later. A claim received within one year after separation can be effective the day after separation (3.400(b)(2)(i)), and an increase can go back to the earliest date the increase is factually ascertainable if the claim arrives within one year of it (3.400(o)(2)). VA describes the effective date as the day you can start getting your disability benefits.
Why does back pay start the month after the effective date?
38 CFR 3.31 says payment of an original, supplemental or increased award may not be made for any period before the first day of the calendar month following the month in which the award became effective. An effective date of March 1 or March 31 both produce a first paid month of April. The calculator applies this rule.
Which year's rate applies to each month of back pay?
The table in force in that month. VA compensation rates change every December 1 by cost-of-living adjustment, and 3.31(c)(4) excludes those increases from the next-month rule, so the December rate applies from December. The calculator holds the six tables effective December 1, 2020 through December 1, 2025 and applies each month's own table rather than today's rate.
How long does VA take to decide a claim and pay?
VA's claim-status page reports the average number of days to complete disability-related claims; for September 2026 it shows 68.2 days. VA states that a veteran whose decision notice shows at least a 10% rating gets the first payment within 15 days. The retroactive amount depends on the effective date, not on how long the decision took.
Is VA disability back pay taxable?
IRS Publication 525 says not to include in income any veterans' benefits paid under any law, regulation or administrative practice administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and lists "Disability compensation and pension payments for disabilities paid either to veterans or their families." The IRS veterans page lists an increased disability percentage from VA, including retroactive determinations, among the reasons a federal tax refund may be claimed on an amended return.
Sources: VA, Past rates: 2021 Veterans disability compensation rates; VA, Past rates: 2022 Veterans disability compensation rates; VA, Past rates: 2023 Veterans disability compensation rates; VA, Past rates: 2024 Veterans disability compensation rates; VA, Past rates: 2025 Veterans disability compensation rates; VA, Current Veterans disability compensation rates (effective December 1, 2025); 38 CFR 3.31, Commencement of the period of payment; 38 CFR 3.400, General effective dates; 38 U.S.C. 1114 and 1115. Checked 2026-10-23.
This is not legal or claims advice. Rating Ledger is not part of VA and does not file or decide claims. The amount is an estimate from VA's published rate tables effective December 1, 2020 to December 1, 2025 and the payment rule of 38 CFR 3.31; the effective date, the rating and the retroactive payment are set by VA's decision. Last checked 2026-10-23. See the methodology.