Serving in the military comes with a wide range of benefits. You defend your country and the values it holds dear. You get to be a part of a unit. And you tap into the perks that come from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

That last bit becomes particularly useful when you want to buy a home. The VA guarantees loans for eligible service members, which essentially gives the lender something like insurance if you stop paying. That guarantee builds in a number of serious upsides, from the possibility of a 0% down payment to lower interest rates. 

Generally, if you can qualify for a VA home loan, it’s a better option than a conventional (i.e., not government-backed) mortgage. That begs the question: are you eligible for a VA home loan? Let’s find out. 

As a quick note, for the purposes of this article, we’re talking about VA-backed home loans (the most common type of VA loan). We’re not going over eligibility requirements for VA direct loans, also known as Native American Direct Loans. 

COEs: The key to unlocking VA home loan eligibility

You don’t get a VA-backed loan straight from the VA. Instead, you work with a mortgage lender that offers these kinds of loans. 

To prove to the lender that you’re eligible, you’ll need what’s called a certificate of eligibility (COE). This shows the lender that you’ve served enough time (or met other requirements) for the VA to back your loan.

So, are you eligible for a VA home loan? Here’s a closer look at when you can request a COE. 

If you’re currently a service member

The minimum active-duty service requirement is 90 days. You can’t have any breaks in your service; you need to serve all 90 days all at once. As soon as you cross the 90-day threshold, you’re eligible to request a COE. 

If you’re a veteran

The length of service required to be eligible for a VA home loan depends on when and where you served:

Qualifying exceptions

The VA allows some exceptions. You can request a COE and have them review your file to see if you’re eligible for a VA loan if you were discharged for:

• Early out, provided you served 21 months of a two-year enlistment
• Hardship
• Involuntary reduction in force
• Some medical conditions
• The convenience of the government, provided you served at least 20 months of a two-year enlistment

As you might already guess from the VA home loan eligibility parameters we laid out above, discharge because of a service-connected disability almost always qualifies as an exception. That means you can still get your COE even if you served less than the baseline required time during your service window. 

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If you serve(d) in the National Guard

As long as you meet any one of the following, you should qualify for a COE and, consequently, a VA home loan:

• 90+ days of non-training active-duty Title 10 service
• 90+ days of active-duty service with at least 30 consecutive days 
• Six creditable years in the National Guard, provided you:
  
  • Continue to serve,
  • Were discharged honorably, or
  • Were placed on the retired list

Per the VA, if you want to qualify with your active-duty service, your DD214 must show 32 USC sections 316, 502, 503, 504, or 505 activation.

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If you serve(d) in the Reserve

You’re eligible to receive a COE and get a VA-backed home loan if you served for:

• 90+ days of non-training active-duty service
• 6 creditable years in the Selected Reserve, provided you:
  
  • Continue to serve,
  • Were discharged honorably, or
  • Were placed on the retired list

Are spouses eligible for a VA home loan?

If you’re a spouse currently married to a service member, you can likely co-borrow on a VA home loan with them provided they meet the service-related eligibility criteria above. 

If you’re a surviving spouse, you can potentially get a COE and qualify for a VA-backed loan on your own. Generally, before it will issue a COE, the VA will want to see that you’re either eligible for or currently getting VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). 

Some clear-cut things that make spouses eligible for VA home loans include:

• Being married to a service member who is missing in action (MIA)
• Being married to a service member who is a prisoner of war (POW)
• Being married to a service member who died while in service or because of a service-related disability if you:
  
  • Didn’t remarry at all
  • Didn’t remarry before you were 57 years old
  • Didn’t remarry before December 16, 2003
• Being married to a service member who was totally disabled, then passed away (in some situations)

If you’re currently receiving DIC benefits, you can figure out if you can get a VA home loan with this form: Request for Determination of Loan Guaranty Eligibility—Unmarried Surviving Spouses (VA Form 26-1817). You’ll also need your veteran’s separation papers (usually, their DD214). 

If you’re not getting DIC, you’ll first need to fill out the Application for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits (VA Form 21P-534EZ). You’ll need your spouse’s separation papers, death certificate, and your marriage license, too. 

Other VA and lender eligibility requirements for VA home loans

The minimum service requirement for you or your spouse is just one piece of the eligibility puzzle. For lenders to approve VA loans, the borrower (that’s you) and the house they want to buy need to meet some other criteria:

• Creditworthiness: Unlike other government agencies that back loans, the VA doesn’t set a specific credit score minimum. That said, lenders still have to agree that the loan makes sense for them (i.e., that you’re likely to repay what you borrow). As a result, they usually require a credit score of 620 or above. 
• Consistent income with sufficient residual: Lenders want to see that you have the means to repay your loan and still have enough left over to live. The minimum residual income you need depends on where you live. To verify that you meet the VA’s minimum residual income requirement, the lender will require proof of income, usually through pay stubs and tax returns. Additionally, lenders want to see that this income will continue (e.g., that you’re still employed). 
• Acceptable DTI: As part of the approval process, lenders calculate your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio. This shows how much of your monthly income gets eaten up by your debts, including your mortgage. The VA doesn’t have a hard-and-fast DTI maximum, but experts at the VA have said that 41% is the acceptable ceiling. The lower your DTI ratio, the better your position is to get a competitive interest rate on your mortgage. 
• Use as primary residence: To be eligible to use a VA-backed loan for the property, it needs to serve as your primary residence. You can’t use this financing for second homes or investment properties. You can, however, use it to buy a multifamily property all the way up to a fourplex, provided you live on the property. 
• Minimum property standards: As part of the process of getting a VA-backed loan, the house you’re buying will need to undergo a VA appraisal. To essentially pass, it needs to meet the VA’s minimum property requirements. That includes the property being safe/sanitary and structurally sound with a functional roof and utilities. 

Help finding out if you’re eligible for a VA home loan

If this guide left you with a question about your or your spouse’s service-related eligibility for a VA loan, you have two options for reaching out to the VA to get it answered. In either case, you’ll get in touch with their loan guaranty team. (Remember, they’re going to guarantee the loan for your lender.) 

You can connect with the VA’s guaranty team by:

• Calling (877) 827-3702 between 8 am and 6 pm ET Monday through Friday
• Creating or signing into an account in the Guaranty Portal, then submitting your question there

When it comes to other requirements, like creditworthiness and income, a knowledgeable VA lender can help you navigate your questions. 

To help you find a lender, we have current VA home loan rates live from a range of leading lenders. You can input info like your zip code, purchase price, and rough credit score into the top bar. This personalizes the rates so you can get a better idea of what’s available to you. This makes it easier to home in on the best lender options for your VA home loan.