Table of Content
- National Guard VA Loan Eligibility
- VA home loan programs for surviving spouses
- Oct How to Quickly and Easily Get Your VA Loan Certificate of Eligibility
- If you were separated from service:
- How to Read Your VA Certificate of Eligibility
- How is Mortgage Conditional Approval Different Than Approval?
- Check VA Loan Eligibility
You can use your remaining entitlement—either on its own or together with a down payment—to take out another VA home loan. You have full entitlement if you meet any of these requirements. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Service members that prefer a paper trail can still print out and mail in the Certificate of Eligibility Form to the Department of Veterans Affairs for processing. The COE is not something you want to leave until the last minute, as it might put a major hitch in your giddy-up if youre trying to buy a house in a timely fashion. Calculate your VA Home Loan benefit and entitlement to get a Certificate of Eligibility.
National Guard VA Loan Eligibility
The current law does not allow an individual who is a member of either the National Guard or Reserves but is not called to active duty to be considered a veteran. If you were a member of the Army or Air National Guard, also submit the duplicate NGB Form 22 or NGB Form 23 along with your request for separation and service record and paid statement of service. In the bottom right corner of the document, you can tell which version needs to be submitted. Veterans who enlisted after September 7, 1980, and were discharged less than two years after joining the military are required by the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit proof of service.
Borrowers who've used a VA loan before are subject to paying a higher funding fee on future VA purchases unless their Certificate of Eligibility indicates they are exempt from the fee. A Certificate of Eligibility is a document from the Department of Veterans Affairs that confirms your eligibility for the VA loan program. The COE also details your available VA loan entitlement and if you're required to pay the VA funding fee. Some surviving spouses of deceased military members and veterans may also qualify for a VA loan. If you apply and are eligible for a VA-backed home loan, you’ll receive a Certificate of Eligibility . This is the document that tells private lenders that you have VA home loan eligibility and entitlement.
VA home loan programs for surviving spouses
This page describes the evidence you submit to verify your eligibility for a VA home loan and how to submit the evidence and obtain a COE. On your COE, in the table called Prior Loans charged to entitlement, we list the amount of your entitlement you’ve already used under the Entitlement Charged column. Your entitlement can be restored when you sell your property and pay your VA-backed loan in full, or repay in full any claim we’ve paid. You may need to make a down payment if you’re using remaining entitlement and your loan amount is over $144,000. This is because most lenders require that your entitlement, down payment, or a combination of both covers at least 25% of your total loan amount. Eligible Veterans, service members, and survivors with full entitlement no longer have limits on loans over $144,000.

Correcting any discrepancies or inaccuracies in your report could immediately raise your credit score and increase your probability of finding a VA lender to process your loan request. Instead, the VA requires lenders to review your entire loan profile to make a lending. The COE simply signifies that you've cleared one hurdle on the track - namely, that you've met the military service requirement.
Oct How to Quickly and Easily Get Your VA Loan Certificate of Eligibility
If you mail in your COE application, you should receive your COE in about four to six weeks. However, if you self-submit online or through your VA lender, you should receive your COE within minutes. Active-duty military members must submit a current statement of service to the VA. The VA COE application process depends on whether the applicant is a veteran, active-duty, National Guard or reserve service member.

Veterans United and other VA-approved lenders can tap into the Automated Certificate of Eligibility database and often get your COE in seconds. That said, one of the most important things to know about the COE is you do not need a COE in hand to start the VA loan process. Once you have gathered all the required documentation for submission, you can begin the process. A copy of the latest annual retirement points statement and evidence of honorable service. You can submit this statement personally or through your lender.
Learn how VA-backed and VA direct home loans work—and find out which loan program might be right for you. Download the loan limit table by selecting the link to the right of the Description column. There are three common ways to apply for a COE for a VA-approved home loan. The verification of your service to obtain COE is through a DD form 214 for regular military members and the NGB form 22 and NGB form 23 for National Guard and Reserves. Usually, when you go to a lender to apply for a home loan, they obtain your COE through the automated VA system. There are a lot of questions about the Certificate of Eligibility for VA loans.
Our customer Michelle bought her home with a VA Loan in December. I included a copy of her COE to point out one more item that could limit your eligibility. Hire a professional home inspector to check the homes structure for defects and to inspect items like electrical wiring, plumbing, and heating and cooling systems.Sign the closing documents.
For instance, there are a variety of loan and refinancing options available, better interest rates, and more affordable downpayments. This means you do NOT currently have the VA disability rating and compensation YOU deserve, and you could be missing out on thousands of dollars of tax-free compensation and benefits each month. All requests for VA COE’s on behalf of veterans are reviewed in the order received with over 99% completed within 5 business days. If the basic entitlement listed on your VA COE form is more than $0, you likely have remaining entitlement and can use your VA home loan benefit again. Your VA Certificate of Eligibility is important because it will show your private VA loan lender whether you qualify for a VA home loan based on your service history and duty status. In this high-value post, I’m going to show you how to view and download your VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility online in 2022 by following a simple 5-step process.

You must submit evidence of your honorable service and the annual retirement points summary as part of the application process. Alternatively, the information provided by WebLGY is also available for lenders who work with the VA to share with their borrowers and submit on their behalf. Considering this is the fastest and most convenient method of receiving loan information, it does not surprise us that many borrowers opt for this method.
Eligible veterans who have met the minimum time-in-service requirements to be eligible for a VA loan can apply online via the VA for their COE, or ask the lender to help. There are 11 possible VA entitlement codes, which you can learn about here. Most of the entitlement codes relate to a period of military service.
Once you obtain your Certificate of Eligibility, you’ll notice an array of information, including your name, Social Security number, branch of service and even the name of the VA employee who issued your COE. To apply by mail, youll need to fill out a Request for a VA Certificate of Eligibility and mail it to the addresses listed on the form, depending upon your state of residence. So multiply $484,350 by 25% to get your entitlement amount of $121,087. To figure out how much entitlement is available, follow the VAs instructions that I highlighted on the COE. …the entitlement amount is 25% of the VA loan limit for the county where the property is located. Note that you may still qualify for a VA home loan with a credit score below 620, however, your options will be limited.
It’s FREE to get started, so click “Go Elite Now” below to complete our 3-step intake process. Since 2016, VA Claims Insider has helped thousands of Veterans just like you get the VA rating and compensation they deserve in less time. To figure out how much he has left over for his next home purchase, subtract $75,000 from $121,087 to get $46,087.