VA disability · one rating
40% VA disability rating: amounts and the gap to 50%
What 40% pays each family in 2026, what a 40% condition does for an unemployability claim, and why retirees feel the difference between 40 and 50.
What 40% pays your family each month
Monthly compensation at 40%
$947.84
| Per year, tax free | $11,374 |
| Veteran alone | $795.84 |
| Added for your dependents | $152 |
A 40% VA disability rating pays $795.84 a month in 2026 to a veteran alone, $882.84 with a spouse and $947.84 with a spouse and a child, at the rates effective December 1, 2025. The number 40 has two roles beyond the payment. In the individual unemployability test of 38 CFR 4.16(a), a veteran with several conditions needs one of them rated at least 40% and a combined 70%. And for a military retiree with 20 years, 40% is the last step where VA compensation is still taken back from retired pay dollar for dollar: with $2,600 of retired pay, the total at 40% stays $2,600, while at 50% CRDP lets both run in full, $3,732.90. For a retiree, the step from 40% to 50% is worth far more than the rate chart says.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
What 40% pays in 2026
| Family | Per month | Added over 30% |
|---|---|---|
| Veteran alone | $795.84 | $243.37 |
| Married | $882.84 | $265.37 |
| Married, 1 child | $947.84 | $281.37 |
| Married, 2 children | $990.84 | $292.37 |
| Single parent, 1 child | $853.84 | $257.37 |
Combinations that give 40%
| Ratings | Combined value | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 40% alone | 40 | 40% |
| 30% and 20% | 44 | 40% |
| 30%, 10% and 10% | 43 | 40% |
| 20%, 20% and 10% | 42 | 40% |
| 20% and 20% | 36 | 40% |
A 40% rating covers combined values from 35 to 44, and where you sit in that band decides what the next claim does. Starting from a single 40%, any new 10% rating gives 46, which rounds up to 50%. Starting from 30%, 10% and 10% (a value of 43), the same new 10% gives 49. Starting from 20% and 20% (36), it gives 42. The calculator shows the exact combined value so that you know how far you are from the next line.
Retirees: the dollar-for-dollar zone
Military retired pay and VA compensation cannot be paid in full together unless a law allows it. Below 50%, none does for longevity retirees: VA pays its amount and DFAS reduces retired pay by the same amount. The money is not lost, it changes nature, from taxable retired pay to tax-free compensation. At 50% and above with 20 years, Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay ends the deduction. A retiree at 40% who has a pending claim for a further condition should therefore look at the combined value rather than the rating: the CRDP calculator shows both totals, and CRSC covers combat-related disabilities at any rating.
The 50% page shows the amounts on the other side of the line, and the VA disability calculator combines your own ratings.
A 40% condition as the anchor of an unemployability claim
For a veteran with several conditions, the schedular TDIU test needs two things at once: a combined 70% and one disability at 40% or more. The table shows how much the anchor matters.
| Ratings | Combined | One at 40%+ | Schedular TDIU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40%, 30%, 20% | 66 → 70% | yes | met |
| 40%, 40% | 64 → 60% | yes | not met |
| 30%, 30%, 30%, 20% | 73 → 70% | no | not met |
| 50%, 20%, 10% | 64 → 60% | yes | not met |
| 40%, 30%, 10%, 10% | 66 → 70% | yes | met |
The third line is the trap: four ratings that reach a combined 70% without any of them at 40%. Such a veteran does not meet the schedular test, though the rule that counts disabilities of the same limb or from the same accident as one can sometimes create the 40% anchor, for example a knee and an ankle on the same leg. The TDIU guide explains that rule.
The tax side of the waiver
For a retiree below 50%, the waiver is not a loss but a swap. Take $2,600 of gross retired pay and a 40% rating: DFAS pays $1,804.16 of retired pay and VA pays $795.84 of compensation. The total is unchanged, but the VA part is free of federal income tax, which lowers the tax withheld from retired pay. With a spouse, the VA part is larger, $882.84, so more of the total escapes tax. Survivor Benefit Plan premiums are still computed on the gross retired pay chosen as the base amount, not on what remains after the waiver.