MilPayLabWhere your back pay comes from
Each row is one VA rate year (December 1 to November 30). Bars show how much of the total each year contributes.
| Rate year | Share of total | Subtotal |
|---|
How it works
VA pays compensation from the first day of the month after your effective date. For every month from then until your regular payments begin, the calculator looks up the rate VA published for that month's rate year, for your rating and dependents. If you were already receiving a lower rating, it subtracts what you were paid. The months are then added together.
Back pay = Σ months [ rate(new rating, dependents, rate year) − rate(old rating, dependents, rate year) ]
Rate year Y = December 1 of Y−1 through November 30 of Y
Source: VA compensation rate tables 2018–2026 (data/va-rates-history.json); 38 CFR 3.31.
Example
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Frequently asked questions
When does VA back pay start?
VA pays compensation starting the first day of the month after your effective date. If your effective date is March 15, the first month of payment is April.
What is my effective date?
For most claims it is the date VA received your claim or intent to file, or the date your condition began if that is later. Claims filed within a year of leaving service can have an effective date of the day after discharge. Your decision letter lists the date VA used.
How is back pay calculated when my rating increased?
If you were already being paid at a lower rating, back pay is the difference between the new monthly rate and the old one for each month since the effective date of the increase.
Why does the monthly amount change across the years?
VA rates rise every December 1 with the cost-of-living adjustment, so each month of back pay uses the rate table that was in effect for that month.
How long does it take to receive VA back pay?
Back pay is usually deposited as a lump sum after the decision is processed, often within a few weeks, but timing varies by case.
MilPayLab is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. This is an estimate based on published VA rate tables. Actual back pay can differ because of staged ratings, dependency changes, military retired pay or separation pay offsets, drill pay, incarceration or other adjustments, and is not legal or financial advice. Months after November 2026 use 2026 rates because future cost-of-living adjustments are not yet known. Nothing you enter on this page is stored or sent anywhere.