The VA loan benefit extends to surviving spouses of service members and veterans, recognizing that the sacrifice behind the benefit belongs to the family, not just the individual who served.
Who qualifies
A surviving spouse is generally eligible if:
- Their spouse died in the line of duty, or died from a service-connected disability, and
- They have not remarried, or they remarried on or after December 16, 2003 and were age 57 or older at the time of remarriage
Surviving spouses of veterans who were, at the time of death, totally disabled from a service-connected condition may also qualify even if the death was not directly attributed to that condition, depending on VA determination.
The funding fee exemption
Surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) are exempt from the VA funding fee entirely — one of the categories of veterans and spouses who pay $0.
How to get your Certificate of Eligibility
Surviving spouses apply for a COE using:
- VA Form 26-1817 (Request for Determination of Loan Guaranty Eligibility — Unmarried Surviving Spouses), or
- VA Form 21P-534EZ if applying based on DIC benefits
Supporting documents typically include the veteran's DD-214 and proof of the marriage and the veteran's death. A lender experienced with surviving-spouse files, or the VA regional loan center directly, can help route the right form.
Get your VA Pre-Approval Summary.
Complete the short form and we send back a full VA breakdown: your entitlement, the VA funding fee, and an estimated $0-down monthly payment — with no mortgage insurance, ever.
- Your entitlement and county loan limit (if applicable)
- $0 down payment — no mortgage insurance, ever
- One-time VA funding fee, financeable into the loan
- Estimated monthly payment with taxes and insurance
Summary emailed and shown on screen · Not an approval or commitment to lend
Illustration only, generated from the information you enter. Not a Loan Estimate, pre-qualification, commitment to lend, or approval. Subject to appraisal, credit and income review, VA guidelines, and final lender approval. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Equal Housing Opportunity.
- Purchase price
- $385,000
- Down payment
- $0
- Base loan amount
- $385,000
- Financed funding fee (2.15%)
- $8,278
- Est. monthly payment
- $2,690
Sample figures · Simply Approved Mortgages · NMLS #2620881 · Equal Housing Opportunity
What the loan looks like once you're eligible
A surviving spouse's VA loan works exactly like any other veteran's VA loan: $0 down for eligible borrowers, no monthly mortgage insurance, the funding fee (or exemption), and the same underwriting flexibility around credit and residual income. Entitlement amount depends on whether the surviving spouse is using the veteran's own entitlement or has independent eligibility.
A note on remarriage timing
The December 16, 2003 date and age-57 threshold come directly from federal law changes expanding surviving spouse benefits — if your remarriage falls near that boundary, it's worth having a lender or VA regional loan center confirm your specific eligibility rather than assuming either way.
VA home purchase calculator: run your own numbers
Edit the fields to see your down payment, financed one-time VA funding fee, and full monthly payment. VA loans allow $0 down and carry no monthly mortgage insurance.
Estimates only. Nothing here is an application, pre-qualification, pre-approval, rate quote, rate lock or commitment to lend. You can keep using this tool without giving us anything.
Estimates only — not a loan offer, rate lock, or commitment to lend. Taxes, insurance, and rates vary by county and credit profile.
