VR&E Subsistence Allowance: 2026–2027 Rates and How It Pays

VA pays the allowance to you directly each month. The amount depends on three things: your training time, your number of dependents, and the type of training.

Tuition and fees go straight to your school. VA also pays for required books and supplies. VA doesn’t pay an allowance when it only provides evaluation, counseling or job placement.

• Full-time: $837.23 with no dependents, $1,038.49 with one, $1,223.79 with two, plus $89.18 for each additional dependent.
• Three-quarter time: $629.08, $780.00 and $914.97, plus $68.60 for each additional dependent.
• Half-time: $420.92, $521.51 and $613.01, plus $45.75 for each additional dependent.
• Quarter-time is paid only during an extended evaluation.

Paid on-the-job training, apprenticeships and farm cooperative training pay full-time only. The FY2027 rates are $731.99 with no dependents, $885.21 with one, and $1,020.18 with two, plus $66.34 for each additional dependent.

Your training wage plus the allowance can’t be more than the journeyman wage for that job.

From October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, full-time school paid $812.84 with no dependents, $1,008.24 with one, and $1,188.15 with two. Each additional dependent added $86.58.

If you still have Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility, you can choose a different rate. VA says you need at least one day of entitlement left and must be within your eligibility period. You must officially elect it.

VA says this rate is higher in most cases. It equals the military housing allowance (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents, based on the ZIP code where you train. It does not go up for dependents.

• The rate changes every January 1, when new BAH rates take effect.
• Full-time pays the full BAH amount. Part-time pays a smaller share.
• If all your classes are online, full-time pays half of the national average BAH.
• You can switch back to the standard rate, usually only after a term ends.
• You keep all other VR&E services when you choose this rate.

The subsistence allowance is a separate payment. It doesn’t replace your monthly disability compensation. If you receive TDIU, read our article on VR&E and TDIU before you enroll.

ClaimScope doesn’t calculate VR&E payments. A ClaimScope review checks the ratings on decisions you can still have reviewed. Your ratings decide whether you qualify for VR&E.

General information, not legal advice. Rates change each October 1, and Post-9/11 rates change each January 1; check VA’s current table.