VA Survivors Pension Rates

Current Survivors Pension Benefit Rates | Veterans Affairs Skip to Content An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you're connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and sent securely. Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now Family and caregiver benefits Survivors Pension Rates Past rates: 2025 Past rates: 2024 Past rates: 2023 In this section Current Survivors Pension benefit rates Learn about VA Survivors Pension benefit rates. If you qualify for this benefit as a surviving spouse or dependent child, we’ll base your payment amount on the difference between your income for VA purposes and a limit that Congress sets (called the Maximum Annual Pension Rate, or MAPR). Your income for VA purposes is how much you earn, including your salary, investment and retirement payments, and any income you may have from your dependents. Some expenses, like non-reimbursable medical expenses (paid medical expenses not covered by your insurance provider), may reduce your income for VA purposes. Your MAPR amount is the maximum amount of pension payable to a Veteran, surviving spouse, or child. Your MAPR is based on how many dependents you have and whether you qualify for Housebound or Aid and Attendance benefits. MAPRs are adjusted each year for cost-of-living increases. You can find your current MAPR amount using the tables below. Example: You’re a qualified surviving spouse with 1 dependent child. You also qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits. Your yearly income is $10,000. Your MAPR amount = $22,304 Your yearly income = $10,000 Your VA pension = $12,304 for the year (or $1,025.33 paid each month) What’s the net worth limit to be eligible for Survivors Pension benefits? From December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026, the net worth limit to be eligible for Survivors Pension benefits is $163,699. On October 18, 2018, we changed the way we assess net worth to make the pension entitlement rules clearer. The net worth calculation includes your and your dependent’s assets and income for VA purposes. When you apply for Survivors Pension benefits, you’ll need to report all of these assets and income. Note: If your child’s net worth is more than the net worth limit, we don’t consider them to be a dependent when we determine your pension. Read our definitions: Assets Assets include the fair market value of all the real and personal property that you own, minus the amount of any mortgages you may have. “Real property” means any land and buildings you may own. Your personal property assets may include these and other items: Investments (like stocks and bonds) Antique furniture Boats Assets don’t include: Your primary residence (the home where you live most or all of the time) Your car Basic home items like appliances that you wouldn’t take with you if you moved to a new house Read more about how we define “assets” Annual income for VA purposes Annual income is the money earned in a year from a job or from retirement or annuity payments. Your annual income for VA purposes may include these and other kinds of income: Salary or hourly pay Bonuses Commissions Overtime Tips We may subtract certain expenses from your annual income when we assess your income for VA purposes and net worth. We call these applicable deductible expenses. They include: Educational expenses Medical expenses you’re not reimbursed for Read more about how we define “annual income” An example of net worth and eligibility If you had $121,000 in assets and $14,000 in annual income for VA purposes, then your net worth would be $135,000. This is less than the net worth limit of $163,699. So you would be eligible for Survivors Pension benefits. What’s the 3-year look-back period for asset transfers? When we receive a pension claim, we review the terms and conditions of any assets the survivor may have transferred in the 3 years before filing the claim. If you transfer assets for less than fair market value during the look-back period, and those assets would have pushed your net worth above the limit for a VA Survivors Pension, you may be subject to a penalty period of up to 5 years. You won’t be eligible for pension benefits during this time. Note: This policy took effect on October 18, 2018. If you filed your claim before this date, the look-back period doesn’t apply. A look-back period never includes a date before October 18, 2018. What’s a penalty period? A penalty period is a length of time when a survivor isn’t eligible for pension benefits, because they transferred assets for less than fair market value during the look-back period. We won’t pay pension benefits during the penalty period. Find your Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) amount Date of cost-of-living increase: December 1, 2025 Increase factor: 2.8% Standard Medicare deduction: Actual amount will be determined by the Social Security Administration (SSA) based on individual income If you have no dependents and… Your MAPR amount is (in U.S. $): You don’t qualify for Housebound or Aid and Attendance benefits 11,699 You qualify for Housebound benefits 14,298 You qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits 18,697 You qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits and you’re the surviving spouse of a Veteran who served in the Spanish-American War (SAW) 19,453 Notes: The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)/Minimum Income Annuity (MIW) limitation is $11,699 If you have medical expenses , you may deduct only the amount that’s above 5% of your MAPR amount ($584 for a surviving spouse with no dependent child) If you have 1 dependent child and… Your MAPR amount is (in U.S. $): You don’t qualify for Housebound or Aid and Attendance benefits 15,311 You qualify for Housebound benefits 17,902 You qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits 22,304 You qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits and you’re the surviving spouse of a Veteran who served in the Spanish-American War (SAW) 22,979 Notes: The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)/Minimum Income Annuity (MIW) limitation is $11,699 If you have more than 1 child , add $2,984 to your MAPR amount for each additional child If you have a child who works , you may exclude their wages up to $16,100 If you have medical expenses , you may deduct only the amount that’s above 5% of your MAPR amount ($765 for a surviving spouse with 1 dependent) If you’re… Your MAPR amount is (in U.S. $): A qualified surviving child 2,984 Past VA Survivors Pension rate tables Review VA Survivors Pension rate tables from past years: 2025 rates (effective December 1, 2024) 2024 rates (effective December 1, 2023) 2023 rates (effective December 1, 2022) Full Title 38 regulations Read the full regulations from Title 38 Code of Federal Regulations: 3.23 Improved pension rates—Veterans and surviving spouses 3.24 Improved pension rates—surviving children 3.271 “Income” for VA purposes (IVAP) 3.272 Exclusions from income 3.273 Rate computation Last updated: August 17, 2026