CalVet Home Loan
A state home loan open to most veterans after only 90 days of service, with the VA funding fee waived entirely at a 10% disability rating.
Verified August 18, 2026
What this benefit is
A State of California home loan available to most veterans, with the VA funding fee waived entirely for anyone rated 10% or more.
Only 90 days of active duty and an honorable or under-honorable-conditions discharge are required.
What it's worth: The VA funding fee waived at a 10% rating
- The VA funding fee runs roughly 1.25% to 3.3% of the loan. On a $400,000 loan that is $5,000 to $13,000, so $6,000 is a mid-range estimate.
- A 10% rating is enough — an unusually low threshold for something worth this much.
- CalVet rates change frequently. Confirm the current rate before relying on any figure.
Who is entitled to it
- A veteran with 90 days of active duty and a discharge classified honorable or under honorable conditions,
- buying a home in California,
- subject to financial qualification and available bond funds.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
The thing most people get wrong
A 10% rating removes several thousand dollars of fee
The VA funding fee runs roughly 1.25% to 3.3% of the loan, so on a $400,000 loan it is between $5,000 and $13,000 — paid at closing or financed for the life of the loan. A disability rating of just 10% removes it entirely. That is an unusually low threshold for something worth that much, and a veteran with a minor rating they have never thought about should mention it at application.
How to claim it
- 1Request a CalVet Certificate of Eligibility — only 90 days of active duty is required, which is far less than most home loan programmes.
- 2If you have any rating of 10% or more, say so at application: it removes the funding fee entirely.
- File with
- CalVet Home Loans
- Documents you will need
- dd214 · certificate of eligibility ca · va rating letter ca
- No renewal needed
Common mistakes that cost people this benefit
- Assuming you have not served long enough. CalVet needs 90 days, which is far less than most state loan programmes.
- Not mentioning a low rating. 10% is enough to remove the funding fee.
- Treating CalVet rates as fixed. They change frequently and are subject to available bond funds.
Questions people ask
- Is this the same as a VA loan?
- No. CalVet is a State of California programme with its own eligibility and its own rates. You can use a VA loan guarantee alongside CalVet financing, but they are two different things.
Sources
- authority · published policyCalVet — Home Loans
- operating · published policyCalVet — Certificate of Eligibility
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.