The wizard asks 7 questions: what you want to do (buy, refinance, cash-out or not sure), when you served, how long, whether you were Guard or Reserve, your discharge, whether you have used a VA loan before, and whether you are applying as a surviving spouse. It checks your answers against the service rules VA publishes on its home loan eligibility page and tells you which rule you appear to meet.

Those rules, as VA states them:

Source: https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/eligibility/, checked September 2026.

You can meet the minimum with less time if you were discharged for a service-connected disability, or under a qualifying exception: hardship, convenience of the government (at least 20 months of a 2-year enlistment), early out (21 months of a 2-year enlistment), involuntary reduction in force, or certain medical conditions.

National Guard and Reserve. Guard members qualify with 90 days of non-training active-duty Title 10 service, 90 days of active-duty service that includes at least 30 consecutive days, or 6 creditable years (still serving, honorably discharged or on the retired list). Reserve members qualify with 90 days of non-training active-duty service or 6 creditable years in the Selected Reserve.

Surviving spouses. You may be eligible if the service member is missing in action or a prisoner of war, or if the veteran died in service or from a service-connected disability and you did not remarry before age 57 or before December 16, 2003. VA's surviving spouse home loan page has the forms: VA Form 26-1817 if you receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), VA Form 21P-534EZ if you do not.

Discharge. An other than honorable, bad conduct or dishonorable discharge may block eligibility. VA says you can still apply and it will review your records. The 2 paths to fix it are a discharge upgrade through your service branch or a VA Character of Discharge review.

The wizard reads the rules. It cannot read your DD Form 214, and it does not check your credit or income. Three things sit between "looks eligible" and a closed loan.

The Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is the only proof. Lenders will not close a VA loan without it, and the wizard's result is not a substitute. VA issues the COE 3 ways: online through VA.gov, through your lender's Web LGY system (often in minutes), or by mail on VA Form 26-1880. Veterans need a DD214. Active-duty members need a statement of service signed by a commander. Guard members never activated need NGB Form 22 and a points statement (NGB Form 23). The Certificate of Eligibility guide walks through each case, and the COE also shows how much entitlement you have left.

VA rules and lender rules are different. VA sets no minimum credit score. Its underwriting regulation, 38 CFR 36.4340, uses a 41% debt-to-income benchmark and a residual-income test that looks at what is left each month after housing and debts. Lenders add their own overlays on top, including a credit-score floor. That floor varies by lender; check it directly rather than relying on a number you read online. VA's own advice on the home buying process is that "lenders offer different loan interest rates and fees, so shop around." See the VA loan rates page for what moves a quote.

Entitlement decides how much VA backs. With full entitlement there is no VA loan limit; VA guarantees up to 25% of whatever a lender approves. If you already have a VA loan or lost one to foreclosure, your remaining entitlement is 25% of your county loan limit minus what is in use. VA's example: a $900,000 county limit gives $225,000; subtract $50,000 in use and $175,000 remains, which supports a $700,000 loan with no down payment. The 2026 VA home loan limits page has current county figures, and the VA home loan guide covers restoring entitlement after you sell.

Watch out: Ads that say "you're pre-approved for a VA loan" before anyone has seen your COE are marketing, not approval. Nothing outside VA's own system confirms eligibility.

How lender matching works on this page. After the result, you may see an option to compare VA-approved lenders. That block is labelled "Compare" and sits below the editorial content. The lenders listed pay Veterans Alliance when you contact them through it. That payment does not change the eligibility rules above, and you are free to use any VA-approved lender. How that works is explained on the advertising disclosure page.

Ready to buy? The purchase loan guide and the first-time homebuyer guide cover the steps after the COE. Refinancing? Start with the refinancing benefits guide.

Many states run their own veteran mortgage programs alongside the VA guaranty: below-market rate loans through state housing finance agencies, down-payment and closing-cost grants, and in a few states a state-funded veteran loan program that can be used with or instead of a VA loan. Some also waive or reduce property tax for veterans with a disability rating, which changes what you can afford each month. Select your state to see what applies.