acalculator

What will the GI Bill pay me?

Enter your benefit level, school, tuition and course load. The calculator applies the 2026-27 Post-9/11 GI Bill rates. VA decides the amounts.

Your numbers

School
Classes
GI Bill for the year
$32,800.00

At a 100% (36 months or more, or a service-connected discharge) benefit level, the GI Bill pays about $32,800.00 for the year, with $2,200.00 a month for housing.

Tuition and fees paid
$12,000.00
Tuition left to pay
$0.00
Housing allowance a month
$2,200.00
Rate of pursuit
100%
Books and supplies
$1,000.00

GI Bill for the year: $32,800.00. At a 100% (36 months or more, or a service-connected discharge) benefit level, the GI Bill pays about $32,800.00 for the year, with $2,200.00 a month for housing.

How to calculate

Estimates what the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays for a school year from August 2026: tuition and fees, the monthly housing allowance, and books, by eligibility tier and course load.

Example with the default inputs (Your benefit level 100% (36 months or more, or a service-connected discharge), School Public, Tuition and fees a year $12,000.00, Classes In person, School’s monthly housing rate $2,200.00, Credits a term 12, Full-time credits 12, Months in school a year 9, Credits in the year 24): At a 100% (36 months or more, or a service-connected discharge) benefit level, the GI Bill pays about $32,800.00 for the year, with $2,200.00 a month for housing.

Method: Tuition paid = tier × net tuition (private: up to $30,908.34); housing a month = school rate (online: $1,261) × tier × rate of pursuit rounded to the tenth, if over 50%; books = tier × $41.67 a credit, up to $1,000.

  • Post-9/11 GI Bill rates for August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027, for students who started on or after January 1, 2018.
  • Yellow Ribbon, tutoring, the rural relocation grant, and kicker payments are not included.
  • Not on active duty (active-duty students and their spouses get no housing allowance).
  • Standard-length terms; VA prorates housing for partial months.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Your benefit level 100% (36 months or more, or a service-connected discharge), School Private, Tuition and fees a year $45,000.00, Classes Online only, Credits a term 12, Full-time credits 12, Months in school a year 9, Credits in the year 24 gives Tuition and fees paid $30,908.34, Tuition left to pay $14,091.66, Housing allowance a month $1,261.00, Books and supplies $1,000.00, GI Bill for the year $43,257.34.Source: VA Post-9/11 GI Bill rates 2026-27 (https://www.va.gov/education/benefit-rates/post-9-11-gi-bill-rates/): private cap $30,908.34, online housing $1,261, books up to $1,000
  2. Your benefit level 80% (24 to 29 months), School Public, Tuition and fees a year $10,000.00, Classes In person, School’s monthly housing rate $2,000.00, Credits a term 9, Full-time credits 12, Months in school a year 9, Credits in the year 18 gives Rate of pursuit 80%, Tuition and fees paid $8,000.00, Housing allowance a month $1,280.00, Books and supplies $600.05, GI Bill for the year $20,120.05.
  3. Your benefit level 100% (36 months or more, or a service-connected discharge), School Public, Tuition and fees a year $8,000.00, Classes In person, School’s monthly housing rate $2,500.00, Credits a term 6, Full-time credits 12, Months in school a year 9, Credits in the year 12 gives Rate of pursuit 50%, Housing allowance a month $0.00, Books and supplies $500.04, GI Bill for the year $8,500.04.

How it works

All amounts are in dollars and cents. A money amount typed with a part of a cent is rounded to the cent, half up, before use. Each product is rounded to the cent, half up.

Benefit level (tier). 100% after 36 months of active duty (or a Purple Heart, or 30 days and a service-connected discharge); 90% for 30 to 35 months; 80% for 24 to 29; 70% for 18 to 23; 60% for 6 to 17; 50% for 90 days to 5 months.

Tuition and fees paid = tier × net tuition and fees. At a private school, the net tuition counts only up to $30,908.34 a year. Tuition left to pay = net tuition − tuition paid.

Rate of pursuit = credits a term ÷ full-time credits, rounded to the nearest tenth (0.75 rounds to 0.8), at most 100%.

Housing allowance a month = full rate × tier × rate of pursuit, but $0 when the rounded rate of pursuit is 50% or less. The full rate is the school’s rate you enter (BAH for an E-5 with dependents at the school’s ZIP code) for in-person classes, or $1,261 for online-only classes.

Books and supplies = tier × the smaller of $41.67 × credits in the year and $1,000.

GI Bill for the year = tuition paid + housing a month × months in school + books.

Assumptions

  • Rates for August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027, for students who started using the benefit on or after January 1, 2018.
  • You are not on active duty, and not a spouse using a transfer while the service member is on active duty (no housing allowance then).
  • Yellow Ribbon, tutorial assistance, the $500 rural relocation grant, kickers, and non-college programs (flight, correspondence, apprenticeship) are not included.
  • Housing is paid only for months in school, and in full months.
  • VA decides your benefit; this is an estimate.

Worked examples by hand

100%, private school, $45,000 tuition, online only, 12 of 12 credits, 9 months, 24 credits. Tuition paid = $30,908.34 (the cap); left to pay $14,091.66. Rate of pursuit 100%. Housing = $1,261. Books = min($41.67 × 24, $1,000) = $1,000. Year = $30,908.34 + 9 × $1,261 + $1,000 = $43,257.34.

80%, public school, $10,000 tuition, in person at a $2,000 rate, 9 of 12 credits, 9 months, 18 credits. Rate of pursuit = 0.75, rounded to 80%. Tuition paid = $8,000. Housing = $2,000 × 0.8 × 0.8 = $1,280. Books = 0.8 × 18 × $41.67 = 0.8 × $750.06 = $600.05. Year = $8,000 + 9 × $1,280 + $600.05 = $20,120.05.

100%, public school, $8,000, 6 of 12 credits, 12 credits in the year. Rate of pursuit 50%: no housing. Books = 12 × $41.67 = $500.04. Year = $8,500.04.

Other questions people ask

How much does the GI Bill pay for tuition?

At a public school it pays all net in-state tuition and mandatory fees. At a private or foreign school it pays up to $30,908.34 for the year from August 1, 2026. Below the 100% benefit level, multiply by your percentage.

How is the GI Bill housing allowance worked out?

VA starts with the military housing allowance (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents at your school’s ZIP code, then multiplies by your benefit level and your rate of pursuit. Online-only students get half the national average, $1,261 a month at 100%.

What is the rate of pursuit?

Your credits divided by the credits your school calls full time, rounded to the nearest 10%. 9 of 12 credits is 80%. You get housing money only above 50%.

How much is the GI Bill book stipend?

$41.67 a credit, up to $1,000 a school year, times your benefit level.