Past rates: 2021 VA DIC rates for parents
Review 2021 VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) rates for the surviving parents of Veterans. These VA survivor benefits are tax exempt. This means you won’t have to pay any taxes on your DIC payments. These rates are effective December 1, 2020.
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Get rates for the current year
DIC rates if only 1 parent is alive
These rates apply to you if you’re eligible for VA DIC as a surviving parent and both of the below descriptions are true for you.
Both of these must be true:
- You’re the Veteran’s only surviving parent, and
- Either you’re not remarried or you’re remarried and living with your spouse
Note: Your yearly income is how much money you earn during one calendar year (January 1 to December 31). This includes income from all sources, such as wages, salary, investment payments, rental properties, gifts, income of dependents living in your home, and some retirement payments. If you’re remarried and living with your spouse, this also includes your spouse’s income.
Find out if you're eligible for VA DIC as a surviving parent
Select the income range that applies to you
Click on an accordion to review the rate table. Use the amount in the first column that’s closest to your income when rounded up to find your beginning monthly rate. Then, follow the directions in the how to use the rate tables section to figure out your monthly payment.
$1,900 or less
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$2,000 to $2,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$3,000 to $3,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$4,000 to $4,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$5,000 to $5,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$6,000 to $6,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$7,000 to $7,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$8,000 or more
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
If not living with spouse: 9,138 to 15,845 5 None
DIC rates if both parents are alive
If the eligible parent doesn’t live with a spouse
These rates apply to you if you’re eligible for VA DIC as a surviving parent and both of the below descriptions are true for you.
Both of these must be true:
- You and the Veteran’s other surviving parent are both alive, and
- You’re not living with the Veteran’s other surviving parent or a current spouse
Note: Your yearly income is how much money you earn during one calendar year (January 1 to December 31). This includes income from all sources, such as wages, salary, investment payments, rental properties, gifts, income of dependents living in your home, and some retirement payments. If you’re remarried and living with your spouse, this also includes your spouse’s income.
Find out if you're eligible for VA DIC as a surviving parent
Select the income range that applies to you
Click on an accordion to review the rate table. Use the amount in the first column that’s closest to your yearly income when rounded up to find your beginning monthly rate. Then, follow the directions in the how to use the rate tables section to figure out your monthly payment.
$1,900 or less
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$2,000 to $2,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$3,000 to $3,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$4,000 to $4,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$5,000 to $5,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$6,000 or more
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
If the eligible parent lives with the Veteran’s other parent or a current spouse
These rates apply to you if you’re eligible for VA DIC as a surviving parent and both of the below descriptions are true for you.
Both of these must be true:
- You and the Veteran’s other surviving parent are both alive, and
- You’re living with the Veteran’s other surviving parent or a current spouse
Note: Your yearly income is how much money you earn during one calendar year (January 1 to December 31). This includes income from all sources, such as wages, salary, investment payments, rental properties, gifts, income of dependents living in your home, and some retirement payments. If you’re remarried and living with your spouse, this also includes your spouse’s income.
Find out if you're eligible for VA DIC as a surviving parent
Select the income range that applies to you
Click on an accordion to review the rate table. Use the amount in the first column that’s closest to your income when rounded up to find your beginning monthly rate. Then, follow the directions in the how to use the rate tables section to figure out your monthly payment.
$1,900 or less
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$2,000 to $2,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$3,000 to $3,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$4,000 to $4,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$5,000 to $5,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$6,000 to $6,900
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
$7,000 or more
Your total income for the year must be less than or equal to this amount Beginning monthly rate (in U.S. $) Rate of decrease
(also called a $1 decrement)
How to use the rate tables to calculate your DIC payments
Find your beginning monthly rate in the table above that applies to you.
To do this, find the yearly income limit amount in the first column that’s closest to your income when rounded up. The amount listed to the right, in the middle column, is your beginning monthly rate.
For example: Let's say you're the eligible parent, living with the Veteran's other parent or a current spouse. For this example, click on the $7,000 or more income range directly above. If you earn $7,153 a year, you make more than $7,100, and less than $7,200. So you would use the $7,200 income limit. Your beginning monthly rate would be $7.
Calculate the difference between your actual income and the income limit that's closest to your income when rounded down.
To do this, find the income limit in the first column that's closest to your income when rounded down. Subtract this income limit from your actual income.
Using our example: $7,153 (actual income) - $7,100 (income limit closest to your income when rounded down) = $53
Multiply this amount by the rate of decrease.
The rate of decrease is the decimal listed in the last column. It helps us adjust your rate to match your actual income level.
Using our example: $53 X .08 (rate of decrease) = $4.24
Add this amount to your beginning monthly rate.
The total is your monthly payment.
Using our example: $4.24 + $7 (beginning monthly rate) = $11.24 (monthly payment)
If you're eligible for Aid and Attendance, add $364.
The total is your monthly payment with Aid and Attendance.
Using our example: $11.24 (monthly payment) + $364 (Aid and Attendance) = $375.24 (monthly payment with Aid and Attendance)
Next, determine your payment schedule
How often you get a payment depends on your total amount for the year.
Multiply your monthly payment amount by 12 months. Then use the payment schedule below, based on the total amount for the year.
If your payments for the year add up to:
- More than $228, we'll pay you monthly.
- Between $144 and $228, we'll pay you 4 times a year, or 1 payment every 3 months.
- Between $72 and $144, we'll pay you 2 times a year, or 1 payment every 6 months.
- Less than $72, we'll pay you once a year.
Using our example: 12 X $375.24 (monthly payment amount with Aid and Attendance) = $4,502.88 (total year's value).
Because your total year's worth of payment is more than $228, you'd be paid on a monthly schedule.
Full Title 38 regulations
Read the full regulations from Title 38 Code of Federal Regulations.
Full section
38 U.S.C 501(a) Subpart A—Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
Details about how we determine income limits
3.250 Dependency of parents; compensation
3.251 Income of parents, dependency and indemnity compensation
3.260 Computation of income
3.261 Character of income; exclusions and estates
3.262 Evaluation of income
3.263 Corpus of estate; net worth
3.270 Applicability of various dependency, income and estate regulations
Other details related to DIC for parents
3.5 Dependency and indemnity compensation
3.25 Parent’s dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC)—Method of payment computation
3.30 Frequency of payment of improved pension and parents’ dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC)
3.59 Parent