Past rates: 2021 VA DIC rates for spouses and dependents

Surviving spouse rates if the Veteran died on or after January 1, 1993

If you’re the surviving spouse of a Veteran

Your monthly payment rate is: $1,357.56
Effective December 1, 2020

You may also be eligible for added amounts based on certain factors. Find any descriptions in the table below that are true for you. Add the amount listed in the Added monthly amount column of each description to your monthly payment. This is your total monthly payment.

Added amounts for surviving spouses

Effective December 1, 2020

Example of how to calculate your DIC payment

If you're the surviving spouse of a Veteran, your monthly rate would start at $1,357.56. 

Then for each additional benefit you qualify for, you would add the amounts from the Added amounts table.  

In this example: We show the total monthly payment for someone with 2 children under 18, and who qualifies for the 8-year provision and Aid and Attendance. 

Total monthly payment for the first 2 years

$1,357.56 (monthly rate) 
+ $336.32 (first child under 18) 
+ $336.32 (second child under 18) 
+ $288.27 (8-year provision) 
+ $336.32 (Aid and Attendance) 
+ $289.00 (transitional benefit for the first 2 years after the Veteran's death) 
= $2,943.79 per month

Total monthly payment after 2 years (when transitional benefit ends)

$2,943.79 (monthly payment with transitional benefit) 
- $289.00 (transitional benefit) 
= $2,654.79 per month

Note: You can find the details of these rates in title 38 U.S.C. 1311(a, b, c, d, f) and 38 CFR 3.461(b).

Surviving spouse rates if the Veteran died before January 1, 1993

If you're the spouse or child of a Veteran who died before January 1, 1993, we use a different method to determine your DIC monthly payment.

Surviving spouse, with or without dependent children

To find your monthly payment, click on your Veteran’s pay grade category. Find their specific pay grade in the left column of the Monthly payment rates table, and the matching monthly payment to the right.

Then, go down to the Added or increased amounts table. Add any added or increased amounts that apply to you based on the Veteran’s disability rating and whether you have dependent children under 18.

Example of how to calculate your DIC payment

If you're the surviving spouse of a Veteran whose pay grade was E-3, your monthly rate would start at $1,357.56.

Then for each additional benefit you qualify for, you would add or adjust your monthly rate using the Added or increased amounts table. 

In this example: We show the total monthly payment for someone with the E-3 monthly rate who qualifies for the 8-year provision and has 2 children under 18.

$1,357.56 (monthly rate) 
+ $288.27 (8-year provision for E-3 pay grade) 
+ $336.32 (rate for first child under 18) 
+ $336.32 (rate for second child under 18) 
= $2,318.47 total monthly payment

If you were the surviving spouse of a Veteran whose pay grade was E-9, and you qualified for the 8-year provision, and you had 2 dependent children under 18, you would calculate your monthly payment as in the example below.

$1,645.84 (increased payment for Veteran with pay grade of E-8 or E-9, with 8-year provision) 
+ $336.32 (rate for first child under 18) 
+ $336.32 (rate for second child under 18) 
= $2,318.48 total monthly payment

DIC rates if you’re the surviving child of a Veteran

Find the survivor status below that applies to you.

Surviving dependent child of a Veteran, when the Veteran has no surviving spouse

Your monthly payment rate is: $573.20
Effective December 1, 2020

Surviving, unmarried adult child of a Veteran, when the Veteran's surviving spouse is also eligible for DIC

We make this monthly payment to you separately as the adult surviving child, in addition to the eligible surviving spouse’s compensation. 

Monthly payment rates

Effective December 1, 2020

Surviving eligible child of a Veteran, when the Veteran doesn’t have a surviving spouse who’s eligible for DIC

We’ll base your payment amount on the number of the Veteran’s eligible surviving children. You're an eligible child if you meet at least one of the requirements listed below.

At least one of these must be true. You're:

• Under 18, or
• Between 18 and 23 and in a VA-approved school program, or
• Permanently unable to support yourself due to a disability that happened before age 18 (we use the term "helpless child")

Monthly payment rates

Effective December 1, 2020

Added amounts

• For each additional eligible child in a family of 10 or more children, add $204.48.
• For each helpless child over 18, add $336.32 to your monthly rate above. This will be your total monthly payment. For example, if there are 2 eligible surviving children, and one of them is a helpless child, the rate for that child would be $748.62 ($412.30 + $336.32).

How DIC may affect your VA Survivors Pension or Survivor Benefit Plan

How do my payments for DIC affect my ability to receive VA Survivors Pension?

If you’re eligible for both DIC and Survivors Pension benefits, we’ll pay you whichever benefit gives you the most money. You can't get both.
Learn more about  Survivors Pension benefits

Check current VA Survivors Pension benefit rates

What’s a Survivor Benefit Plan?

The Survivor Benefit Program is a voluntary annuity program that service members may buy as a retirement benefit for their family members. An annuity is a monthly payment received for life. Depending on their military service, members may use this program to buy a Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) or Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP).

We don’t manage this program. It’s managed by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service at the Department of Defense.

Can I receive SBP or RCSBP payments and DIC at the same time?

In most cases, you can’t receive a full SBP or RCSBP payment and a full DIC payment at the same time. The exception is if you’re receiving an SBP or RCSBP annuity from one spouse, then you remarry after age 55 and become eligible for DIC based on the service-connected disability of your new spouse. In this case you can receive full benefits through both programs at the same time. 

If the exception doesn’t apply to you, the DFAS will reduce your SBP or RCSBP payment by two-thirds of your DIC payment through the end of this year. If your DIC payment is greater than your total SBP or RCSBP payment, the DFAS will stop your SBP or RCSBP payments. This is called the “SBP/DIC offset.”

In most cases, you can’t receive a full SBP or RCSBP payment and a full DIC payment at the same time.

What’s the phase-out elimination of the SBP/DIC offset?

This is the process that the DFAS is taking to stop reducing the amount of SBP or RCSBP payments for survivors who also receive DIC benefits. In the 2 years leading up to the full elimination of the offset in 2023, the DFAS has been lowering the percentage of the offset in phases.

• On January 1, 2021, the DFAS started reducing SBP and RCSBP payments by no more than two-thirds of the amount of a survivor’s DIC payment rather than by the full amount of their DIC payment.
• On January 1, 2022, the DFAS will start reducing SBP and RCSBP payments by no more than one-third of the amount of a survivor’s DIC payment.
• On January 1, 2023, the DFAS will stop the SBP/DIC offset. Survivors will start getting full benefits for both programs.

Learn more about these payment changes on the DFAS website

What happens if I’m receiving SBP or RCSBP payments and then I qualify for DIC before the elimination of the SBP/DIC offset?

Before the elimination of the offset in 2023, if the DFAS pays you more than the offset amount of SBP or RCSBP payments after you begin receiving DIC payments, they’ll consider this amount an overpayment. This means you’ll have to pay the money back.

To avoid owing money, be sure to notify the DFAS as soon as you qualify for DIC. You’ll need to send them a copy of your VA DIC award letter. The DFAS will determine if they need to reduce your SBP or RCSBP payment amount.

You can call the DFAS at 800-321-1080. They’re open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

Full Title 38 regulations

Read the full regulations from Title 38 Code of Federal Regulations.

Full section

38 U.S.C. II Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (chapter 13, sections 1310 to 1318) 
38 U.S.C 501(a) Subpart A—Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation

Details related to rates for surviving spouses and children

3.5 Dependency and indemnity compensation
3.10 Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse
3.22 DIC benefits for survivors of certain Veterans rated totally disabled at time of death