How to get your VA certificate of eligibility (COE)

Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) shows a lender that you qualify for a VA-backed home loan and how much entitlement you have. You need one before a VA loan can close, and it is worth getting early: if you qualify for a VA loan, it is often the best mortgage available to you, with no down payment, no monthly mortgage insurance and typically lower rates. For most people, it is quick to get. For some, the right document makes the difference between minutes and weeks. Here is what to know.

Who is eligible

You need to meet a service requirement. You also need a qualifying discharge if you have left the service. An other than honorable, bad conduct or dishonorable discharge may make you ineligible, although VA can review your character of service and you can apply for a discharge upgrade.

For the 6-year Guard and Reserve paths, you must still be serving, or have been honorably discharged or placed on the retired list.

Older service periods have different rules. The 181-day minimum you may have heard about applies only to certain peacetime periods before August 1990. Wartime periods before then, including the Vietnam era, generally require 90 days. VA lists every period on its eligibility page.

Less than the minimum service. You may still qualify if you were discharged for a service-connected disability, hardship, the convenience of the government, early out, a reduction in force or certain medical conditions. VA reviews your records to decide.

Our VA eligibility lesson covers this in more depth.

Three ways to get your COE

1. Through us. We request your COE through VA’s online system for lenders. When VA’s records are complete, it is often issued right away. This is usually the fastest route.
2. Online at VA.gov. Sign in and request a COE. You can check the status online.
3. By mail. Complete VA Form 26-1880 and mail it to the regional loan center listed on the form. VA notes that mail requests may take longer.

The old eBenefits portal is no longer the place to request a COE. Use VA.gov, or we can request it for you.

Documents you may need

If VA cannot confirm your service from its records, it will ask for proof. Having the right document ready saves time.

A statement of service needs your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, date you entered duty, any lost time and the name of the command. Guard and Reserve statements also need total creditable years.

How long it takes

When VA’s records are complete, a lender or online request can be approved quickly, sometimes the same day. If VA needs documents, it reviews them and sends a decision, which can take longer. Mail is the slowest. If you are shopping for a home, request the COE early, before you write an offer.

What your COE shows

We read a few key items:

• Entitlement. The amount VA will guarantee. With full entitlement, VA has no loan limit and requires no down payment.
• Entitlement in use. If you have a VA loan now or had one that was not paid off, some entitlement may still be tied up.
• Funding fee status. Whether VA has you on record as exempt from the funding fee, for example because you receive VA disability compensation.
• Conditions. Any notes, such as a requirement to provide more proof of service.

Check the funding fee line carefully. First-use funding fees range from 1.25% to 2.15% of the loan, so an incorrect status can cost thousands of dollars. See the funding fee lesson.

Common problems and fixes

• “Unable to determine” result. VA could not confirm your service automatically. Send the document from the table above. This is common for Guard and Reserve members.
• Funding fee shows as not exempt. If you receive disability compensation, or have a pre-discharge proposed or memorandum rating before closing, ask VA to update your record before you close. If you are later awarded compensation retroactive to before your closing date, you may be due a refund.
• Entitlement still tied up. If you sold a home with a VA loan, VA can restore your entitlement once that loan is paid off. If you still own it, you may have remaining entitlement for a second VA loan.
• Discharge issues. Ask VA for a character of discharge review or apply for an upgrade. Tell us early, and we will plan your purchase around VA’s answer.
• Name or record errors. Make sure your name and dates match your DD-214. Mismatches cause delays.

Next steps

The COE is the first step. It is not a loan approval, and your credit, income and the appraisal are still reviewed. When you are ready, see VA purchase loans or, if you already have a VA loan, the VA IRRRL.

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Sources: VA: Eligibility requirements for VA home loan programs. VA: How to request a COE. VA: Request a COE online. VA: Funding fee and closing costs.