Calculator

GI Bill Benefits Calculator

Estimate your Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits including housing allowance and tuition.

Free, no sign-in, and built on the current VA rate tables. The calculator runs in your browser on this page.

How the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays

The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays three things: tuition and fees direct to the school, a monthly housing allowance to you, and a books and supplies stipend of up to $1,000 a year. At a public school, tuition is covered in full at the in-state rate; at a private or foreign school it is capped, $30,908.34 for the 2026-2027 academic year.

The housing allowance equals the military Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents at the school's ZIP code, paid for the months you are enrolled more than half time. Because it varies by location, this calculator uses the national average of $2,522 a month; students who attend only online receive half the national average.

Your benefit percentage depends on your active-duty time after September 10, 2001: 36 months or more earns 100 percent, and shorter service earns a smaller share, down to 50 percent for 90 days. Everything the program pays is multiplied by that percentage. Most veterans have 36 months of entitlement to use.

A worked example

Full-time at a public university for two semesters, 100 percent benefit

1. Tuition and fees at the in-state rate go to the school and cost you nothing.
2. Nine months of housing allowance at the national average is $22,698. At a high-cost ZIP code it can be far more; at a low-cost one, less.
3. The books stipend adds $1,000 for the year.
4. Those two semesters use nine months of the 36 months of entitlement.

What this estimate leaves out

• Your actual housing allowance is the E-5-with-dependents BAH for the school's ZIP code, not the national average used here. Look it up for the campus before you decide.
• Yellow Ribbon payments, which can cover private-school tuition above the cap, are not modeled.
• Entitlement, the benefit percentage, and eligibility are determined by VA from your service record; this shows what the published rates pay.

Questions veterans ask

How is the housing allowance decided?

It is the BAH for an E-5 with dependents at the ZIP code of the campus where you attend most classes, prorated by your rate of pursuit. Half-time or less pays no housing allowance.

Do I get housing during breaks?

Only while enrolled. The allowance stops between terms unless you are enrolled in a term that spans the break.

Can I transfer the benefit to my spouse or child?

Transfer is approved by the Department of Defense while you are still serving, usually with a further service obligation. It cannot be started after separation.

How long do I have to use it?

Veterans whose last discharge was on or after January 1, 2013 have no deadline. Earlier discharges had a 15-year limit.

Read next

• Other benefits that get missed
• Retirement savings after school

Sources

• Post-9/11 GI Bill rates, 2026-2027, VA
• Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), VA
• Yellow Ribbon Program, VA

Other calculators

• VA Combined Rating: How several ratings combine and round.
• Monthly Compensation: Tax-free monthly pay by rating and dependents.
• Back Pay: Retroactive pay from your Intent to File date.
• Hearing Loss Rating: Your audiogram through VA's Tables VI and VII.
• Military Buy-Back: Cost and payoff of buying back active-duty time.
• FERS Pension: Pension from High-3, years, and multiplier.
• TSP Growth: Thrift Savings Plan balance over time.
• COLA Growth: How cost-of-living adjustments change retired pay.
• Sick Leave Credit: Unused sick leave as FERS service credit.

YourVABenefits is software you run on your own records. It is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and does not file claims. You file on VA.gov, or an accredited representative files for you at no charge.