Northern Virginia VA buyer tool

How much cash will your VA loan really require?

Give me the purchase price and the VA details you already know. I’ll show you the funding fee, final loan amount, estimated cash to close, and what changes at 5% and 10% down.

Start the calculatorSee how the answer works

Educational planning estimate—not a Loan Estimate, eligibility decision, or preapproval. By Abraham Walker · Research reviewed August 20, 2026

AWLet’s begin with the home—not with a generic national loan limit.

Step 1 · Purchase

What price are you planning around?

Your purchase price gives us the base for the down payment, loan, and closing-cost estimate. The VA guarantees part of a loan; your private lender still determines approval, rate, and final terms.

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Does your current Certificate of Eligibility show full entitlement?

If you have another VA loan or unrestored entitlement, ask the lender to calculate any required down payment from your COE.

A written entitlement calculation is still needed. The 0%, 5%, and 10% examples below will explain fee tiers, but they do not establish that you can purchase with zero down.
We are planning around $700,000.
AWZero down is an option—not an instruction to empty or preserve cash without comparing the trade.

Step 2 · Down payment

How much do you want to put down?

A down payment reduces the base loan. For a nonexempt VA purchase borrower, reaching 5% or 10% down also enters a lower funding-fee tier.

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Your modeled base loan before the funding fee is $700,000.
Why would you put money down on a zero-down program?

You might want a smaller loan or monthly payment, or you may be comparing whether crossing the 5% or 10% threshold saves enough funding fee to justify using more cash. Partial entitlement or an appraisal below the price can also create a required down payment. Reserves still matter; the smallest loan is not automatically the safest plan.

AWNow we separate the VA’s one-time funding fee from ordinary closing costs.

Step 3 · Funding fee

Which fee treatment matches your situation?

The VA funding fee helps support the program. It is not monthly mortgage insurance, and it is the purchase fee the VA generally allows you to finance.

VA benefit use
Does VA or your lender show you as funding-fee exempt?

Do not infer this from a disability percentage here. Confirm the exemption shown by VA and your lender.

How will the funding fee be handled?
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Use the note rate from a written quote. This is not APR and is not a live advertised rate.

2.15% produces an estimated funding fee of $15,050. It is added to the loan.
Who may be exempt, and what about a later refund?

The VA lists qualifying service-connected disability compensation, certain surviving spouses receiving DIC, certain pre-discharge ratings, and qualifying active-duty Purple Heart recipients among possible exemptions. A retroactive compensation award may support a refund when its effective date predates closing. Ask VA or your lender to confirm your actual status.

AWThe funding fee is only one line. Let’s build the cash side without pretending a placeholder is a Loan Estimate.

Step 4 · Cash to close

What else will be paid or credited?

Your written Loan Estimate should replace the planning placeholder below. On a purchase loan, ordinary closing costs generally cannot simply be added to the VA loan.

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Planning placeholder for lender, title, recording, prepaids, escrow setup, and other purchase costs. Replace it with your written estimate.

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Usually credited back toward the funds required at closing—not an extra purchase cost.

$

Enter only documented credits. Eligibility, caps, and usable amounts depend on written contract and loan terms.

Your model currently uses $10,000 of credits.
What should I compare on the Loan Estimate?

Compare the rate, points, origination charges, services you can and cannot shop for, funding fee, lender credits, total loan amount, projected payment, and estimated cash to close. Ask why anything differs from the written quote you discussed.

AWHere is the loan-and-cash trade I would put on the table before you choose.

Your answer

PLANNING ESTIMATE · NOT A LOAN ESTIMATE

Estimated cash to close: $21,000

Final VA loan$715,050
Estimated P&I$4,287/mo
Funding fee$15,050

Principal and interest excludes taxes, insurance, association charges, utilities, and other ownership costs.

Down-payment comparison

What changes when you move cash from the loan into the down payment?

This compares the selected plan with the current VA fee breakpoints. Green shows the final loan; orange shows modeled cash to close. Exact numbers remain beside every bar.

Selected plan

Change one answer without starting over
PurchaseDown paymentFunding feeCash and credits
Calculate detailed buyer closing costsTest the complete monthly paymentCheck affordability
AWIf you want to retain this plan, I’ll quality-check the inputs before emailing it.

Retain your estimate

Want me to review the worksheet?

You can use and adjust the calculator freely. To keep the personalized result, submit your email and I will review the entries before sending it. No cost. No obligation.

Optional. Include it only if you want a property-specific review.

Delivery is manually quality-checked. Submitting does not create representation, a loan application, or an obligation to hire Ask A Walker.

Common questions

What I would want you to understand before relying on the number

Can I finance the VA funding fee?

Generally yes on a VA purchase loan. You may instead pay it in full at closing. Financing preserves cash now but increases the loan, monthly principal-and-interest payment, and interest paid over time.

Can I finance my other closing costs?

The VA says that on a purchase or construction/permanent loan, only the funding fee may be financed into the loan. Other charges must be paid at closing or covered through permitted credits or negotiated payments.

Why do 5% and 10% down matter?

Under the current purchase schedule, those thresholds enter lower funding-fee tiers for a nonexempt borrower. The calculator shows the fee savings alongside the additional cash used so you can compare the complete trade.

Is subsequent use always more expensive?

The higher subsequent-use rate applies below 5% down. At 5% and 10% down, the current first- and subsequent-use purchase rates are the same. Special cases can apply, so verify the lender’s treatment.

How do I know whether I am exempt?

Confirm the exemption reflected by VA and your lender. This tool does not ask for a disability rating or attempt to decide whether you qualify.

Does a VA loan always mean zero down?

No. Full entitlement, remaining entitlement, price versus VA reasonable value, lender underwriting, and the transaction can affect the required cash. If entitlement is already in use, provide the lender-calculated required down payment rather than relying on a generic zero-down assumption.

Can a seller or builder pay my costs?

Some closing costs and concessions may be negotiated, but the VA’s 4% concession rule does not describe every seller-paid cost. The contract, reasonable value, lender, and VA rules determine what is usable. Enter only documented credits.

Does a VA loan have monthly mortgage insurance?

A VA-backed loan generally uses the VA guaranty and funding fee rather than conventional monthly PMI. Taxes, homeowners insurance, association charges, and other ownership costs still remain.

Does using this calculator create representation or a loan application?

No. A brokerage relationship requires a separate written agreement, and a lender controls any loan application, qualification, or approval.

Important limitations

This is a planning conversation—not your loan documents.

Educational estimate. This tool provides a planning estimate based on the information you enter and the assumptions shown. It is not financial, lending, legal, tax, insurance, appraisal, or settlement advice; a credit decision or preapproval; a commitment to lend; a property valuation; or a guarantee of costs, savings, eligibility, or future results. Verify important figures using current written information from the appropriate lender, VA, settlement company, attorney, insurer, association, or government agency.

No brokerage relationship is created. Using this tool, requesting results, submitting a form, or contacting Ask A Walker does not by itself create a client, agency, brokerage, fiduciary, or other professional relationship. In Virginia, representation is governed by a separate written brokerage agreement signed by the applicable parties.

This is not a lender-issued Loan Estimate. Your lender and VA determine eligibility, entitlement, exemption, interest rate, points, allowable charges, credits, program treatment, appraisal requirements, and final cash required.

Sources and calculation notes

How the estimate is built

The engine subtracts the modeled down payment from the price, applies the current VA purchase funding-fee tier to the resulting base loan, and either adds that fee to the loan or to closing cash. It then adds modeled other closing costs and subtracts the deposit and usable credits. Principal and interest use the entered note rate and a 30-year fixed-term planning assumption.

VA fee schedule verified: August 20, 2026. VA source last updated: January 15, 2026. Next scheduled review: November 2026, with an immediate review after a VA rule change.

Actual taxes, insurance, title, association, lender, and settlement charges depend on the property, jurisdiction, timing, written contract, and selected providers. This calculator does not transmit entered financial values to analytics.