VA life insurance rates: what VALife costs per month at your age

Say you are 52, you have a service-connected rating, and you want one number: what does VALife cost each month? The VA publishes it, split across seven collapsed age bands. Here it is in one place.

VA life insurance rates for VALife run from $10.90 a month ($10,000 at age 18) to $1,768.00 a month ($40,000 at age 95). At 50, $10,000 costs $32.50, $20,000 costs $65.00, $30,000 costs $97.50 and $40,000 costs $130.00. Your age when you apply sets the rate, and the VA says it never increases while you keep the policy.

VALife monthly rates at a glance

These are the monthly premiums for every coverage amount, at one age in each decade. If your age is not here, the full chart below has every age from 18 to 95.

These rates are for VALife, the VA’s whole life plan for veterans with a service-connected disability rating, including 0%. It comes in $10,000 steps up to $40,000. If you are after the other VA plan, VGLI has its own chart by age band on our VGLI rates page. For how the two compare, see VALife vs VGLI, and for eligibility and the waiting period, our VALife guide.

The full VALife rate chart by age

Open your age band, find your age in the first column, and read across to the coverage you want. Every figure is a monthly premium in U.S. dollars, copied from the VA table.

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VALife page, monthly premium rates. We checked the figures on October 9, 2026. The VA page shows a last-updated date of May 15, 2026. Confirm current rates on va.gov before you apply.

Which age the VA uses: the 6-month rule

The VA reads your age as one year older once more than 6 months have passed since your last birthday. Its own example: at 59 years, 6 months and 1 day, you pay the rate for age 60.

That one day is worth real money. At 59, $10,000 is $47.70 a month and $40,000 is $190.80. At 60, the same amounts are $50.00 and $200.00. Because the rate is locked when you enroll, the difference stays for as long as you hold the policy.

Why the rate stays flat, and how VGLI differs

A VALife premium is set once, from your age when you apply and the amount you choose. The VA says it never increases. A veteran who enrolls at 40 for $20,000 pays $44.00 a month at 40, at 60 and at 85.

VGLI, the VA’s term plan for veterans leaving service, is priced differently by design. Its premium follows a five-year age band, so it steps up as you move into each new band. Here are the two side by side for $10,000 of coverage.

Read the VALife column as “what you lock in if you enroll at that age.” Read the VGLI column as “what that band charges while you are in it.” A VGLI holder pays the lowest figures in the early bands and a rising figure after that. A VALife holder pays a higher starting figure that never changes. Neither pattern is better in the abstract. They fit different jobs, and some veterans hold both.

One more number for context. A VALife rate locked at 40 ($22.00 per $10,000) is above VGLI’s $1.40 for ages 40 to 44, and it is below VGLI’s $38.50 for ages 75 to 79. That crossover is the whole story of fixed-price versus age-banded coverage.

What a few years of waiting does to the rate

Every birthday before you apply moves you one row down the chart, and each row costs more than the one before. The VA sets no deadline for veterans age 80 or younger, so nothing forces you to hurry, but the rate does not wait.

Going from 40 to 50 adds $21.00 a month on $20,000, and from 50 to 60 adds $35.00. That is a reason to decide on a timeline instead of letting it drift, not a reason to rush into an amount that does not fit your budget.

Remember the 2-year wait on the other end. Full coverage starts 2 years after you apply, and you pay premiums during those 2 years. If a veteran dies in that window, the VA pays the beneficiaries the premiums paid plus interest, listed at 4.23% for a death in 2026. After that, the full coverage amount is paid.

Paying monthly or once a year

Paying once a year costs a little less than twelve monthly payments in the VA tables. The VA publishes yearly rates for ages 18 to 80.

The saving is small, and a monthly payment is easier on a tight month. Pick the one that fits your cash flow. When you apply, you submit your first premium payment with the application.

If you hold S-DVI

If you have Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance, the VA lets you keep it or apply for VALife, and you do not have to do anything to keep S-DVI. The timing of a switch matters. If you apply for VALife on or after January 1, 2026, your S-DVI ends the day the VA approves the VALife application, and you pay only VALife premiums during the 2-year wait, without full coverage in that period. Our S-DVI guide covers what to weigh before you move, and the VA also notes that VALife has no premium waivers, so a waiver you hold on S-DVI does not carry over.

When not to call us

You do not need us for this number. The rates are public on va.gov, VALife applications go through the VA, and approval does not depend on your health. If you found your age in the chart, the monthly cost fits your budget and the coverage matches what you need it to do, apply and move on. A review that ends in “you are set” is a successful review.

Call if you want another view. Common questions are whether $40,000 is enough on its own, how VALife sits beside VGLI or a private policy, and who should be the beneficiary. The team can also help with billing questions and finding the right VA department. It is free, and the decision stays yours.