VA pays disability compensation at the beginning of each month for the month before. If the 1st is a Saturday or Sunday, the payment comes the Friday before; if it’s a federal holiday, the weekday before. In 2026, no payment arrives in March, August and November, and two arrive in July, October and December.
Next VA disability payment: Friday, October 30, 2026
VA doesn’t publish a payment calendar. These dates apply the timing in VA’s award letter and the federal law on early payment (38 U.S.C. 5120(e)), on the federal holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103.
When are VA disability payments in 2026?
Payment for
Paid on
January 2026
Fri, Jan 30due Sun, Feb 1
February 2026
Fri, Feb 27due Sun, Mar 1
March 2026
Wed, Apr 1
April 2026
Fri, May 1
May 2026
Mon, Jun 1
June 2026
Wed, Jul 1
July 2026
Fri, Jul 31due Sat, Aug 1
August 2026
Tue, Sep 1
September 2026
Thu, Oct 1
October 2026
Fri, Oct 30due Sun, Nov 1
November 2026
Tue, Dec 1
December 2026
Thu, Dec 31due Fri, Jan 1, 2027
Why does the payment come at the start of the next month?
VA pays “at the beginning of each month for the prior month” (VA Form 21-8764). So January’s compensation arrives around February 1.
What happens when the 1st is a weekend or holiday?
Federal law (38 U.S.C. 5120(e)) has VA pay “on the Friday immediately preceding such Saturday or Sunday,” or, for a legal holiday, “the weekday (other than Saturday) immediately preceding” it, even if that’s in the same month the payment covers. That’s why March, August and November 2026 have no payment of their own.
When does the 2026 raise start?
VA’s current rates took effect December 1, 2025, so they apply to every payment made in 2026. The next raise matches Social Security’s 3.6% COLA for 2027; see the 2027 page.