Full entitlement and partial entitlement
Since January 1, 2020, a veteran with full entitlement has no VA loan limit. VA guarantees 25% of the loan without a county cap. The price is bounded by your income, credit, the appraisal, and what the lender will lend. A house above $832,750 can still be a zero-down VA loan for this borrower.
Partial entitlement puts the county limit back in the file. VA's steps are on VA.gov:
- Read the entitlement already charged on the Certificate of Eligibility (COE).
- Look up the FHFA one-unit limit for the property's county on the FHFA conforming loan limit table.
- Multiply that one-unit limit by 0.25.
- Subtract entitlement already used. That remainder is bonus entitlement.
The guaranty generally needs to cover 25% of the new loan. If remaining entitlement is short, the usual fix is a down payment for the gap. The lender calculates the cash to close.
A 2026 example
County one-unit limit: $832,750. Twenty-five percent is $208,187.50. If the COE still shows $36,000 charged, remaining bonus entitlement is $172,187.50. Four times that remainder is $688,750. That is an illustration of a zero-down neighborhood for this partial-entitlement borrower in a baseline county. It is not your COE.
The same borrower with full entitlement is not capped at $688,750 or at $832,750. A high-cost county starts from that county's higher one-unit limit. San Diego and the Washington, D.C. area are not $832,750 counties. Look up the county.
For 2026, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands use a one-unit baseline of $1,249,125. The high-cost ceiling elsewhere is also $1,249,125, which is 150% of $832,750. Those figures come from FHFA's November 25, 2025 announcement.
Why an early 2027 quote is not a limit
FHFA usually announces next year's limits in late November, effective January 1. Until that file exists, a quoted 2027 amount is the lender's own number. Some lenders have been funding above the 2026 baseline under in-house programs. Those programs are not a new VA county limit.
Ask two questions in writing. Which FHFA year and which county one-unit limit is this pre-approval using? Does my COE show full entitlement or a charged amount? Keep the financing contingency until both answers are on the COE and the commitment.
Paying off the VA loan and selling is the usual path back to full entitlement. Paying it off and keeping the house can be a one-time restoration, and it is not automatic. Order a new COE after the payoff posts. The broader rules are in the VA loan guide.
The county limit does not waive the funding fee. That exemption is about disability compensation, covered in who skips the funding fee. On a 2-to-4 unit home, VA still points the entitlement math at the one-unit county limit. See VA loans on a duplex, triplex, or fourplex. Price the payment against BAH you can document. 2027 BAH is unpublished too.
What to do this week
- Read a current Certificate of Eligibility. See whether entitlement is full or a dollar amount is still charged to a prior VA loan. A paid-off loan is not restored until VA says so.
- Look up the 2026 one-unit county limit. Use the FHFA table. Most counties are $832,750. High-cost counties can go up to $1,249,125. Do not use a 2027 estimate.
- Do the partial-entitlement math if you need it. Multiply the one-unit county limit by 25% and subtract entitlement already used. That remainder is your bonus entitlement.
- Match the offer to the COE. Full entitlement can support a zero-down loan above the county figure if you qualify and the lender will make it. Partial entitlement above the county figure usually needs a down payment. Keep the financing contingency until the lender commits in writing.
Bring that COE to a VA-savvy agent before you write.
