VA Burial Allowance 2026 and Calculator

By Mustafa Bilgic · Updated 2026-09-25

The VA burial allowance for 2026 is up to $2,000 for a veteran whose death was service connected (death on or after September 11, 2001). For a death that was not service connected, VA pays up to $1,002 for burial plus $1,002 for a plot when the death occurred on or after October 1, 2025. This VA burial allowance calculator finds the maximum burial and plot allowances for the date and type of death and the kind of cemetery. It uses VA's current rate tables, including the older amounts for deaths back to October 1, 2013.

VA burial allowances, sometimes called veterans death benefits, help the person who paid for a veteran's funeral, burial and plot. VA also may pay back the cost of moving the remains in some cases, and it covers all legal burial types, including cremation, burial at sea and donation of the remains to a medical school.

2026 VA Burial Allowance Amounts

For a service-connected death, VA may also pay back some or all of the cost of moving the veteran's remains for burial in a VA national cemetery. For a veteran who was hospitalized by VA, or who died while traveling to VA-authorized care, VA may also pay back transportation costs.

How VA Burial Benefits Are Calculated

Total = burial allowance for the date and type of death + plot allowance (private cemetery, non-service-connected death)

VA pays the maximum burial allowance for the veteran's category unless it has evidence, on the date it receives notice of the death, that the expenses were less. The service-connected allowance is paid in place of the other allowances, except transportation and a plot or interment allowance paid to a state or tribal cemetery. VA presumes a death was service connected if, at death, the veteran was rated totally disabled for service-connected disabilities, not counting a total rating based on individual unemployability. The plot or interment allowance for a private cemetery is paid when the veteran is buried somewhere other than a national, state or tribal veterans cemetery. It applies if the veteran qualified for the non-service-connected burial allowance, died while hospitalized by VA, or was discharged from service for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty.

Burial and Plot Allowances by Date of Death

VA's page also lists a headstone or marker allowance of up to $441 for deaths on or after October 1, 2025.

Who Can Claim the Allowance

You may be eligible if you are paying the burial and funeral costs and will not be reimbursed by another organization, such as another government agency or the veteran's employer. You must be the veteran's surviving spouse or surviving partner from a legal union, a surviving child, a parent, or the executor or administrator of the estate. A family member or friend, or a representative of a funeral home, cemetery or other organization, may also qualify. The veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and one of these must be true:

• The veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability.
• The veteran died while getting VA care at a VA facility or a facility contracted by VA, or while traveling with proper authorization, at VA's expense, to or from care.
• The veteran died while receiving a VA pension or compensation, or while eligible for compensation or pension but receiving full military retirement or disability pay instead.
• The veteran died with an original or reopened claim for VA compensation or pension pending, and would have been entitled to benefits before death.

VA does not provide burial allowances for a person who died on active duty, while serving as a member of Congress, or while serving a federal prison sentence.

Deadlines and Automatic Payments

There is no time limit to claim the burial or transportation allowance when the death was service connected. For a death that was not service connected, you must file within 2 years after the veteran's burial. That limit does not apply if the veteran died under VA care, or if you are claiming only the plot or interment allowance or transportation. A surviving spouse listed on the veteran's VA profile does not need to file: when VA receives notice of the death, it automatically pays a set amount to eligible surviving spouses to help pay for the plot, interment or transportation. Others can apply online or by mail with VA Form 21P-530EZ.

Transportation, Unclaimed Remains and Special Cases

For a veteran who qualified for the non-service-connected allowance or died while hospitalized by VA, VA will pay the cost of transporting the remains to the place of burial when the death occurs within a state and the burial is in the same state or another state. If there is no next of kin or other person claiming the remains and the estate cannot cover the costs, VA pays the burial allowance and may pay transportation; the remains are buried in a national cemetery or a qualifying state or tribal veterans cemetery. If the veteran's discharge was changed after death from dishonorable to another status, you must file within 2 years after the change. A state or tribal organization has no time limit to claim the plot or interment allowance.

Burial Allowances and Other Death Benefits

The burial allowance is a one-time VA payment, apart from monthly survivor benefits. Surviving spouses and children may also qualify for VA DIC or Survivors Pension. If the death led to a claim against someone else, funeral and burial costs are often claimed as damages; see our wrongful death settlement calculator. State crime victim programs also pay funeral costs up to their limits; see crime victim compensation by state.

Tips

• Keep the itemized funeral bill and any transportation receipts in your name.
• Have the death certificate showing the cause of death and the veteran's DD214 or other separation papers ready.
• For a service-connected death, you can send medical records to support the claim.
• Check the date of death against the table; the amounts change each October 1.

Frequently Asked Questions