Required Days Of Service For A VA Loan

Published On: April 16, 2019|Categories: Blog, Buyers, Mortgages, Real Estate, Tips, Life Hacks & How-to|Tags: VA loan, VA loans|

Veterans prefer a Veterans Affairs (VA) loan because it allows them to avoid paying a downpayment. It can also secure a better interest rate. There are actually multiple reasons why a VA loan is advantageous to veterans, but not everyone who served in the military qualifies. There are a minimum number of days that servicemembers have to have under their belt to qualify. There are other factors for eligibility too, like the type of discharge listed on the DD-214. Ultimately, most lenders will simply ask you for a copy of your DD-214 and check on your eligibility themselves, obtaining your Certificate of Eligibility (COE). The COE proves that you meet the requirements.

If you want to just check to see if you have enough days of service, here is a basic rundown:

World War II veterans: At least 90 days of service.
Korean War veterans: At least 90 days of service.
Vietnam War veterans: At least 90 days of service.
Post- WWII peacetime service members: At least 181 continuous days of service.
Post-Korean War peacetime service members: At least 181 continuous days of service.
Post-Vietnam War peacetime service members: At least 181 continuous days of service.
Served from 9/8/1980-8/1/1990: Either 24 continuous months of service or a full period call for 181 days of active duty.
Gulf War veterans: Full period of at least 90 days.
Current active duty servicemembers: At least 90 days of continuous service.

Keep in mind your COE doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get a loan. You will still have to meet your lenders credit and income requirements too.

Are You Thinking of Buying a Home in Dubois County?

Use our site to search homes for sale in Jasper, Dubois, Spencer, Martin and Davis counties and all of our surrounding areas. Unlike the “big name” sites out there, at Sell 4 Free Welsh Realty our site is directly connected to our local MLS and is updated with new homes every hour. By signing up for New Listing alerts you can stay on top of the newest homes for sale and get price change alerts so you can stay ahead of other buyers and beat them to the hottest deals!