VA Loans Above the Conforming Limit

Is there a maximum VA loan amount?

VA sets none for a veteran with full entitlement, but the loan is still limited by the appraisal or the price, and by what a lender will approve.

For a home purchase loan over $144,000, 38 U.S.C. § 3703(a)(1)(A)(i)(IV) (opens in a new tab)caps the guaranty at 25 percent of the loan, or at the veteran's available entitlement if that is less. For a veteran who is not a "covered veteran," § 3703(a)(1)(C)(i) (opens in a new tab) sets the maximum guaranty entitlement at 25 percent of the loan. That clause names no dollar ceiling. The guaranty scales with the loan instead of stopping at a number.

There is still a ceiling, it is just not one VA sets. In VA's words (opens in a new tab), "The maximum VA loan on an individual property is either the appraised value of the property or the purchase price, whichever is lower." And a lender still has to approve you, based on credit history, income, debts and assets, per the same VA loan limits page (opens in a new tab).

Does it change if you have used the benefit before?

This is where the conforming loan limit finally shows up, and it only applies to some borrowers.

At § 3703(a)(1)(C)(iii)(I) (opens in a new tab), the statute defines a covered veteran as one "who has previously used entitlement under this chapter and for whom the full amount of entitlement so used has not been restored as a result of the exclusion in section 3702(b) of this title."

For a covered veteran, § 3703(a)(1)(C)(ii) (opens in a new tab) caps the maximum guaranty at 25 percent of the Freddie Mac conforming loan limit, reduced by entitlement already used and not restored. The statute ties that limit to the limit for a single-family residence under 12 U.S.C. 1454(a)(2), "as adjusted for the year involved."

For 2026, FHFA set the one-unit baseline at $832,750 (opens in a new tab), with a ceiling of $1,249,125 in high-cost areas, announced November 25, 2025. For 2026, Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties are all at that $832,750 baseline, per FHFA's 2026 county-level conforming loan limit list (opens in a new tab).

VA's loan limits page (opens in a new tab) says: "A lender will use your remaining bonus entitlement to determine the maximum amount they'll loan you without requiring a down payment." So two veterans can look at the same house and get different answers about a down payment, depending on whether entitlement was used before and whether it came back. Which of those you are is a question for your lender and for VA.

Does the funding fee get bigger on a large loan?

The fee is a percentage, so it scales with the loan amount. That makes the exemptions worth knowing about at this end of the market more than at any other.

VA's funding fee schedule (opens in a new tab) for purchase and construction loans, for Veterans, active-duty members, and Guard and Reserve members: first use, 2.15 percent with less than 5 percent down, 1.5 percent at 5 percent or more, 1.25 percent at 10 percent or more. Subsequent use: 3.3 percent with less than 5 percent down, then the same 1.5 and 1.25. These rates took effect April 7, 2023. VA publishes these rates and they change, so confirm them before you rely on them.

You owe no funding fee at all if any of the following is true, in VA's own wording (opens in a new tab):

• "You're receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability"
• "You're eligible to receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, but you're receiving retirement or active-duty pay instead"
• "You're receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) as the surviving spouse of a Veteran"
• "You're a service member who has received a proposed or memorandum rating before the loan closing date that says you're eligible to get compensation because of a pre-discharge claim"
• "You're an active-duty member of the Armed Forces, and on or before your loan closing date you provide evidence that you received a Purple Heart"

There is also no monthly mortgage insurance. VA's funding fee page (opens in a new tab)says the program doesn't require "monthly mortgage insurance."

Where to take it from here

For a buyer with full entitlement, and as long as the loan amount does not exceed the appraised value, VA's ownquick reference for real estate professionals (opens in a new tab) says "jumbo loans of over $1 million are possible for eligible and qualified borrowers with VA home loan lenders who offer them." Whether that describes your situation is a question for your lender and for VA.

What I can tell you is how a VA offer is written so that it holds up. What you can borrow is not something a website can answer, and I would not trust one that claimed otherwise.

VA rules and the conforming limit both change. This page was last reviewed on the date below.

Last reviewed 17 September 2026.