Updated August 16, 2026. Quick answer: VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation is a tax-free survivor benefit. Eligibility can arise when a service member dies in the line of duty, when a Veteran dies from a service-connected cause, or through a separate qualifying-total-disability route even when the death itself was not service connected. For an eligible surviving spouse when the Veteran died on or after January 1, 1993, the base monthly rate is $1,699.36, effective December 1, 2025, before applicable add-ons. The SBP-DIC offset ended on January 1, 2023. Remarriage is claim- and date-sensitive; the dedicated section below separates the current age-55 exception from award-effective-date rules.
Apply: a surviving spouse or child can use VA Form 21P-534EZ online. A surviving parent uses VA Form 21P-535. An accredited Veterans Service Organization can help with a claim free of charge.
Keep the roles separate: DIC is recurring monthly survivor compensation. VA burial benefits are separate: burial and plot payments are flat-rate allowances, while eligible transportation is a cost-based reimbursement.
What DIC is, and what has to be true
The regulation defines it in one line:
“This term means a monthly payment made by the Department of Veterans Affairs to a surviving spouse, child, or parent:”
38 CFR § 3.5, § 3.5(a)
The statute names the event that triggers it:
“When any veteran dies after December 31, 1956, from a service-connected or compensable disability, the Secretary shall pay dependency and indemnity compensation to such veteran’s surviving spouse, children, and parents.”
38 U.S.C. § 1310, § 1310(a)
For the section 1310 cause route, the issue is whether a service-connected disability caused or contributed to the death. VA distinguishes a principal cause from a contributory cause. A principal cause:
“The service-connected disability will be considered as the principal (primary) cause of death when such disability, singly or jointly with some other condition, was the immediate or underlying cause of death or was etiologically related thereto.”
38 CFR § 3.312, § 3.312(b)
A contributory cause has a higher bar than the word suggests:
“It is not sufficient to show that it casually shared in producing death, but rather it must be shown that there was a causal connection.”
38 CFR § 3.312, § 3.312(c)(1)
There is also a separate route where the death was not service connected. VA lists three qualifying total-disability timing limbs: the Veteran was continuously rated totally disabling for at least 10 years immediately before death; or continuously from release from active duty and for at least 5 years immediately before death; or for at least 1 year immediately before death if the Veteran was a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999. VA publishes the three routes together.
The statutory route is 38 U.S.C. § 1318. It also carries entitlement/receipt conditions, excludes a death caused by the Veteran’s willful misconduct, and for a surviving spouse specifies one year of marriage immediately before death or a child born of the marriage or before it. Those are section 1318 conditions, not the whole surviving-spouse checklist.
Across DIC routes, VA separately applies relationship rules: a marriage timing or child route, continuous cohabitation unless a qualifying separation applies, and the remarriage rules discussed below. See VA’s current eligibility checklist for the complete public-facing test.
VA does not pay DIC and VA Survivors Pension for the same death at the same time. VA compares entitlement and pays whichever benefit provides the higher payment.
“Except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, no person eligible for dependency and indemnity compensation by reason of a death occurring on or after January 1, 1957, shall be eligible by reason of such death for survivors pension or death compensation under any other law administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
38 CFR § 3.5(c)(1)
The rate in the statute is not the rate VA pays
Read section 1311 and you will find a number. It is $1,154:
“Dependency and indemnity compensation shall be paid to a surviving spouse at the monthly rate of $1,154.”
38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(a)(1)
For an eligible surviving spouse when the Veteran died on or after January 1, 1993, VA currently pays a $1,699.36 monthly base. The statutory figure is the base to which cost-of-living increases have been applied; it is not the current surviving-spouse payment. The published rate is $545.36 a month higher — 47.3% above the number printed in the law:
“Your monthly payment rate is: $1,699.36”
VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Current DIC rates, surviving spouse
“These rates are effective December 1, 2025.”
VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents
The same distinction applies to the surviving-spouse add-ons below. The statute’s figures and VA’s effective-December-1-2025 figures are different numbers for the same benefits; the current VA column is the payable amount:
| Add-on | In the statute | As VA publishes it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-year provision | $246 | $360.85 | totally disabling rating for the 8 years before death |
| Each child under 18 | $286 | $421 | paid on top of the spouse’s own rate |
| Aid and attendance | $286 | $421 | the survivor needs regular personal care |
| Housebound | $135 | $197.22 | cannot be combined with aid and attendance |
| Transitional benefit | $250 | $359 | two years only, any number of children |
Two of those rows carry a trap. Housebound and aid and attendance are alternatives, not a stack — the statute grants the housebound amount only to a survivor who does not qualify for the other one, and the difference between them is $223.78 a month:
“The monthly rate of dependency and indemnity compensation payable to a surviving spouse shall be increased by $135 if the surviving spouse is, by reason of disability, permanently housebound but does not qualify for the aid and attendance allowance under subsection (c) of this section.”
38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(d)
And the 8-year provision counts marriage, not just the rating. A survivor married for six of the veteran’s eight totally-disabled years does not get it:
“In determining the period of a veteran’s disability for purposes of the preceding sentence, only periods in which the veteran was married to the surviving spouse shall be considered.”
38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(a)(2)
What that adds up to, and what falls off after two years
Take the household VA uses to explain the arithmetic: a surviving spouse with 2 children under 18, qualifying for the 8-year provision and for aid and attendance, during the first 24 months after DIC entitlement begins.
| Component | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Surviving spouse rate | $1,699.36 |
| 2 children under 18 | $842 |
| 8-year provision | $360.85 |
| Aid and attendance | $421 |
| Transitional benefit | $359 |
| Total, first two years | $3,682.21 |
| Total, from month 25 | $3,323.21 |
Annually that is $44,186.52 in each of the first two years and $39,878.52 afterwards. The transitional benefit is worth $8,616 in total and then stops on a date, not on a change in circumstances — a drop of $4,308 a year, 9.7% of the payment, arriving in entitlement month 25:
“Dependency and indemnity compensation shall be increased under this subsection only for months occurring during the two-year period beginning on the date on which entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation commenced.”
38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(f)(2)
It is also one payment however many children there are, which is not how the per-child amount works:
“Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), if there is a surviving spouse with one or more children below the age of 18, the dependency and indemnity compensation paid monthly to the surviving spouse shall be increased by $250 (as increased from time to time under paragraph (4)), regardless of the number of such children.”
38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(f)(1)
One more thing about the total: none of it is taxable income.
“These VA survivor benefits are tax exempt.”
VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents
If the Veteran died before January 1, 1993, VA uses a different pay-grade base calculation and pays that pay-grade amount when it is higher than the ordinary base plus the 8-year amount. Applicable child, aid-and-attendance, housebound, and transitional add-ons can still apply. Use VA’s current pre-1993 pay-grade table rather than treating the worked table above as the whole calculation.
The offset that used to cancel the survivor annuity is gone
A military retiree can elect Survivor Benefit Plan coverage. For the standard spouse-coverage illustration used here, the annuity is 55% of the elected base amount. Other beneficiary categories and elections have their own rules:
“(A) Beneficiary under 62 years of age.-If the beneficiary is under 62 years of age or is a dependent child when becoming entitled to the annuity, the monthly annuity shall be the amount equal to 55 percent of the base amount.”
10 U.S.C. § 1451(a)(1)(A)
For standard spouse coverage, the 6.5% method cited here applies to a member who first entered a uniformed service on or after March 1, 1990 and retires under a law other than chapter 61 or chapter 1223. Other SBP cost methods can apply:
“In the case of a person who first becomes a member of a uniformed service on or after March 1, 1990, and who is entitled to retired pay under a provision of law other than chapter 61 or chapter 1223 of this title, the reduction shall be in an amount equal to 6½ percent of the base amount.”
10 U.S.C. § 1452(a)(1)(A)(iii)
Until recently, a survivor who was entitled to DIC had that purchased annuity reduced by the DIC — frequently to nothing. The rule is still in the statute book, but it is now a four-step schedule that runs itself out. Step one, the old rule:
“During the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on December 31, 2020, the amount that the annuity otherwise payable under this section would exceed such dependency and indemnity compensation.”
10 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)(A)
Then two thirds of it, then one third:
“During the period beginning on January 1, 2021, and ending on December 31, 2021, the amount that the annuity otherwise payable under this section would exceed two-thirds of such dependency and indemnity compensation.”
10 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)(B)
“During the period beginning on January 1, 2022, and ending on December 31, 2022, the amount that the annuity otherwise payable under this section would exceed one-third of such dependency and indemnity compensation.”
10 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)(C)
And then the whole thing:
“On and after January 1, 2023, the full amount of the annuity under this section.”
10 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)(D)
VA states the same result in plain words, and confirms the end date:
“Yes. You can get a full SBP or RCSBP payment and a full DIC payment at the same time.”
VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Can I get SBP or RCSBP payments and DIC at the same time?
“In the past, DFAS reduced your SBP or RCSBP payments by a percentage of your DIC payment. This was called the “SBP-DIC Offset.” Starting on January 1, 2021, DFAS began reducing the offset in phases. On January 1, 2023, DFAS fully eliminated the offset. Survivors can now get full benefits for both programs.”
VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Can I get SBP or RCSBP payments and DIC at the same time?
With DIC held constant for illustration, the schedule’s dollar effect depends on the size of the annuity. Two households, each with a base amount elected at retirement — $4,000 and $2,600, both assumptions, everything else statutory — and the DIC rate held at today’s $1,699.36 in all four steps so the schedule’s effect is visible on its own rather than mixed with past cost-of-living increases:
| Annuity payable under the schedule | Base $4,000 (annuity $2,200) | Base $2,600 (annuity $1,430) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $500.64 | $0 |
| 2021 | $1,067.09 | $297.09 |
| 2022 | $1,633.55 | $863.55 |
| 2023 onward | $2,200 | $1,430 |
Under the held-constant illustration, the first annuity rises from $500.64 to $2,200 when the schedule reaches full payment, and the second rises from $0 to $1,430. Those figures isolate the statutory offset schedule. They are not a reconstruction of any household’s historical cash flow: contemporaneous DIC rates differed, the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance existed during the phase-out era, and premium refunds or recalculations could matter.
If the entitlement runs through the totally-disabled route rather than a service-connected death, it still counts for this purpose — the regulation says so expressly:
“For the purpose of 10 U.S.C. 1448(d) and 1450(c) eligibility for benefits under paragraph (a) of this section shall be deemed eligibility for dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C. 1311(a) .”
38 CFR § 3.22(h)
If the survivor election is still ahead of you rather than behind you, the priced comparison is on SBP versus term life, and the pay it is measured against is on the military retirement calculator. The offset on the retiree’s own pay — a different offset entirely — is CRDP versus CRSC.
DIC after remarriage: age 55 is current law, but dates still matter
There are two layers to read together. Current VA consumer pages list a protected route for a remarriage on or after December 16, 2003 at age 57 or older, and another for a remarriage on or after January 5, 2021 at age 55 or older. The underlying 2022 VA final rule is broader about the age-55 exception: it says the exception applies regardless of whether the remarriage occurred before, on, or after January 5, 2021.
The dates still matter to payment and procedure. The VA final rule says an award based on the liberalizing change generally cannot begin before January 5, 2021, and a claimant denied under the older rule may need to file a new application. A prior final denial is not clear and unmistakable error solely because the law later changed.
The statute places the age-55 exception in Chapter 13, which is DIC, and also mentions section 1781 medical care. Separate age-57 provisions still govern some medical-care, education, and housing benefits. So 55 versus 57 is not a universal survivor-benefit shortcut. Check the benefit and claim date with VA’s current DIC eligibility page or an accredited representative.
If DIC stopped because of a later remarriage, VA’s survivor FAQ also says it may be reinstated if that marriage ends by death, divorce, or annulment. VA must decide the individual effective date and evidence.
Sources
Legacy legal-source quotations were read at the issuing authority on 2026-08-14; current VA eligibility, rate, application, and remarriage-operation sources were refreshed on 2026-08-16:
| What it establishes | Source |
|---|---|
| what DIC is, in the regulation’s own words | 38 CFR § 3.5, § 3.5(a) |
| DIC is paid when the veteran dies from a service-connected disability | 38 U.S.C. § 1310, § 1310(a) |
| the principal-cause test for a service-connected death | 38 CFR § 3.312, § 3.312(b) |
| a contributory cause must have contributed substantially, not casually | 38 CFR § 3.312, § 3.312(c)(1) |
| the route to DIC when the death itself was not service-connected | 38 U.S.C. § 1318(a) |
| the ten-year totally-disabled test | 38 U.S.C. § 1318(b)(1) |
| the one-year marriage test on the section 1318 route | 38 U.S.C. § 1318(c)(1) |
| section 1318 benefits count as DIC for the SBP rules | 38 CFR § 3.22(h) |
| DIC and survivors pension are not both payable on the same death | 38 CFR § 3.5(c)(1) |
| the monthly DIC rate the statute states on its face | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(a)(1) |
| the monthly rate VA actually pays a surviving spouse | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Current DIC rates, surviving spouse |
| the date the published rates took effect | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents |
| the 8-year provision and the disability rating it requires | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(a)(2) |
| the 8-year provision as VA pays it | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Added amounts for surviving spouses |
| the 8-year provision counts only years the couple was married | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(a)(2) |
| the per-child increase and its age limit | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(b) |
| the per-child amount as VA pays it | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Added amounts for surviving spouses |
| the aid-and-attendance increase and who it is for | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(c) |
| the aid-and-attendance amount as VA pays it | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Added amounts for surviving spouses |
| the housebound increase, and that it cannot be combined with aid and attendance | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(d) |
| the housebound amount as VA pays it | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Added amounts for surviving spouses |
| the transitional benefit is one amount regardless of the number of children | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(f)(1) |
| the transitional benefit runs for two years and then stops | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(f)(2) |
| the transitional amount as VA pays it, and its two-year window | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Added amounts for surviving spouses |
| deaths before 1993 use a pay-grade table where it pays more | 38 U.S.C. § 1311, § 1311(a)(3) |
| DIC is not taxed | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents |
| the SBP annuity is 55 percent of the elected base amount | 10 U.S.C. § 1451(a)(1)(A) |
| the premium a member pays out of retired pay for spouse coverage | 10 U.S.C. § 1452(a)(1)(A)(iii) |
| the offset in 2020: the annuity survived only above the whole of DIC | 10 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)(A) |
| the 2021 step: two-thirds of DIC | 10 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)(B) |
| the 2022 step: one-third of DIC | 10 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)(C) |
| from 1 January 2023 the annuity is paid in full alongside DIC | 10 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)(D) |
| VA states plainly that both are now payable in full | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Can I get SBP or RCSBP payments and DIC at the same time? |
| the offset was phased down from 2021 and eliminated on 1 January 2023 | VA, Current DIC rates for spouses and dependents, Can I get SBP or RCSBP payments and DIC at the same time? |
| VA’s current consumer eligibility page lists the public-facing remarriage routes and their dates. | VA, About DIC for spouses, dependents, and parents |
| The final rule applies the age-55 DIC exception regardless of remarriage date, but explains award-effective-date and new-application limits. | 87 FR 68360–68362, DIC Remarriage Age |
| The statute places the age-55 rule in Chapter 13 and section 1781 while separate age-57 provisions remain. | 38 U.S.C. § 103(d)(2)(B) |
What this page does not do
- It does not price a specific claim. The two base amounts in the offset table ($4,000 and $2,600) and the household in the worked table are stated assumptions, not findings.
- The offset table holds DIC at the current published rate across all four steps. Actual payments in 2020, 2021 and 2022 used the DIC rates of those years, which were lower. The table shows what the schedule does, not what any household was paid.
- It does not cover DIC for a surviving parent, the separate rates for children when there is no eligible surviving spouse, or the rates that apply to deaths before 1 January 1993 beyond noting that a pay-grade table governs them.
- It does not model SBP tax treatment, the historical Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance, or premium refunds/recalculations. The offset examples show schedule mechanics, not a retrospective household ledger.
- It does not decide a claim or effective date. The official application route is linked above; VA decides the evidence and date on the individual record.
- Rates carry a date: the published amounts here are effective 1 December 2025. A later cost-of-living increase changes every figure in the tables and none of the rules.
Related, and already on this site: VA aid and attendance, the VA pension net-worth limit and its lookback, veterans burial benefits, and what a representative may charge for claims help.
General consumer information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Legacy quotations were read from the issuing authority on 2026-08-14, and current VA operational sources were refreshed on 2026-08-16; federal statutes, regulations and payment rates change, and the agency deciding your own case is the one whose answer counts. Anything consequential belongs with them, or with a professional, rather than with a web page.