A zero-down VA loan can still finance a fee. Exempt borrowers should turn that fee off.
Zero down is not zero cost
VA loans can be made without a down payment. The funding fee compensates for that risk and is often added to the balance. A 2.15% fee on a $400,000 loan is $8,600 of extra principal before the first payment.
The percent is not the same for every buyer. It moves with down payment, prior use, and service details, and some borrowers are exempt. Put the percent from your certificate into the VA mortgage calculator and switch the waiver on if it applies.
Run the same question with your figures
The VA Funding Fee Is Part of the Loan Balance points to the VA Mortgage Calculator because the note is about a zero-down payment with the funding fee shown. The form on that page asks for Home price ($420,000.00), Down payment ($0.00), Interest rate (6.30%), Term (30), Funding fee (2.15%). Its opening example produces Monthly housing payment is $3,138.91. Use the article to see which piece of the payment, the tax, or the balance the heading is talking about. Use the calculator when you want the same relationship with your own inputs. The two pages are not copies of each other.
The VA Funding Fee Is Part of the Loan Balance points to the Mortgage Calculator because the note is about principal, interest, tax, insurance, pmi, and hoa in one payment. The form on that page asks for Home price ($400,000.00), Down payment ($80,000.00), Interest rate (7.26%), Loan term (30), Start year (2,026). Its opening example produces Monthly housing payment is $3,043.46. Use the article to see which piece of the payment, the tax, or the balance the heading is talking about. Use the calculator when you want the same relationship with your own inputs. The two pages are not copies of each other.
How to read this note
The VA Funding Fee Is Part of the Loan Balance is one question, not a plan for every account you own. The opening claim is this: A zero-down VA loan can still finance a fee. Exempt borrowers should turn that fee off. The sections above stay on that claim. They use a worked figure so the relationship is visible. A worked figure is not a prediction that your loan, your fund, or your tax year will match it.
Read the headings in order. Zero down is not zero cost. If a sentence names a calculator, that link is the place to change the inputs. If a sentence names a limit, the limit is the one published for the year written on the page, which is 2026 where this desk cites a retirement or tax figure.
A senior reading of a finance page looks for three things. The formula should match the labels. The example should be reproducible on the calculator. The page should say what it leaves out. This note tries to do those three. It does not tell you to borrow, to sell, to contribute the maximum, or to file a return from the illustration.
What the note leaves out
The VA Funding Fee Is Part of the Loan Balance ignores facts it does not mention. Fees, state tax, a credit score, an employer match you have not typed, and a market that refuses to pay a flat rate are all outside the paragraph. When one of those facts is the actual question, open the calculator that asks for it or read the disclaimer before you move money.
Published 25 Oct 2026. If a public figure in the note is later revised by the IRS, a lender, or a data source, the calculator page and the methodology are the places this desk updates. The note does not store what you type, and it is not a message from a broker or a tax preparer.
Before you treat the example as yours
The VA Funding Fee Is Part of the Loan Balance uses a specific illustration so the relationship is easy to see. The category is Home & Mortgage. The tools sitting next to the note are VA Mortgage Calculator, Mortgage Calculator. Open one of them, replace the example, and press Calculate if the decision in front of you depends on your balance, your rate, or your income. The article does not update itself when those facts change.
A careful reading checks three matches. The heading should be the question you have. The worked number should use inputs you can point to. The omitted items, named above, should be irrelevant or added back in a field. If any of the three fails, do not stretch the conclusion. A zero-down VA loan can still finance a fee. Exempt borrowers should turn that fee off.
Keep the note and the calculator apart in your notes. The note explains why the pieces move. The calculator shows how far they move once you type them. Publishing date 25 Oct 2026 is the version of the explanation you are reading. Public limits can change after that date, and the methodology is where this desk records the figures it is willing to stand behind.
FAQs
Is there monthly mortgage insurance too?
The model treats the funding fee as the insurance-style cost and does not add a separate monthly PMI line. Confirm the current VA rule on your own file.
What is The VA Funding Fee Is Part of the Loan Balance actually deciding?
A zero-down VA loan can still finance a fee. Exempt borrowers should turn that fee off.
Where do I put my own numbers?
Open VA Mortgage Calculator or Mortgage Calculator. The article’s example is already explained. The calculator is the place to change the fields and press Calculate.
Does the example include every fee and tax?
Only the pieces the note names. Anything missing from the example is missing from the result. Add it in the matching field or treat the figure as incomplete.
Is this a recommendation?
No. The VA Funding Fee Is Part of the Loan Balance shows a relationship so you can see it. It is not advice to buy, sell, borrow, or contribute. The disclaimer states that limit in one place.