Dual Military Couples: How to Maximize Your VA Loan Benefits

When both you and your spouse wear the uniform, your VA loan options multiply, but so do your decisions. For dual military couples eyeing their first home, it’s smart to understand what you can do with your benefit and how to use it in a way that supports both your finances and your future PCS plans.

Buying a home as a military family brings unique challenges. Add in two careers, potential deployment conflicts, and overlapping PCS timelines, and the decision-making gets even more complex. But here’s the good news: you hold one of the most flexible, powerful home financing tools in the country, and you hold it twice.

You Each Have a VA Loan Benefit

Every eligible service member earns a VA loan benefit individually. That means dual military couples have double the opportunity to leverage zero-down financing, competitive interest rates, and protections that civilian buyers don’t get. If both spouses qualify, you face a key decision: use one entitlement or combine both?

Using just one spouse’s entitlement could leave the other’s untouched for future use. That’s appealing if you think this first home won’t be your forever home or if you plan to invest later. On the other hand, combining entitlements unlocks more purchasing power, allowing you to buy a larger home or compete in a pricier market with no down payment.

Understanding the VA Loan Limits

In most cases, a single person’s full entitlement allows you to buy a home with no money down up to the local VA county loan limit. For 2025, that limit is $806,500 in most U.S. counties. But in high-cost areas, like Stafford County near Quantico, it jumps to $1,209,750. Knowing your local limit helps you shape your budget from day one.

While combining entitlements may sound appealing, it’s worth asking whether you need that much home and whether your monthly income comfortably supports the payment. Just because the VA says you can borrow more doesn’t mean it fits your financial reality. Mortgage payments still come every month, and stretching to the top of the limit could put pressure on your budget, even with BAH.

A Closer Look at the VA Funding Fee

One important consideration when choosing how to structure your VA loan is the VA funding fee. Unless one of you has a qualifying disability rating, you’ll pay this one-time fee at closing. For first-time use with no down payment, the fee usually equals 2.15% of the loan amount. On a $600,000 home, that’s nearly $13,000.

For subsequent use of the VA loan, that fee increases to 3.3% if you’re not putting money down. That means if you’ve already used your benefit once, the cost of using it again increases, unless you qualify for an exemption through a disability rating.

That fee adds up quickly, especially if you’re purchasing an expensive home. But here’s the silver lining: if either spouse has a VA disability rating of 10% or higher, the funding fee gets waived entirely. This can be a compelling reason to use the disabled spouse’s entitlement first.

For example, Alex and Jasmine were both active duty Marines until Alex decided to separate and earned a 20% VA disability rating. When Jasmine received orders and they began house hunting, that rating made their choice clear. They used Alex’s benefit, skipped the funding fee, and saved thousands at closing. Jasmine’s benefit remained untouched and ready for future use if needed.

Pros and Cons of Combining Entitlements

Here’s a refreshed look at the options.

Pros of using just one entitlement:

• Preserves the other spouse’s entitlement for future use and avoids triggering the higher subsequent use funding fee
• Reduces the VA funding fee to just one application
• Both spouses can still be on the mortgage as co-borrowers, meaning both incomes and credit scores count toward loan approval but only the entitled spouse’s VA benefit backs the loan, so only one VA entitlement gets tied up.

Cons:

• Limits buying power to one person’s entitlement (up to the local loan limits)
• May still trigger a funding fee unless waived by disability

Pros of combining entitlements:

• Increases purchase power if absolutely needed in expensive markets

Cons:

• Ties up both entitlements until the loan is paid off or restored
• May double your VA funding fee if neither spouse qualifies for an exemption
• Risks overextending monthly payments beyond comfortable budget limits

Planning Beyond This First Home

Even if you only plan to stay for three to five years, make decisions with the next step in mind. Will you rent out this home later? Do you want to keep your second entitlement free in case you get stationed somewhere expensive?

Think of your VA loan benefit as a lifelong tool, not a one-time perk. It can be reused, even if you’ve already tapped into it. But if you use both entitlements up front, you may need to refinance, sell, or apply for a restoration of entitlement before buying again. That’s not a problem but it requires some foresight.

Quick Tips for Dual Military Couples

• Only one spouse must occupy the home to meet VA requirements. That helps if you get separated by orders temporarily.
• Both incomes can count toward loan qualification. That can significantly increase your buying power.
• BAH can cover your mortgage in many markets, especially if combined. This allows many couples to build equity while living in a home that costs them little to nothing out of pocket.

Final Thoughts

If you’re still sorting out whether to buy now or wait, Combat Properties offers one-on-one help. We specialize in guiding military families through their PCS, especially in Virginia. Not headed here? We’ll connect you with a vetted military-friendly agent who understands both the lifestyle and the benefits.

Every dual military couple’s situation looks different, but you’re not alone. Whether you’re combining benefits or playing it safe for future flexibility, the VA loan can serve as a long-term advantage. All it takes is a little planning, the right questions, and a team that understands military life.