The Department of Veterans Affairs’ monthly Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty rate for full-time study at an institution of higher learning is $2,601.00 for beneficiaries with three or more years of service, and the new figure takes effect today, Oct. 1, 2026. That is $83 more than the $2,518.00 the same category has received since Oct. 1, 2025. The $83 and the percentage behind it are arithmetic on those two published figures, not a number VA itself announced.
The rate belongs to the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty program, also called Chapter 30 or MGIB-AD. Its figures reset each Oct. 1, and the new table runs through Sept. 30, 2027.
Two published rates, one difference
VA’s page for the rates effective Oct. 1, 2026 lists $2,601.00 for each full month of full-time training at an institution of higher learning for those with three or more years of service. The page covers the period Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2027, and was last updated Aug. 27, 2026.
The rate it replaces appears on VA’s separate current-rates page, which shows $2,518.00 for each full month for the period Oct. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026. Subtracting the older figure from the newer one gives $83.00 a month. Divided by $2,518.00, that works out to about 3.30 percent. Both calculations are this publication’s, drawn from the two VA tables.
Scaled to a school year, the difference is modest but visible. A student enrolled full time for nine full months would see $747 more across that stretch than under the old table, again by simple multiplication of the monthly difference. Actual payments depend on the months and training status VA certifies, so that figure is an illustration rather than a forecast of any one person’s deposit.
The lower service tier moves too
The three-or-more-years category is not the only line on the table. For beneficiaries with two to three years of service, the full-time rate is $2,110.00 for each full month under the new schedule, compared with $2,043.00 under the one that expired. The difference between those two published figures is $67.00 a month, or roughly 3.28 percent, once more by this publication’s arithmetic.
The two tiers rose by nearly the same percentage, so the gap between them is essentially unchanged at about $491 a month under the new schedule against $475 under the old one. Part-time and other training categories sit in separate rows of the VA tables, and the rates for each appear on the same two pages.
Why the old page can mislead
VA keeps current and future rates on different pages, and the page address for the expiring table still carries the 2025 figures until VA rolls it over. A reader comparing a school certification, a bank deposit or an old bookmark against the wrong table could conclude the payment is off by $83 when it is simply tied to the earlier year. The date range printed at the top of each VA table is the quickest way to tell which one is being read.
Payment timing is not covered by either rate page. VA’s pages describe the amounts for each full month, and they carry no statement about when a given month’s deposit arrives. Anyone with a question about a specific enrollment or a payment that looks wrong can use VA’s Ask VA online form or the phone line the page lists, which operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET, with TTY reached through 711.
Other VA education rates reset the same day
MGIB-AD is one of several VA education programs whose rate tables roll over on Oct. 1. The Selected Reserve program has its own future-rates page, and the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program publishes a separate table as well. Each is a distinct schedule with its own figures, and none of them should be read against the active duty numbers above.
What VA’s own pages establish
No VA official is quoted by name on either rate page, so the figures rest on the department itself. The Department of Veterans Affairs states $2,601.00 for the 2026-27 period and $2,518.00 for 2025-26 in its published tables, and those two entries are the whole factual basis for the increase described here. Anything beyond them, including the dollar and percentage differences, is derived from them.
Filing for a VA pension when education benefits are not the whole picture
The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty rate is an education benefit, and it resets on a fixed schedule without a separate filing. A VA pension is a different benefit with its own application, and a veteran who tracks the education figures may still have that second question open. The unfinished job for such a household is understanding which pension level applies and keeping the paperwork in order.
The Veterans Benefits Action Kit is a 10-page kit that explains the three VA pension levels, including Aid & Attendance, and how to file with VA Form 21P-527EZ, along with a claim tracker.
Get the Veterans Benefits Action Kit to sort out the pension side →
This article was produced with AI assistance and checked against the primary sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
