$0 Down · No PMI · Veteran-Owned
VA Loans in Kansas
Kansas hosts the Big Red One at Fort Riley, the Army's intellectual center at Fort Leavenworth, and the KC-46 tanker fleet at McConnell AFB in Wichita — with nearly 190,000 veterans statewide. Junction City, Manhattan, Leavenworth, and Derby are true military towns where the VA loan is the default way to buy.
181K
Kansas Veterans
3
Military Installations
$0
Down Payment
$832,750
2026 Baseline Limit
Why Kansas
A VA team that knows Kansas’s military markets
Kansas price points are among the most BAH-friendly in the Army: an E-5 at Fort Riley or a captain at Leavenworth can own a quality single-family home with $0 down and a payment inside their allowance.
Fort Riley's 1st Infantry Division splits its families between Junction City's value and Manhattan's college-town amenities. Fort Leavenworth — the Command and General Staff College — cycles thousands of field-grade officers through Leavenworth and Lansing every year, creating a uniquely stable resale market. McConnell AFB's tanker wings anchor Derby and southeast Wichita.
Beyond the Loan
More Kansas benefits you earned
The VA loan is one piece of what Kansas owes its veterans. Here’s the rest of the stack — worth real money every year:
Income Tax
Retirement untaxed
Kansas fully exempts military retirement pay from state income tax.
Vehicle
DV plates
Disabled-veteran plates with fee accommodations for qualifying disabled veterans.
Recreation
Hunting & fishing
Free or reduced-fee licenses and park permits for qualifying disabled Kansas veterans.
Education
Guard assistance
Kansas National Guard educational assistance at state institutions.
Benefit rules and amounts change with each legislative session — confirm current details with the Kansas Office of Veterans Services. When you work with us, we walk through which of these apply to your purchase and your budget.
Official VA Data
Kansas VA lending, by the numbers
5,318
VA Loans Closed (FY2025)
$1.6B
VA Dollars Guaranteed (FY2025)
$292K
Average VA Loan
181,272
Veterans in KS
Kansas veterans closed 5,318 VA loans in fiscal year 2025 — 3,344 of them home purchases — and the VA paid $1.2 billion in disability compensation and pension to Kansas veterans in FY2024. Every veteran receiving that compensation is exempt from the VA funding fee.
Sources: VA Loan Guaranty loans-by-state report, FY2025 · VetPop2023 state projections (NCVAS) · VA Geographic Distribution of Expenditures, FY2024.
Bases We Serve
Military installations in Kansas
Every installation below anchors a housing market our team lends in — PCS moves, first purchases on BAH, and buy-then-rent strategies included.
2026 BAH Rates
Compare BAH across Kansas’s installations
BAH is set per housing area, not per state — and it counts as qualifying income on a VA loan. Here’s how Kansas’s duty stations compare at key pay grades.
| Installation | E-4 | E-5 | E-6 | E-7 | O-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Riley | $1,272 | $1,314 | $1,782 | $1,845 | $1,953 |
| Fort Leavenworth | $1,740 | $1,815 | $2,133 | $2,229 | $2,394 |
| McConnell Air Force Base | $1,320 | $1,377 | $1,689 | $1,779 | $1,938 |
2026 monthly BAH, with dependents, from official DoD (DTMO) rate data. Click any installation for all 24 pay grades, without-dependents rates, and a payment-vs-BAH estimator for that housing area.
2026 Program Facts
What the VA loan gets you in Kansas
$0 Down Payment
Buy with no down payment on loans within your entitlement — the signature VA benefit.
No PMI
VA loans never charge monthly private mortgage insurance, keeping payments lower than FHA or low-down conventional.
Competitive Rates
The VA guaranty lets lenders price VA loans below comparable conventional rates for most borrowers.
Flexible Credit
The VA sets no minimum credit score — guidelines focus on residual income and the whole picture.
Limited Closing Costs
The VA restricts which fees veterans can be charged, and sellers may pay all of them plus concessions.
Reusable for Life
VA entitlement is a lifetime benefit — it can be restored and reused, and you can hold more than one VA loan at once.
VA loan vs. conventional in Kansas
| Feature | VA Loan | Conventional |
|---|---|---|
| Down payment | $0 required | 3–20% (20% to avoid PMI) |
| Monthly mortgage insurance | Never | Required under 20% down |
| Minimum credit score | None set by VA | Typically 620+ |
| Interest rates | Typically below conventional | Higher without large down payment |
| Upfront fee | Funding fee 2.15% first use (waived with disability rating) | None |
| Prepayment penalty | Never | Rare, but possible |
| Loan limit | None with full entitlement | $832,750 baseline (2026) |
| Assumable by a buyer | Yes — VA loans are assumable | Generally not |
2026 VA loan limits in Kansas
With full entitlement, the VA does not cap your loan amount — county loan limits only apply when you have reduced entitlement (an existing VA loan or a prior default). For reduced-entitlement borrowers, the 2026 baseline county limit is $832,750, and designated high-cost counties range up to $1,873,675.
The VA funding fee, plainly
- First use, under 5% down: 2.15%
- Subsequent use, under 5% down: 3.30%
- With 5% down: 1.50% · with 10% down: 1.25%
- Streamline refinance (IRRRL): 0.50%
Veterans receiving VA disability compensation at any rating are fully exempt from the funding fee, as are eligible surviving spouses and Purple Heart recipients on active duty.
Where We Lend
Kansas cities we serve
From base-gate communities to the metros veterans choose after service, these are the Kansas markets where our VA lending is most active.
- Junction City~$204K
- Manhattan~$299K
- Ogden~$176K
- Leavenworth~$269K
- Lansing~$332K
- Wichita~$208K
- Derby~$290K
- Topeka~$200K
- Kansas City~$206K
Typical home values: Zillow Home Value Index, 2026-06.
Straight Answers
Kansas VA loan questions, answered
Is there a VA loan limit in Kansas?
Not with full entitlement. With reduced entitlement, every Kansas county uses the 2026 baseline of $832,750 — multiples of the typical Junction City or Wichita price.
Junction City or Manhattan for Fort Riley?
Junction City is minutes from the main gate with the lowest prices in the region; Manhattan brings K-State amenities and stronger long-run appreciation at a modest premium. Ogden splits the difference. We run your BAH against all three.
Is buying at Fort Leavenworth smart for a one-year CGSC tour?
Many officers buy and then rent to the next class — Leavenworth's officer-rental demand is famously reliable. VA loans allow conversion to a rental after occupancy, making this a proven pattern.
Where do McConnell families buy in Wichita?
Derby is the classic base town — ten minutes from the gate with strong schools. Southeast Wichita and Andover also see steady VA volume. All sit well inside typical BAH.
Does Kansas tax military retirement?
No — military retirement pay is fully exempt from Kansas income tax, and disabled veterans have property-tax relief programs on top.
Ready When You Are
Start your Kansas VA loan with a team that’s worn the uniform
Get a clear pre-approval, honest numbers, and a VA process handled by people who understand PCS timelines and military life firsthand.