$0 Down · No PMI · Veteran-Owned
VA Loans in Washington
Washington State is the Pacific Northwest's military anchor: Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Army corps and airlift wing south of Tacoma, the Navy's Pacific submarine and shipyard complex at Kitsap, carrier aviation at Whidbey Island, a destroyer squadron at Everett, and Fairchild's tankers outside Spokane. More than half a million veterans live here — and pay no state income tax.
510K
Washington Veterans
6
Military Installations
$0
Down Payment
$832,750
2026 Baseline Limit
Why Washington
A VA team that knows Washington’s military markets
Pierce and Kitsap counties are two of the highest-VA-volume markets in America. Puget Sound prices run above the national median, which makes $0 down and no PMI decisive — and with full entitlement, no loan cap applies even in Seattle's orbit.
JBLM drives Lakewood, Tacoma, Spanaway, Puyallup, DuPont, and Olympia–Lacey — a massive, constantly rotating market. Across the Sound, Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard, and Poulsbo serve the shipyard and Bangor's ballistic-missile submarines. Oak Harbor is Whidbey's Navy-air town, Everett and Marysville support the northern fleet, and Airway Heights and west Spokane orbit Fairchild.
Beyond the Loan
More Washington benefits you earned
The VA loan is one piece of what Washington owes its veterans. Here’s the rest of the stack — worth real money every year:
Income Tax
No state income tax
Washington taxes no income — retirement pay, disability, and wages all untouched.
Recreation
Free lifetime parks pass
Free lifetime state-parks Disability Pass for Washington veterans with a 30%+ service-connected rating; reduced-fee hunting/fishing licenses.
Vehicle
Plates
Veteran and DV plates; fee accommodations for qualifying disabled veterans.
Education
Tuition waivers
State law allows public colleges to waive tuition for eligible veterans and National Guard members — most institutions participate.
Benefit rules and amounts change with each legislative session — confirm current details with the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. When you work with us, we walk through which of these apply to your purchase and your budget.
Official VA Data
Washington VA lending, by the numbers
14,201
VA Loans Closed (FY2025)
$7.3B
VA Dollars Guaranteed (FY2025)
$516K
Average VA Loan
509,859
Veterans in WA
Washington veterans closed 14,201 VA loans in fiscal year 2025 — 8,151 of them home purchases — and the VA paid $3.6 billion in disability compensation and pension to Washington 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 Washington
Every installation below anchors a housing market our team lends in — PCS moves, first purchases on BAH, and buy-then-rent strategies included.
Joint
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Serving Tacoma · Lakewood · DuPont · Spanaway
VA loan guide →
Navy
Naval Base Kitsap
Serving Bremerton · Silverdale · Bangor
VA loan guide →
Navy
NAS Whidbey Island
Serving Oak Harbor
VA loan guide →
Navy
Naval Station Everett
Serving Everett · Marysville
VA loan guide →
Air Force
Fairchild Air Force Base
Serving Spokane · Airway Heights
VA loan guide →
Army
Yakima Training Center
Serving Yakima
VA loan guide →
2026 BAH Rates
Compare BAH across Washington’s installations
BAH is set per housing area, not per state — and it counts as qualifying income on a VA loan. Here’s how Washington’s duty stations compare at key pay grades.
| Installation | E-4 | E-5 | E-6 | E-7 | O-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Base Lewis-McChord | $2,370 | $2,556 | $2,919 | $2,994 | $3,123 |
| Naval Base Kitsap | $2,265 | $2,364 | $2,730 | $2,844 | $3,045 |
| NAS Whidbey Island | $2,013 | $2,073 | $2,745 | $2,877 | $3,105 |
| Naval Station Everett | $2,568 | $2,748 | $3,243 | $3,363 | $3,567 |
| Fairchild Air Force Base | $1,947 | $2,184 | $2,553 | $2,658 | $2,844 |
| Yakima Training Center | $1,731 | $1,923 | $2,382 | $2,499 | $2,703 |
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 Washington
$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 Washington
| 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 Washington
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
Washington cities we serve
From base-gate communities to the metros veterans choose after service, these are the Washington markets where our VA lending is most active.
- Tacoma~$498K
- Lakewood~$527K
- DuPont~$560K
- Spanaway~$513K
- Puyallup~$574K
- Olympia~$539K
- Lacey~$519K
- Bremerton~$488K
- Silverdale~$610K
- Port Orchard~$564K
- Poulsbo~$676K
- Oak Harbor~$538K
- Everett~$654K
- Marysville~$632K
- Spokane~$404K
- Airway Heights~$379K
- Yakima~$368K
- Seattle~$856K
Typical home values: Zillow Home Value Index, 2026-06.
Straight Answers
Washington VA loan questions, answered
Is there a VA loan limit in Washington?
Not with full entitlement. With reduced entitlement, King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties carry elevated 2026 limits above the $832,750 baseline used elsewhere — matching Puget Sound prices.
Where do JBLM families buy?
Spanaway and Parkland for value, Puyallup and Bonney Lake for schools, DuPont for master-planned convenience, Lacey–Olympia for the south commute. Pierce County is a perennial national leader in VA volume.
What about Kitsap for a Bangor or shipyard assignment?
Silverdale and Poulsbo for schools and amenities, Bremerton for value and walk-to-yard proximity, Port Orchard for the ferry-commute trade. Kitsap's Navy demand is generational — strong buy-then-rent fundamentals.
Can VA buyers compete near Seattle?
In Snohomish and Pierce counties, absolutely. Full entitlement means no cap — the constraint is income qualification, and no-PMI VA pricing often beats conventional at the same price point.
Does Washington tax military retirement?
No — Washington has no income tax at all. Combined with 80%+ disabled property-tax relief and JBLM/Kitsap price dynamics, the state is one of the strongest overall packages for career retirees.
Ready When You Are
Start your Washington 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.