Complimentary tool · VA's own numbers
What VGLI will actually cost you.
VGLI is renewable for life. What nobody hands you at separation is the price list going forward. Put your age and coverage in and see the whole road — what you pay now, when the next increase lands, and what the policy costs you in total if you simply keep it.
Your coverage
VGLI is available in $10,000 increments up to a maximum of $500,000.
Premiums come from the VA's published rate table. Your health, your service record and your rating do not change them — only your age does.
- Your premium now
- —
- —
- Your age band
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- Set by the VA
Your next increase
At —, this becomes — a month.
That is —, or — more a year, and it arrives —. Nothing you do changes it except your birthday.
- Total premiums to age 80
- —
- Total premiums to age 90
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- That is this many times the payout
- —
- vs — of coverage
—
The road from here
| Age band | Per month | Per year | When |
|---|
Read this before you do anything
VGLI is not a bad product. It is an unpriced decision.
VGLI does something almost nothing else does: it never asks about your health again. If you have a service-connected condition, a diagnosis on your record, or anything that would get you rated or declined privately, VGLI is a genuine safety net and it is worth every dollar of what you see above. Some veterans should keep it for life and never think about it again.
But the number in that last row is a real number, and almost no veteran has ever calculated it. Keeping VGLI is a decision that costs what it costs, and most people make it by default rather than on purpose.
The honest comparison is simple. A level-premium term policy, if you can qualify for one, costs the same every year for the whole term instead of stepping up every five. Whether that is cheaper for you depends entirely on your health, and there is exactly one way to find out: get underwritten and look at both numbers side by side.
Two rules we would give any veteran, and neither one involves buying anything from us:
- Never drop VGLI before the replacement is issued and in force. Not approved — in force. If the private policy comes back rated or declined, you still have the VGLI, and it cannot be taken away from you.
- If you are inside the 240-day window, take the VGLI now and get underwritten privately in the same month. Secure the thing that asks no questions first, then find out what your health qualifies for.
No quote, no pressure
Want to see what the other side of the comparison looks like?
Tell us your age, your coverage and roughly where your health sits, and one of our agents — at an agency founded by an Army combat medic and former police officer — will come back with what level-premium coverage would actually cost you, in writing.
If the answer is that VGLI wins for your situation, that is what we will tell you. We would rather be the agency that told a veteran to keep his VA coverage than the one that talked him out of it.
Premium figures are the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' published VGLI monthly rates, effective July 1, 2025, for the coverage amount you entered. The VA sets these rates and can change them — confirm the current table at va.gov before deciding anything. Totals assume you keep the same coverage amount continuously and that the VA's current rate table does not change; both are simplifying assumptions and your real cost will differ. Ages shown are the VA's five-year bands, not your exact policy anniversary. This calculator is general education, not advice, not a recommendation, and not a quote or illustration of any product. Bullard Financial is a private independent insurance agency. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, or any branch of the armed forces. SGLI, VGLI and VALife are government programs administered by the VA — apply for them directly through the VA. Replacing existing coverage is a regulated transaction; never cancel coverage you have until replacement coverage is issued and in force. Private coverage requires underwriting and is not guaranteed to be available or cheaper.
Questions people ask
How much does VGLI cost per month?
It depends on your age and how much coverage you carry. For $500,000 of coverage the VA's published monthly premium runs $30 at age 29 or younger, $95 at 45-49, $145 at 50-54, $250 at 55-59, $425 at 60-64, $1,075 at 70-74 and $2,200 at 80 and older. Premiums are set by the VA in five-year age bands and change when you enter a new band.
Does VGLI get more expensive as you get older?
Yes. VGLI is renewable for life as long as you keep paying, but the premium steps up every five years. The increases get steeper with age: entering the 55-59 band raises the premium about 72%, and entering 75-79 raises it about 79%. Nothing about your health changes the price, only your age.
Is VGLI cheaper than private life insurance?
Sometimes, and it depends almost entirely on your health. For a veteran who cannot qualify privately, VGLI is a genuine safety net and worth every dollar, because it never asks about your health again. For a healthy veteran, privately underwritten level-premium term is frequently cheaper for the same or more coverage, and the premium does not climb every five years. The only way to know which is true for you is to be underwritten and compare.
How long do I have to sign up for VGLI?
Your SGLI continues at no cost for 120 days after you separate. You can convert to VGLI with no health questions at all if you apply within 240 days of separation. After that you can still apply out to one year and 120 days, but you must answer health questions. Missing the no-questions window is the most expensive mistake a separating service member makes.
Does VGLI build cash value?
No. VGLI is term coverage. It pays a death benefit and builds no cash value, and there is nothing to borrow against or surrender.