How we check our rates
Every number on SquaredAwayPay comes from a government source. Here's where each one comes from, how we test it, and what changed when.
Where the rates come from
VA disability compensation rates
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans disability compensation rates
In effect since December 1, 2025. VA publishes new rates each year, effective December 1.
Combined ratings table (VA math)
Source: 38 CFR 4.25, Table I (Combined Ratings Table), via eCFR
We use the current text of the regulation. It changes only when VA amends the rule.
Military basic pay and BAS
Source: Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), Basic Pay tables
In effect since January 1, 2026. New tables each January 1.
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
Source: Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), BAH rates for all locations and pay grades
In effect since January 1, 2026. Announced in December, effective January 1. DTMO sometimes changes an area mid-year.
How the numbers get onto the site
We save a copy of each official table, then a script reads it into the site. Nobody retypes rates by hand. Each saved file has a fingerprint (a checksum), so if the copy changes, the import stops until someone looks at why.
If an agency changes a rate partway through the year, we add the change with its own effective date and say so on the page. The Abilene/Dyess AFB BAH increase on May 16, 2026 is an example.
How we test the calculators
Before any change goes live, an automated test run has to pass. It checks the calculators against:
- VA's own worked example on VA.gov for a veteran with dependents.
- The examples printed in the federal regulation for combining ratings and the bilateral factor.
- Spot checks of basic pay values against the DFAS pay tables.
- Spot checks of BAH by ZIP code against DTMO's official BAH lookup.
If any result doesn't match the official number, the update doesn't publish.
What we don't do
- We don't estimate future rates as if they were final. Proposed raises are labeled as proposals.
- We don't take payment to change a result. Ads and affiliate links never touch the math.
- We aren't VA or DoD. Your official amount is what VA or your finance office says it is.
Change log
- : BAH location pages now list every ZIP code in the area, compare the area's rates with the rest of the state, and show nearby areas' rates.
- : Site launched with VA disability rates effective December 1, 2025; the 38 CFR 4.25 combined ratings table; DFAS basic pay and BAS effective January 1, 2026; and DTMO 2026 BAH rates, including DTMO's May 16, 2026 increase for the Abilene/Dyess AFB area.
Spot a number that doesn't match an official source? Tell us and we'll check it.