How VA looks at your credit
- No minimum score on VA purchase and refinance loans. Shirley’s team follows VA’s credit guidelines, not a score cutoff.
- The past 12 months matter most. VA looks for no derogatory credit, like 30-day late payments, new collections or charge-offs, in the last year.
- Automated approval or manual review. Most files run through VA’s automated underwriting system. If yours isn’t approved there, it can still be underwritten manually to VA’s guidelines. Then your rent or mortgage payment history is verified too.
- Bigger events have waiting periods. Chapter 7 bankruptcy: generally 2 years from discharge. Chapter 13: 12 months of on-time plan payments with your trustee’s approval. Foreclosure: generally 2 years.
Building or renovating? VA construction loans start at a 620 minimum credit score, and VA renovation loans require a 600. Ask Shirley’s team what else applies.
Check your timeline
Check anything that applies and add the dates. You’ll see roughly when you could be ready, and the steps to get there.
Credit readiness check
Check what applies to you. Nothing is saved or sent.
For VA purchase and refinance loans. A general guide to VA credit guidelines, not an approval; Shirley’s team reviews your actual credit and housing history.
For illustration only. Results are estimates based on the numbers you enter and general assumptions, and may not reflect your situation. This is not a Loan Estimate, pre-approval, rate quote or commitment to lend. Any rate shown is an example, not a current rate or an offer. Your actual eligibility, loan amount, rate, payment and costs depend on your credit, income, property, appraisal and underwriting, and can change without notice. Not all applicants qualify. CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC NMLS #3029. Equal Housing Opportunity. Full disclaimer.
How Shirley’s team helps
- Apply with a soft pull. It takes about 10 minutes and won’t affect your score. Or send the short form on this page.
- Get a written plan. Shirley’s team reviews your actual credit and tells you exactly what to fix, what to leave alone and your target date.
- Check in along the way. When your timeline is up, you’ll be ready to get pre-approved without starting over.
Quick wins while you wait
- Set every account to autopay so nothing is ever late again.
- Pay credit card balances below 30% of each limit. Below 10% is even better.
- Don’t open new credit or close old cards before you apply.
- Keep paying rent on time and keep records. It may be verified.
- Pull your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and dispute errors directly with the credit bureaus.
- Start setting aside money for closing costs, even though VA needs no down payment. Sellers can often help with these too.
Watch out for credit repair scams
You don’t need to pay anyone to fix your credit. By law, credit repair companies can’t charge before they’ve done the work, and no one can legally remove accurate information from your report. Be wary of anyone who promises a new credit identity or a guaranteed score. The FTC’s credit repair guide has more.
VA credit questions
What credit score do I need for a VA loan?
For VA purchase and refinance loans, Shirley’s team has no minimum credit score. They follow VA’s credit guidelines, which look at how you have paid your bills, especially over the past 12 months, rather than a single number. VA construction loans start at a 620 minimum credit score, and VA renovation loans require a 600.
How long after a late payment can I get a VA loan?
VA looks for no derogatory credit, such as 30-day late payments, in the past 12 months. Twelve months of on-time payments from your most recent late payment is the usual target.
Can I get a VA loan after bankruptcy?
Yes. After a Chapter 7, VA generally looks for 2 years from the discharge date. With a Chapter 13, you may qualify after 12 months of on-time plan payments with your trustee’s approval.
Can I get a VA loan after a foreclosure?
Generally yes, 2 years after the foreclosure or deed in lieu is completed, with good credit since.
Do I have to pay off collections to get a VA loan?
Not always. Collection accounts don’t automatically have to be paid off. Talk with Shirley’s team before paying or settling anything, because the timing can affect your credit.
What happens if my loan doesn’t get an automated approval?
It can still be approved through manual underwriting to VA’s guidelines. In that case your rent or mortgage payment history is verified, along with the rest of your credit.
Should I pay a credit repair company?
You don’t need to. Most of what they do, like disputing errors, you can do yourself for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. By law, credit repair companies can’t charge you before they’ve done the work, and no one can legally promise to remove accurate information from your report.
