Federal Eligibility Decides the Loan. Ohio Law Decides the Tax.
Program and regulatory figures verified October 10, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Two tests, two owners, almost no shared criteria. Confusing them is the most common mistake we see on Ohio files.
★★ Full entitlement, and the two sentences that go together
The VA loan-limits page: with full entitlement, "You don't have a loan limit (as long as you can afford the loan amount and the property appraisal supports the purchase price of the home)."
And immediately after: "Even if you have full entitlement (your COE shows that your basic entitlement is $36,000), your lender will still need to approve you for a loan."
★★ Read together: the guaranty is uncapped, the underwriting is not. The $36,000 figure is basic entitlement, not a ceiling on what you can borrow, veterans see it and assume otherwise constantly.
★ When a down payment comes back
With remaining bonus entitlement, the VA says a lender "will use your remaining bonus entitlement to determine the maximum amount they'll loan you without requiring a down payment" and may require one "if you don't have enough remaining bonus entitlement for a 25% VA guaranty for the loan amount you want."
★ That is the only case where Ohio's $832,750 county figure does any work. The arithmetic.
★★ You do not need a disability for a VA loan
This deserves its own heading because the Ohio homestead exemption sits right next to it and requires a total disability rating.
★★ VA loan eligibility turns on service history and entitlement. A veteran in perfect health with full entitlement buys with nothing down. They simply have no homestead exemption to claim. The two tests compared.
The funding fee and its five exemptions
- Receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability.
- Eligible for it but receiving retirement or active-duty pay instead.
- Receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation as a surviving spouse.
- ★ A service member with a proposed or memorandum rating before the closing date.
- ★ An active-duty member with evidence of a Purple Heart by closing.
★★ Numbers 4 and 5 get missed. A memorandum rating dated before closing is enough; you do not need the final decision. The rates and the timing.
★ And then the Ohio side
Separate application, to your county auditor: a total disability rating or TDIU for a service-connected disability, an honorable-conditions discharge, ownership and occupancy as a homestead. No wartime condition and no income test. Every condition.
★ What we decide, and what we do not
We are a lender and we are not affiliated with the VA. We do not issue your COE, rate your disability, grant your fee exemption or approve your county exemption. We underwrite the loan on what those bodies determined.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555. (480) 296-6513 · mcerto@cfmtg.com.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a VA loan limit in Ohio?
Not for a borrower with full entitlement: the VA states you have no loan limit, as long as you can afford the loan and the appraisal supports the purchase price, though the lender must still approve you. Where a limit applies, all eighty-eight Ohio counties are at $832,750.What does the $36,000 on my COE mean?
It is basic entitlement, not a cap on what you can borrow. The VA shows basic entitlement as $36,000 even for a borrower with full entitlement and therefore no loan limit.Do I need a service-connected disability for a VA loan?
No. VA loan eligibility turns on service history and entitlement. A disability rating matters separately, for the funding-fee exemption and for the Ohio homestead exemption, which requires a total disability rating or TDIU.When will an Ohio VA lender ask for a down payment?
When you have remaining bonus entitlement rather than full entitlement. The VA says a lender uses remaining bonus entitlement to set the maximum loan without a down payment and may require one if there is not enough for a 25 percent guaranty on the amount you want.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about VA home loan financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax or financial advice. Cornerstone First Mortgage is a private lender and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. VA entitlement, funding-fee exemption and disability ratings are determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Ohio homestead exemption for disabled veterans is governed by Ohio Revised Code sections 323.151 and 323.152 and is administered by county auditors, not by Cornerstone; the statutory amounts are adjusted annually by the Ohio Tax Commissioner and the tax effect depends on local assessment and effective tax rates. Figures here carry the date we verified them against primary sources. All loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.