Glossary
Military housing & VA loan glossary
Plain-language definitions for the terms used across the site. Search (Cmd/Ctrl+K) also finds these directly.
- BAH
- Basic Allowance for Housing — a monthly, tax-free stipend paid based on rank, dependency status, and duty station ZIP code. Learn more
- Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
- The document confirming a borrower's VA loan eligibility, required by lenders before closing a VA loan. Learn more
- DITY Move
- Do-It-Yourself move (formally a Personally Procured Move) — a PCS move a service member manages themselves in exchange for a government incentive payment. Learn more
- Entitlement
- The dollar amount of VA loan guaranty available to a borrower, used to determine how much a lender will loan without a down payment. Learn more
- Funding Fee
- A one-time fee paid on most VA loans to offset the cost of the loan guaranty program to taxpayers; waived for many borrowers with a service-connected disability rating. Learn more
- IRRRL
- Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan — a streamlined VA refinance for veterans who already have a VA loan, typically requiring no appraisal or income verification. Learn more
- PCS
- Permanent Change of Station — a military-ordered relocation to a new duty station. Learn more
- SCRA
- Servicemembers Civil Relief Act — federal protections including interest rate caps and lease termination rights for service members on active duty. Learn more