VA Form 21-674, the Request for Approval of School Attendance, keeps a child aged 18 to 22 on your VA disability compensation or pension as a dependent while they’re enrolled in school. The VA drops children from your benefits automatically at 18, so this form is what puts them back on — and it’s filed online through VA.gov as part of the 21-686c dependents application, or by mail or fax to the VA Claims Intake Center.
Who the Form Is For
Your child qualifies for continued dependency benefits during school if all of the following are true:
- They’re at least 18 but not yet 23.
- They’re your legitimate child, legally adopted child, or stepchild. Stepchildren and adopted children who joined the family between 18 and 23 also qualify for the school-attendance benefit.1eCFR. 38 CFR 3.57 – Child
- They are unmarried. Marriage at any age ends dependent status for VA purposes.2Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 21-686c – Declaration of Status of Dependents
- They’re pursuing a course at a VA-approved educational institution.3eCFR. 38 CFR 3.667 – School Attendance
On your side, you need a combined disability rating of at least 30 percent to receive additional compensation for dependents. Ratings of 10 or 20 percent pay the same monthly amount regardless of dependents.4Veterans Affairs. Current Veterans Disability Compensation Rates Pension recipients can also use the form, though pension eligibility turns on the child’s income and assets.5Veterans Affairs. Manage Dependents for Disability, Pension, or DIC Benefits
Approved schools include colleges, universities, high schools, and vocational or trade programs that lead to a degree, certificate, or diploma and are recognized by a state education department or accrediting body. Graduate programs count the same as undergraduate for payment purposes.6Veterans Affairs. Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees
What to Gather Before You Start
Mismatches between the form and the school registrar’s records are a common source of delay, so pull these details together first.
About you, the veteran: full legal name, Social Security number, and your VA file number if you have one. The file number (sometimes called a C-file number) is separate from your military service number and is assigned through the VA’s records system. Many veterans won’t have one, because the VA now uses Social Security numbers for most tracking.7Veterans Affairs. Social Security or VA File Number – VA.gov Design System
About the student: full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, current mailing address, and whether they’ve ever been married.
About the school: full name and address, the official beginning date of the current term, expected graduation date, and whether the student attends full-time or part-time. If the student attended a different school after turning 18, you’ll also need that prior school’s name, address, and enrollment dates.8Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 21-674 – Request for Approval of School Attendance
The form also asks about the student’s income and the value of their estate. Have pay stubs or account balances within reach. This information matters most for pension recipients, but compensation recipients should still complete it — blanks trigger requests for more information and slow the claim.
Filling Out the Form Section by Section
The form runs two pages plus an instruction sheet, moving from veteran information to student details to school enrollment specifics.
Sections I and II: Veteran and Student
Enter your legal name exactly as it appears in your VA records. Add your VA file number if you have one; otherwise your Social Security number is enough. For the student, list the name as it appears on their school enrollment records, plus date of birth, Social Security number, and current address. Item 7A asks whether the student has ever married. If yes, provide the date and details, though a married child no longer qualifies as a dependent.
Section III: School Attendance
This is the section the VA scrutinizes most. Enter the school’s full name and complete address, the official start date of the current term, and the expected graduation date. Mark whether attendance is full-time or part-time, which affects how much additional compensation you receive. If the student attended a different school after turning 18, add that school’s name, address, and start and end dates so the VA can verify a continuous record of education.8Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 21-674 – Request for Approval of School Attendance
Section IV: Student’s Financial Information
Report the student’s income by calendar year and the value of any estate or assets. Fill it out fully even if you’re on compensation rather than pension.
Section VI: Certification and Signature
The student signs Section VI to certify the information. That signature also commits them to notify the VA promptly of any change: dropping out, transferring schools, stopping attendance, receiving Dependents’ Educational Assistance, or getting married.8Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 21-674 – Request for Approval of School Attendance
How to Submit It
You have three options. Online is the fastest and gives you immediate confirmation.
Online Through VA.gov
Form 21-674 isn’t a standalone online submission. You start VA Form 21-686c (Application Request to Add and/or Remove Dependents) on VA.gov, and when the form asks what you want to do, choose “Add a child 18 to 23 years old who’ll be attending school (VA Form 21-674).” The system then walks you through the 21-674 questions inside that same application.9Veterans Affairs. VA Form 21-686c A completed paper form can also be uploaded through AccessVA’s QuickSubmit portal.
By Mail
Send the printed, completed form to:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-444410Veterans Affairs. How to File a VA Disability Claim
Use certified mail or a tracking receipt so you can prove the submission date later.
By Fax
Fax to 844-531-7818 within the United States or 248-524-4260 from overseas.10Veterans Affairs. How to File a VA Disability Claim Keep the confirmation page.
Timing and Retroactive Pay
When you file relative to your child’s 18th birthday or school start date determines whether the VA pays you for the months in between. If the child was already in school on their 18th birthday and you file within a year of that birthday, benefits are paid retroactively from the birthday. If the child started school after turning 18 and you file within a year of the course start date, benefits begin from the date the course started.3eCFR. 38 CFR 3.667 – School Attendance
File more than a year late and you lose those months. The effective date becomes the date the VA receives your claim. Because the VA removes the child automatically at 18, many families don’t notice the missing payment until several semesters have gone by. File a few months before the 18th birthday if you can, rather than after benefits have stopped.
How Much Your Payment Goes Up
Once approved, your monthly compensation increases by a set amount per schoolchild that depends on your rating. For 2026, the additional monthly payment for each child between 18 and 23 is:4Veterans Affairs. Current Veterans Disability Compensation Rates
- 30% rating: $105.00
- 40% rating: $140.00
- 50% rating: $176.00
- 60% rating: $211.00
- 70% rating: $246.00
- 80% rating: $281.00
- 90% rating: $317.00
- 100% rating: $352.45
The amount is per child, so two children in school means two additions. The VA adjusts these figures each December for the cost-of-living increase.
Reporting Changes After Approval
Approval isn’t the end of the paperwork. The student is responsible for telling the VA promptly if they drop out, transfer, get married, or begin receiving Chapter 35 Dependents’ Educational Assistance. Changes are reported on VA Form 21-674b, School Attendance Report, which includes a section for the school official to verify the end date and reason.11Department of Veterans Affairs. School Attendance Report
If the dependent rate keeps paying after the child stops qualifying, the result is an overpayment debt charged to you, the veteran, and the VA can add late charges and take collection action.12Veterans Affairs. Manage Your VA Debt for Benefit Overpayments and Copay Bills Reporting a graduation, a switch to part-time, or a withdrawal as soon as it happens is how you keep that from building up.
If Your Child Also Qualifies for DEA
Chapter 35 Dependents’ Educational Assistance is a separate VA education benefit for children of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled or who died in service. The student’s signature on Form 21-674 includes an agreement to notify the VA if they start receiving DEA, because the two benefits interact. A child receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation in their own right has to give that up to use DEA.13Veterans Affairs. Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance If both options are on the table, compare DEA’s monthly stipend against the dependency amount added to your compensation check before deciding.