VA Appraisal Fees: Who Pays, Ordering, and Validity

VA appraisal fees for a standard single-family home generally run between $500 and $900, with the exact cap set by the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Loan Center that covers your state. The fee pays an independent appraiser to confirm the home’s market value and verify it meets VA standards before your loan can close. Unlike conventional appraisals, which float with the market, VA appraisal charges are capped by property type and location, and any late fees the lender incurs cannot be passed to you.¹

How the Regional Loan Center Sets Your Fee

There is no single national VA appraisal fee. The VA publishes separate schedules through eight Regional Loan Centers, each responsible for a group of states and territories.² The centers and their coverage areas are:

Atlanta: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
Cleveland: Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont
Denver: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Houston: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Phoenix: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, and U.S. Pacific territories
Roanoke: District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia
St. Paul: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin
St. Petersburg: Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands

Each center posts a downloadable PDF listing the maximum fee for every property type, broken out by state and often by county. The amounts reflect local labor costs and market conditions, so a single-family appraisal in rural Kansas costs less than one in coastal California. Multi-unit properties (two to four units) and homes with unusual characteristics carry higher caps because they require more analysis. To find the exact ceiling for your purchase, open the VA’s appraisal fee schedule page and download the PDF for the Regional Loan Center that covers your state.²

The caps have legal force behind them. Under 38 C.F.R. § 36.4313, no charge can be imposed on the veteran borrower beyond those expressly listed in the regulation’s schedule of permissible fees, and the lender must certify it has not and will not impose any excess charges.³ The appraisal fee is listed as an allowable cost, but only up to the amount the VA has set for that property type and location.

Charges That Can Be Added to the Base Fee

Several situations can add to the base appraisal cost. These add-ons are governed by the same Regional Loan Center schedule, so they are capped like the base fee.²

Re-inspection fee: $150 when the appraiser flagged repairs and has to return to verify completion.
New construction: an extra $50 above the published fee for homes that are proposed or still under construction.
Mileage: when an appraiser is assigned outside their normal coverage area, they can charge mileage at the GSA rate for the round trip from their office to the property. This mostly comes up in rural areas with limited appraiser availability.
Liquidation appraisals in foreclosure proceedings previously carried a $50 surcharge. That additional fee is no longer authorized.

Who Pays the Appraisal Fee

The veteran borrower is the default payer. The regulation lists “fees of Department of Veterans Affairs appraiser” among the costs a veteran may be charged.³ That said, the seller can cover the appraisal fee as part of a seller concession. The VA limits total seller concessions to 4% of the home’s reasonable value, and the appraisal counts toward that cap along with any other credits the seller provides.⁴

Some lenders offer a credit to absorb the appraisal cost when competing for your business. Whoever pays, the amount cannot exceed the Regional Loan Center’s published maximum for that property type and location. If the lender is late paying the appraiser, the lender can be charged a late fee after 30 days, but that late fee can never be passed along to you.¹

How the Fee Gets Ordered and Collected

You don’t pick the appraiser or pay them directly. The VA selects appraisers on a rotating basis from its approved roster to prevent conflicts of interest.⁵ Your lender handles the entire process through the VA’s WebLGY portal, submitting the appraisal request, uploading the sales contract, and accepting responsibility for payment.⁶

Most lenders collect the fee from you early, often by credit card through their online portal or by check during application. The lender holds those funds and forwards the approved fee to the appraiser after the VA issues a Notice of Value or advises that one will not be issued.

What You Owe If the Deal Falls Through

If the transaction collapses before the appraisal is complete, you may still owe a partial fee based on how far the appraiser got. The VA allows appraisers to charge on a sliding scale for cancelled assignments:²

Before an appointment is set: no more than $50.
After an appointment is confirmed but before the visit: no more than $175.
After the interior review is completed: no more than 50% of the posted fee.
After the report is finished and uploaded: the full fee.

The earlier you cancel, the less you lose. Once the appraiser has uploaded the report, the full fee is owed whether or not the loan closes.

How Long the Appraisal Is Good For

A VA appraisal is valid for up to 180 days from the date the report is completed. There is no extension. If closing drags past that window, a new appraisal has to be ordered and paid for. This most often becomes an issue with new construction, where build timelines can slip, or when contract negotiations stall. If you’re cutting it close on the calendar, raise it with your lender before the appraisal expires.

Transferring an Appraisal Between Lenders

If you switch lenders after the appraisal is completed, you don’t pay for a new one. VA appraisals are tied to the property, not the lender. The report identifies the intended user by type rather than by the lender’s specific name, which lets it transfer without the appraiser readdressing it.⁷ Your new lender can use the same appraisal as long as it’s still within the 180-day validity window.

One exception: if a lender’s internal policy requires their specific name on the report, they must negotiate a new assignment directly with the appraiser and pay for it themselves. That cost cannot be charged to you.⁷

When You Can Skip the Fee Entirely

Not every VA loan requires an appraisal. If you’re refinancing through an Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan, commonly called an IRRRL or streamline refinance, the VA does not require an appraisal.⁶ You already own the home, the VA already guaranteed the original loan, and the purpose is simply to lower your interest rate. Skipping the appraisal saves you the fee and shortens the timeline.

For purchase loans and cash-out refinances, the appraisal is mandatory. No waiver is available for those transaction types.

1
Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Fee Timeliness
2
Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Appraisal Fee Schedules and Timeliness Requirements
3
eCFR. 38 CFR 36.4313 – Fees and Charges
4
Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Funding Fee and Loan Closing Costs
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 3731 – Appraisals
6
Department of Veterans Affairs. Request Appraisal and Issue Notice of Value
7
Department of Veterans Affairs. Circular 26-04-05