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Fort Benning

VA Home Loans | Fort Benning, Georgia

VA Home Loans Fort Benning: $0 Down for Buyers in Columbus, Midland, Phenix City and Harris County

Buying near Fort Benning with a VA home loan? Here is what it costs and how it works before anyone asks you to apply: most first time VA buyers pay a one time VA funding fee unless they are exempt, and the underwriter still reviews your income, credit and VA residual income.

Based in Atlanta. Serving VA buyers across Georgia.

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Find Your Situation

What are you trying to figure out at Fort Benning?

This page covers a lot of ground. Jump to the part written for you.

PCSing to Fort Benning

Starting the loan before your report date, and what the occupancy rule allows when you deploy.

Here for a course

Temporary orders, BAH and why most students rent instead of buy.

Does my BAH cover a payment?

2026 BAH for the Fort Benning housing area next to a real payment.

Already own a home and buying again

Remaining entitlement when the last house is still on a VA loan.

Have a service connected rating

Funding fee exemption and who does not pay it.

Georgia side or Alabama side?

Columbus, Midland, Fortson and Cusseta, or Phenix City and Smiths Station across the river.

The Honest Picture

VA Loan Benefits and Trade Offs Near Fort Benning

Benefits

No down payment with full entitlement, subject to the underwriter and the appraisal.
No monthly mortgage insurance on a VA loan.
Funding fee waived for veterans receiving VA disability compensation and other exempt groups.
Plan your closing around your report date, your course dates and the VA occupancy rule.

Trade Offs

Most first time VA buyers pay a one time VA funding fee of 2.15 percent of the loan unless they are exempt. On a $300,000 purchase near Fort Benning that is $6,450 (illustration only).
No down payment with full entitlement, but the underwriter still reviews income, credit, debts and VA residual income. Eligibility is not approval.
The home has to appraise and meet VA minimum property requirements, and you have to intend to live in it. A course on temporary orders is usually not a reason to buy.
Exempt from the fee: veterans receiving VA compensation for a service connected disability, and the other groups listed in the cost section below.

No loan program is best for everyone. The right answer comes from your complete situation, and our team will tell you plainly when a different program serves you better.

Where Families Buy

Where Fort Benning families buy

Fort Benning sits just south of Columbus, about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta. The post covers more than 182,000 acres, mainly in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia, with a small part across the Chattahoochee River in Russell County, Alabama. It is home to the Maneuver Center of Excellence, which runs the Infantry and Armor Schools, along with the 75th Ranger Regiment headquarters and its 3rd Battalion and the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, so the post mixes permanent party families, those assigned to the post, with a large flow of soldiers in training.

The post was renamed Fort Moore on May 11, 2023, and the Army redesignated it Fort Benning on March 3, 2025, now honoring Corporal Fred G. Benning.

Fort Benning families buy on both sides of the river. Drive times below are to the Fort Benning Visitor Center at the main gate, where Interstate 185 meets the post.

The VA loan works the same way in every one of these areas. What changes is the price range, the property tax bill, the state closing costs and the drive, so compare those before you compare loans.

Looking across the river in Alabama? UHome Mortgage is licensed to originate mortgage loans in Alabama and Georgia, so a Phenix City or Smiths Station purchase is handled the same way as one in Columbus. The Alabama closing differences are in the cost section below.

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Area	County	Drive to the main gate	What changes
Columbus, south and east	Muscogee, GA	About 14 minutes from downtown	Consolidated city and county; Muscogee County property taxes
Midland and north Columbus	Muscogee, GA	About 20 minutes from Midland	Newer construction north of the city on Interstate 185
Fortson	Harris, GA	About 18 minutes	Harris County tax office instead of Muscogee
Cusseta	Chattahoochee, GA	About 14 minutes	Small county east of the post; Chattahoochee County tax office
Phenix City	Russell and Lee, AL	About 15 minutes	Alabama closing costs and taxes; Georgia costs on this page do not apply
Smiths Station	Lee, AL	About 25 minutes	Alabama closing costs and taxes; Lee County tax office

Columbus, south and east

County: Muscogee, GA
Drive to the main gate: About 14 minutes from downtown
What changes: Consolidated city and county; Muscogee County property taxes

Midland and north Columbus

County: Muscogee, GA
Drive to the main gate: About 20 minutes from Midland
What changes: Newer construction north of the city on Interstate 185

Fortson

County: Harris, GA
Drive to the main gate: About 18 minutes
What changes: Harris County tax office instead of Muscogee

Cusseta

County: Chattahoochee, GA
Drive to the main gate: About 14 minutes
What changes: Small county east of the post; Chattahoochee County tax office

Phenix City

County: Russell and Lee, AL
Drive to the main gate: About 15 minutes
What changes: Alabama closing costs and taxes; Georgia costs on this page do not apply

Smiths Station

County: Lee, AL
Drive to the main gate: About 25 minutes
What changes: Alabama closing costs and taxes; Lee County tax office

Drive times from Google Maps to the Fort Benning Visitor Center, Columbus, GA 31905, read October 22, 2026 in normal traffic; your time will vary.

Pay and Qualification

2026 BAH at Fort Benning, next to what it buys

BAH is paid by your duty station ZIP code and your pay grade. It does not change based on the price of the house you buy, so a home that costs more than your BAH comes out of the rest of your pay.

How the underwriter treats it:

VA's rule lets a quarters allowance count as continuing income when it is documented the way the rule requires.
Because BAH is not taxed, it can be grossed up, counted at a higher figure, for the debt ratio, but not for residual income.
VA's debt ratio standard is 41 percent or less, and the file also has to meet residual income: the money left each month after the housing payment, maintenance and utilities, taxes, debts and other required expenses. In the South region, which includes Georgia and Alabama, a family of four needs at least $1,003 on loans of $80,000 or more. For active duty or retired members who will keep using facilities on a nearby base, VA lets the underwriter reduce that figure by at least 5 percent.

The useful comparison is your BAH against the full housing payment on a Loan Estimate, the standard three page cost form every buyer receives: principal, interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance and any HOA dues.

Fort Benning housing area	With dependents	Without
E5	$1,716	$1,482
E6	$1,977	$1,557
E7	$2,004	$1,635
O3	$2,058	$1,878

E5

With dependents: $1,716
Without: $1,482

E6

With dependents: $1,977
Without: $1,557

E7

With dependents: $2,004
Without: $1,635

O3

With dependents: $2,058
Without: $1,878

2026 monthly BAH for military housing area GA075, Fort Benning (ZIP 31905). Source: Defense Travel Management Office BAH rate lookup, checked October 22, 2026. A Midland, Fortson or Phenix City home uses the same Fort Benning rate.

The Core Concept

Your entitlement, with the math shown

Entitlement is the amount VA will guarantee for you. On loans above $144,000, VA guarantees 25 percent of the loan. With full entitlement there is no VA county loan limit, as of January 1, 2020. If part of your entitlement is still tied to a house from your last duty station, your remaining entitlement is 25 percent of the county conforming limit minus what is still in use. For 2026, Muscogee, Harris and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell and Lee counties in Alabama all use the baseline limit of $832,750.

Worked example: second VA loan near Fort Benning

The first VA loan, $200,000, is still open on a rental at the last duty station. Entitlement in use: 25 percent of $200,000, or $50,000 (illustration only).

25 percent of the 2026 Muscogee County limit of $832,750: $208,187.50 (illustration only).

Remaining entitlement: $208,187.50 minus $50,000, or $158,187.50 (illustration only).

Largest loan with no down payment, including any financed funding fee: four times $158,187.50, or $632,750 (illustration only). Above that figure, most underwriters require that your entitlement plus a down payment cover 25 percent of the loan, so a down payment of 25 percent of the amount above it is the usual result.

Illustration only. These examples are not an offer, a loan approval or a commitment to lend. Actual fees, taxes, entitlement and approval depend on your Certificate of Eligibility, the underwriter's review, the appraisal and the final loan amount.

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Using Your Benefit Again

Already have a VA loan?

If you bought earlier and want a lower rate, the VA IRRRL, the Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan, carries a 0.5 percent funding fee. To take cash out, see the VA cash out refinance. Cash at closing depends on the appraised value and the final loan amount.

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Service Connected Disabilities

Who does not pay the funding fee

You do not need a 100 percent rating. The exemption follows compensation, not the rating alone; a rating that pays no compensation does not waive the fee. The fee is waived for:

Veterans receiving VA compensation for a service connected disability
Veterans eligible for that compensation who receive retirement or active duty pay instead
Surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
Service members with a proposed or memorandum rating, from a pre discharge claim, issued before closing
Active duty members who show proof of a Purple Heart on or before closing

On the $300,000 example below, an exempt buyer never pays the $6,450 fee (illustration only). If a rating is awarded later with an effective date before closing, a refund may be available. Raise it on the first call so the file is set up right from the start.

Alabama Is a Separate Conversation

Property tax: Alabama has its own homestead exemptions, including one for owners who are permanently and totally disabled. Ask the Russell County Revenue Commissioner, or the Lee County Revenue Commissioner, which exemptions apply to your home.

Relocating on Orders

Closing around your report date and deployments at Fort Benning

VA loans are for a home you will live in. You certify that you intend to occupy it, and VA guidance generally treats a reasonable time as within 60 days after closing. A later, specific move in date up to 12 months after closing may be accepted at the underwriter's discretion.

Units at Fort Benning deploy. If you are deployed, at a school elsewhere or still at your last duty station, federal law lets your spouse, or a dependent child, meet the occupancy requirement by living in the home. A soldier without dependents who closes right before a deployment should settle the move in timing with the loan officer before the contract is signed.

Buy or rent on a short assignment? Closing costs on the way in and selling costs on the way out can outweigh the equity you build in two or three years. Many families keep the home as a rental instead of selling, but a VA loan that stays open keeps part of your entitlement in use, which lowers what you can borrow with no down payment at the next post. The second example above shows how much.

Georgia military communities we serve include:

Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield
Savannah, Pooler, and Richmond Hill
Robins Air Force Base and Warner Robins
Fort Benning and Columbus
Moody Air Force Base and Valdosta
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and St. Marys
Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany
Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Marietta

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Specific to Fort Benning

Here for a course or here to stay?

Many soldiers come to Fort Benning for a course, not an assignment. BAH is set by your permanent duty station ZIP code, so a course on temporary duty orders does not change your housing allowance, and a VA loan is for a home you intend to live in. If your orders make Fort Benning your permanent duty station, buying works the same way it does for any permanent party soldier. Longer courses are often on PCS orders, the orders for a permanent change of station, which make Fort Benning your duty station. Your orders say which one you have; read them before you look at houses.

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Know the Cost

The VA funding fee, with the math shown

The funding fee is the cost that comes with no down payment and no mortgage insurance. It is a percentage of the loan, it depends on your down payment and whether you used a VA loan before, and it can be financed into the loan. For the full program, see VA home loans in Georgia.

Worked example: first time VA buyer near Fort Benning, no down payment

Purchase price: $300,000 (illustration only). Down payment: none.

Funding fee at 2.15 percent of $300,000: $6,450 (illustration only).

If the fee is financed, the loan becomes $306,450 (illustration only).

If the buyer receives VA disability compensation, there is no funding fee and the loan stays at $300,000 (illustration only).

Loan type	First use	After first use
Purchase, less than 5 percent down	2.15%	3.3%
Purchase, 5 percent or more down	1.5%	1.5%
Purchase, 10 percent or more down	1.25%	1.25%
VA cash out refinance	2.15%	3.3%
VA IRRRL	0.5%	0.5%

Purchase, less than 5 percent down

First use: 2.15%
After first use: 3.3%

Purchase, 5 percent or more down

First use: 1.5%
After first use: 1.5%

Purchase, 10 percent or more down

First use: 1.25%
After first use: 1.25%

VA cash out refinance

First use: 2.15%
After first use: 3.3%

VA IRRRL

First use: 0.5%
After first use: 0.5%

Source: VA funding fee and closing costs page, va.gov, checked October 22, 2026. Fee percentages effective April 7, 2023; 38 U.S.C. 3729 sets them until June 9, 2034.

Two Different Jobs

What the VA appraisal does

Every VA purchase needs a VA appraisal. It gives an opinion of value and checks VA minimum property requirements, which are about safety, sanitation and structure. You receive a Notice of Value with the value and any required repairs. If the value may come in below the price, the Tidewater process, VA's low value warning step, gives your real estate agent two business days to send more sales data, and after the report you can request a reconsideration of value. An appraisal is not a home inspection.

Cash to Close

What buying near Fort Benning adds

On the Georgia side:

Intangible recording tax: Georgia charges $1.50 for each $500, or part of $500, of the note, capped at $25,000, and VA loans are not listed as exempt. On the $306,450 note in the first example, that is $919.50 (illustration only; actual tax depends on the final loan amount). The closing attorney confirms the tax at closing.
Attorney closing: a licensed Georgia attorney has to close a Georgia purchase.
Disabled veteran homestead exemption: up to $121,812 for 2025, the latest figure posted, for honorably discharged veterans rated 100 percent disabled, paid at the 100 percent rate for unemployability, or with certain loss of limb or sight awards. Active duty members do not qualify until after discharge. Apply through the Muscogee County Tax Commissioner, or the Harris or Chattahoochee County tax office outside Muscogee. The 2026 figure had not been posted when this page was reviewed.

On the Alabama side:

Mortgage recording tax: Alabama charges 15 cents for each $100 of the loan instead of Georgia's intangible tax. On the $306,450 note in the first example, that is about $460 (illustration only).
Closing: Alabama does not require an attorney to close a purchase, and title companies commonly do.

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Compare

VA Compared With Conventional and FHA

A short qualitative comparison. None of this replaces a conversation about your specific numbers.

Qualitative comparison of VA, conventional, and FHA purchase loans
Criteria	You Are Viewing This ProgramVA Loan	Conventional Loan	FHA Loan
Who it serves	Eligible Veterans, service members, and certain surviving spouses	Any qualified borrower	Any qualified borrower, often those seeking flexible credit terms
Down payment	Potentially none for eligible borrowers with sufficient entitlement	Required, with the amount depending on the loan profile	Required, generally lower than many conventional options
Monthly mortgage insurance	None	Applies with smaller down payments until it can be removed	Applies, and for many loans it lasts the life of the loan
Upfront program cost	VA funding fee, unless exempt	None from the program itself	Upfront mortgage insurance premium
Occupancy	Generally a primary residence	Primary residence, second homes, and investment properties	Generally a primary residence
Repeat use	Reusable benefit, with entitlement rules covered above	No usage limits tied to a benefit	Usable again subject to program rules

You Are Viewing This Program

VA Loan

Who it serves: Eligible Veterans, service members, and certain surviving spouses
Down payment: Potentially none for eligible borrowers with sufficient entitlement
Monthly mortgage insurance: None
Upfront program cost: VA funding fee, unless exempt
Occupancy: Generally a primary residence
Repeat use: Reusable benefit, with entitlement rules covered above

Conventional Loan

Who it serves: Any qualified borrower
Down payment: Required, with the amount depending on the loan profile
Monthly mortgage insurance: Applies with smaller down payments until it can be removed
Upfront program cost: None from the program itself
Occupancy: Primary residence, second homes, and investment properties
Repeat use: No usage limits tied to a benefit

FHA Loan

Who it serves: Any qualified borrower, often those seeking flexible credit terms
Down payment: Required, generally lower than many conventional options
Monthly mortgage insurance: Applies, and for many loans it lasts the life of the loan
Upfront program cost: Upfront mortgage insurance premium
Occupancy: Generally a primary residence
Repeat use: Usable again subject to program rules

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How It Works

The VA Purchase Process With UHome

Before orders
Request the Certificate of Eligibility and see numbers. No documents needed for a ballpark.
Orders in hand
A statement of service and a recent Leave and Earnings Statement, the military pay stub, document active duty income.
Under contract
VA appraisal, Notice of Value and underwriting. A Georgia attorney closes a Georgia purchase.
Report date
Closing is usually timed close to it so the 60 day move in window is comfortable.

Local Offices

Who to call near Fort Benning

Muscogee County Tax Commissioner
3111 Citizens Way, Columbus, GA 31906. 706-653-4211. Homestead and disabled veteran exemptions.
Georgia Department of Veterans Service, Columbus office
2100 Comer Avenue, Suite 100A, Columbus, GA 31904. 706-649-1265. Help with the homestead exemption and state benefit claims.
Robert S. Poydasheff VA Clinic
6910 River Road, Columbus, GA 31904. 706-257-7200. Part of VA Central Alabama Health Care; the Fort Benning VA Clinic on post and the Columbus Downtown VA Clinic are listed on va.gov.
Columbus Vet Center
2601 Cross Country Drive, Suite 900, Columbus, GA 31906. 706-596-7170. Readjustment counseling for veterans and families.
Fort Benning Military Housing Office
706-545-3921. Family housing on post: Heritage Landing, 601 Lumpkin Street, 706-685-3939. Ask about on post options before you decide to buy.
Russell County, Alabama
Revenue Commissioner, 1000 Broad Street, Phenix City, AL 36867, 334-298-7011. The county veterans service office is in the same building, 334-298-7767.

Real Questions

VA loan questions near Fort Benning

Can I start a VA loan before my PCS move to Fort Benning?

Yes. You can request your Certificate of Eligibility and look at numbers near Fort Benning at any time. For the loan itself, the underwriter documents active duty income with your orders and a recent Leave and Earnings Statement, and you certify that you intend to live in the home. VA guidance generally treats a reasonable time to move in as within 60 days of closing, so many buyers time the closing close to their report date at Fort Benning.

What is the 2026 BAH at Fort Benning?

For 2026, BAH for the Fort Benning military housing area, GA075, is $1,716 a month with dependents and $1,482 without for an E5; $1,977 and $1,557 for an E6; $2,004 and $1,635 for an E7; and $2,058 and $1,878 for an O3. BAH follows your permanent duty station ZIP code, 31905, not the town where you buy.

Should I buy a home while I am at Fort Benning for a course?

Usually not on temporary duty orders. BAH is set by your permanent duty station, so a course at Fort Benning on temporary orders does not change your housing allowance, and a VA loan is for a home you intend to live in. If your orders make Fort Benning your permanent duty station, the VA loan works the same way it does for any permanent party soldier.

How much is the VA funding fee for a home near Fort Benning?

The VA funding fee is the same near Fort Benning as anywhere else. For a purchase with less than 5 percent down, it is 2.15 percent of the loan on first use and 3.3 percent after first use. It drops to 1.5 percent with 5 percent or more down and 1.25 percent with 10 percent or more down. You can pay it at closing or finance it into the loan.

Who does not pay the VA funding fee when buying near Fort Benning?

Near Fort Benning, the VA funding fee is waived for: veterans receiving VA compensation for a service connected disability; veterans eligible for that compensation who receive retirement or active duty pay instead; surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation; service members with a proposed or memorandum rating issued before closing on a pre discharge claim; and active duty members who show proof of a Purple Heart on or before closing. The exemption follows compensation, not the rating alone; a rating that pays no compensation does not waive the fee.

Is there a VA loan limit in Muscogee County, Georgia, near Fort Benning?

Not if you have full entitlement. Since January 1, 2020, VA has had no county loan limit for borrowers with full entitlement. If part of your entitlement is still in use, the 2026 one unit conforming limit of $832,750 for Muscogee County is used to figure how much you can borrow with no down payment. Harris and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell and Lee counties in Alabama, the counties around Fort Benning, use the same 2026 figure.

Is it Fort Benning or Fort Moore?

Fort Benning. The post was renamed Fort Moore on May 11, 2023, and the Army redesignated it Fort Benning on March 3, 2025, now honoring Corporal Fred G. Benning, a World War I Distinguished Service Cross recipient. Orders, mailing addresses and the BAH area still use the Fort Benning ZIP code, 31905, and older paperwork that says Fort Moore refers to the same post.

Can UHome help if I buy near Fort Benning in Phenix City or elsewhere in Alabama?

Yes. UHome Mortgage is licensed to originate mortgage loans in Alabama and Georgia, so a purchase in Phenix City, Smiths Station or elsewhere in Russell and Lee counties is handled the same way. The VA loan works the same way on both sides of the river near Fort Benning; what changes is the closing. Alabama charges a mortgage recording tax of 15 cents for each $100 of the loan instead of Georgia's intangible tax, and Alabama does not require an attorney to close, so title companies commonly do.

Are VA loans near Fort Benning exempt from the Georgia intangible recording tax?

No. Georgia charges $1.50 for each $500, or part of $500, of the note, capped at $25,000, and VA guaranteed loans are not listed as exempt in the Department of Revenue rule. On a $306,450 VA loan for a home in Muscogee County near Fort Benning, that is $919.50 (illustration only). The closing attorney confirms the exact tax at closing.

Where do veterans near Fort Benning apply for the disabled veteran homestead exemption?

Georgia's disabled veteran homestead exemption was up to $121,812 for 2025 for honorably discharged veterans rated 100 percent disabled, paid at the 100 percent rate for unemployability, or with certain loss of limb or sight awards; active duty members qualify only after discharge. Near Fort Benning, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service office at 2100 Comer Avenue in Columbus helps with the paperwork, and you apply through the Muscogee County Tax Commissioner at 3111 Citizens Way, or the Harris or Chattahoochee County tax office if you buy outside Muscogee.

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