Seasoning is the mortgage world's word for waiting periods — and VA loans have several: before you can refinance, after bankruptcy, after foreclosure. Here is every VA waiting period and when your clock starts.
Refinance seasoning: the 210-day rule
Before you can refinance a VA loan — IRRRL or cash-out — at least 210 days must pass from the first payment due date of the loan being paid off, and you must have made at least six monthly payments. The rule exists to stop lenders from churning veterans through rapid serial refinances.
The clock runs from the first payment due date, not the closing date, which effectively means about seven months after closing. A lender pitching a refinance three months after your purchase is pitching something the rules do not allow.
Seasoning after bankruptcy
After a Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge, the standard VA waiting period is two years. After Chapter 13, you can qualify while still in the repayment plan after 12 months of on-time plan payments, with court or trustee permission.
The VA's two-year standard is shorter than most conventional programs. What matters at the two-year mark is not just time but what you did with it: re-established credit, on-time payments, and stable income.
Seasoning after foreclosure or short sale
The standard VA waiting period after a foreclosure is two years from the completion date. A compromise sale or short sale is generally treated similarly, though borrowers who stayed current through a documented hardship can sometimes qualify sooner.
Remember the separate entitlement issue: seasoning governs when you can borrow again, but a VA loss from foreclosure stays charged against your entitlement until repaid, which can mean a down payment on the next loan even after the waiting period ends.
Seasoning the property itself
Seasoning also applies to properties. A home being flipped — resold shortly after the seller bought it — can trigger extra appraisal scrutiny and documentation requirements, especially on rapid resales with big price increases.
For buyers, this mostly means: if you are buying a flip, expect the appraiser to look harder and the lender to ask for the seller's acquisition history. Legitimate renovations pass; inflated paper gains do not.
The bottom line
Know your clocks: 210 days and six payments before a refinance, two years after Chapter 7 or foreclosure, twelve months of plan payments for Chapter 13. Seasoning rules are rigid on timing but the re-qualification itself is about what you rebuilt during the wait. Use the waiting period to make the next approval easy.
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Jonathan Mullins
Mortgage Loan Officer · Army Veteran
Jonathan Mullins is an Army Veteran and Mortgage Loan Officer at Military Mortgage, specializing in VA home loans for Veterans, active-duty service members, and military families. He writes this learning center to make VA loan rules, entitlement, and the home-buying process easier to understand.
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