If the loan you are refinancing is already a VA loan, it has to be "seasoned" first. The headline is 210 days and six payments, but Type I and Type II measure it differently, and the difference is exactly the kind of thing that pushes a closing back a month.
Only VA-to-VA refinances. If you are paying off a conventional, FHA or other non-VA loan, VA's seasoning requirement does not apply. For a VA loan refinanced within a year of its closing, the lender must document every payment made on it, and in all cases certifies that six or more consecutive payments have been made.
The first payment due date of the VA loan is 210 days or more before the note date of the new loan, and six consecutive monthly payments have been made - each in full, in the month it was due, in six successive months.
The date the first payment was made is 210 days or more before the closing of the new loan, and six monthly payments have been made. They do not need to be consecutive.
VA's own Type II example: a VA loan closed March 8, 2023 with its first payment made May 7, 2023. Once six payments have been made, it is seasoned on December 3, 2023 - exactly 210 days after that first payment.
Once a loan has seasoned it does not need to season again.
A single late payment in the first months of a VA loan can reset the Type I clock, because Type I needs six in a row. Type II is more forgiving on consecutiveness but counts from when you actually paid rather than when the payment was due. If you are planning a cash-out on a recently purchased VA home, count your payments before you apply rather than after.
Which type your refinance falls into is decided on Type I versus Type II, and what the refinance has to prove is on net tangible benefit.
Source: VA Pamphlet 26-7, Chapter 6, Topic 3 Cash-Out Refinancing Loans, the Seasoning requirement for Type I and Type II (KnowVA, updated July 9, 2026), under 38 CFR 36.4306. Rules change; confirm before relying on them. Not a commitment to lend.
Bring your current statement and five minutes. We will map your payoff, your likely equity and your options - cash-out, IRRRL or stand pat - and tell you which one actually serves you.