Montgomery GI Bill refunds

You may be able to get a Montgomery GI Bill refund if you meet the requirements listed here. 

One of these must be true:

• You entered active duty after June 30, 1985, or 
• You served a combination of at least 2 years of active-duty service and 4 years of Selected Reserve service after June 30, 1985

And all of these must be true:

• You paid the $1,200 MGIB buy-in when you joined the military, and
• You chose to use your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits instead of your MGIB benefits, and
• You had unused MGIB benefits when you started using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits instead, and
• You’ve used all of your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, and
• You were receiving a Post-9/11 GI Bill monthly housing allowance on the day your entitlement ended

If you transferred your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to your dependent and they used up all of your entitlement, you don’t qualify for the MGIB refund. But if your dependent used only some of your entitlement, and you were the last one to use the benefit, you may be eligible for the refund.

No. The $600 Buy-Up isn’t refundable.

Learn about the $600 Buy-Up program

We base your refund on the amount of unused MGIB benefits you were entitled to when you started using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits instead.

If you didn’t use any of your MGIB benefits, you may receive the full $1,200 refund.

If you used part of your MGIB benefits, we would calculate your refund by dividing the number of months (including the percentage of any partial month) of remaining benefits by 36. Then we would multiply that number by 1,200.

Example: If you had 20 months and 15 days (or 20.5 months) of remaining MGIB benefits when you chose to start using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits instead, we would first divide 20.5 by 36 (20.5 ÷ 36 = 0.569444).

Then, we would multiply that number by 1,200 (0.569444 x 1,200 = 683.33). Your refund would be $683.33.

If you’re eligible for an MGIB refund, we’ll automatically include it in your last monthly housing allowance payment. You don’t need to apply for a refund. 

If you believe you should have received a refund but didn’t, contact us in one of these ways:

• Call us at 888-442-4551. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET, or
• Contact us online through Ask VA. Make sure to select “GI Bill” as the category when you submit your question.