Texas Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemptions

Partial exemption by disability rating

A disabled veteran who lives in Texas can take an exemption off the assessed value of one property they own, based on the disability rating from the VA or the branch of service (Tax Code §11.22). The property doesn't have to be a homestead, but you choose one property and it applies for every taxing unit.

A veteran also qualifies for $12,000 if they're 65 or older with a rating of at least 10%, totally blind in one or both eyes, or have lost the use of one or more limbs (§11.22(b)). If you qualify more than one way, you get the largest amount, not the sum.

Full homestead exemption for 100% or unemployable

A veteran who receives 100% disability compensation for a service-connected disability and has a VA rating of 100% disabled or individual unemployability is exempt from tax on the full value of the residence homestead (Tax Code §11.131). It covers the homestead only; another property can still get the partial exemption above.

You don't have to wait for January 1. If you qualify during the year, the exemption applies from the date you qualify for the rest of that year (§11.42(e)).

The district can ask exemption holders to reapply from time to time, but it can't require it of a veteran whose disability the VA has rated permanent and total (§11.43(r)).

Donated homes

A veteran rated below 100% whose home was donated by a charity, at no cost or at no more than half its market value, is exempt on a percentage of the home's value equal to the disability rating (Tax Code §11.132). A veteran rated 70%, for example, is exempt on 70% of the home's value.

Surviving spouses

• Spouse of a 100% disabled veteran. Keeps the full homestead exemption if they haven't remarried, and the home was their homestead when the veteran died and still is (§11.131(c)). If they move, the new homestead gets an exemption up to the dollar amount on the old home in the last year they received it (§11.131(d)).
• Spouse of a veteran with a partial exemption. Keeps the same partial amount on one property for as long as they remain unmarried (§11.22(c)).
• Spouse of a service member killed in the line of duty. Exempt on the full value of the homestead if they haven't remarried (§11.133). A spouse of a member who died on active duty also gets $5,000 off one property (§11.22(d)).
• Spouse of a veteran who died from a PACT Act condition. Form 50-114 lists an exemption for surviving spouses of veterans who died from a condition presumed service-connected under the federal PACT Act, if they haven't remarried (§11.136). Ask your appraisal district how it applies.

How to apply

1. Partial exemption (§11.22): file Form 50-135, the Application for Disabled Veteran's or Survivor's Exemption, and name the property you want it on.
2. Homestead exemptions (§§11.131, 11.132, 11.133, 11.136): file Form 50-114, the Residence Homestead Exemption Application, and check the matching box.
3. Attach your documents: a copy of your Texas driver's license or state ID, and documentation from the VA or your branch of service showing your current disability rating, such as a VA benefit summary letter. A driver's license isn't proof of a rating.
4. File with your appraisal district. In Travis County, that's TCAD, online, by mail, or in person. There's no fee.

The usual deadline is April 30. If you also qualify for the general homestead exemption, claim it on the same Form 50-114.

Late applications and refunds

A disabled veteran can file a late application for the §11.22, §11.131, or §11.132 exemption up to five years after the delinquency date for that year's taxes (Tax Code §11.439). Taxes are usually delinquent on February 1 of the following year. As of October 2026, that generally reaches back to the 2021 tax year, whose window closes around February 1, 2027.

If the taxes were already paid, the tax collector refunds the tax on the exempted value, with related penalties and interest, within 60 days after the district approves the exemption (§11.439(b)). A surviving spouse applying late for a homestead exemption under §11.131 or §11.132 has two years instead of five (§11.431). See claiming a missed exemption for past years.