By state · California
California’s property tax exemption for disabled veterans.
100%: $180,671 off assessed value ($271,009 low-income), indexed yearly. Here is who qualifies, what it covers, and how to claim it.
Checked against state sources · July 16, 2026
- At a 100% permanent & total rating
- The Disabled Veterans' Exemption removes $180,671 of assessed value (2026, indexed annually). Veterans with household income at or below roughly $81,131 qualify for the larger low-income exemption of $271,009.
- Below 100%
- California's veteran exemption requires a 100% rating (or compensation at the 100% rate due to unemployability). Lower ratings fall back to the small basic homeowners' exemption.
- Income test
- Only for the larger low-income tier; the basic exemption has no income test.
- Surviving spouses
- An unremarried surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran (or of a service member who died on duty) can claim the exemption.
- How to apply
- File form BOE-261-G with your county assessor. One-time filing for the basic exemption; the low-income tier requires annual filing.
- Worth knowing
- Amounts adjust for inflation every year, so the figures above are the 2026 numbers specifically. California property values being what they are, the exemption offsets only part of a typical bill.
Before you count on this: exemption law changes by legislative session, and counties administer the details. Confirm current amounts and deadlines with your county assessor or the official source below. Figures on this page were checked July 16, 2026.
Official source: California State Board of Equalization — Disabled Veterans' Exemption
A property-tax exemption lowers the monthly payment a lender counts in your file, which can raise what you qualify for. Run your numbers with the exemption’s effect via the buying-power calculator (use the property-tax override in advanced options), and see the funding fee guide for the other big disability-related saving.
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