What is the Wisconsin property tax exemption for a 100% disabled veteran?

Wisconsin works differently: instead of an exemption, the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit refunds 100% of the property taxes paid on your primary residence and up to one acre, as a fully refundable credit on your state income tax return. You pay the bill, then get it all back.

Do 100% disabled veterans pay property tax in Wisconsin?

You pay it, then the state refunds all of it. Wisconsin's Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit refunds 100% of the property taxes paid on the primary residence and up to one acre for veterans with a 100% service-connected rating or individual unemployability, claimed each year on the state income tax return. It requires entering active duty as a Wisconsin resident or five consecutive years of Wisconsin residency after entering.

Do surviving spouses keep the Wisconsin veteran property tax exemption?

Unremarried surviving spouses qualify, including spouses of service members who died on duty and DIC recipients.

How do I apply for the Wisconsin disabled veteran property tax exemption?

Get certified once through your County Veterans Service Office (the WDVA verifies eligibility), then claim the credit each year on your Wisconsin income tax return with your paid property tax bill.

By state · Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s property tax exemption for disabled veterans.

100% or unemployability: property taxes refunded through a state credit. 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: Wisconsin works differently: instead of an exemption, the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit refunds 100% of the property taxes paid on your primary residence and up to one acre, as a fully refundable credit on your state income tax return. You pay the bill, then get it all back.
Below 100%: Requires a 100% service-connected rating or a VA individual-unemployability rating; there are no partial tiers.
Income test: None. The exemption does not depend on your income.
Surviving spouses: Unremarried surviving spouses qualify, including spouses of service members who died on duty and DIC recipients.
How to apply: Get certified once through your County Veterans Service Office (the WDVA verifies eligibility), then claim the credit each year on your Wisconsin income tax return with your paid property tax bill.
Worth knowing: One catch: you must have entered active duty as a Wisconsin resident, or lived in Wisconsin for five consecutive years after entering active duty. Veterans who moved to Wisconsin later in life can miss out; check the residency rule before counting on this.

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: Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs — property tax credit

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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Common questions

Wisconsin exemption questions, answered.

What is the Wisconsin property tax exemption for a 100% disabled veteran?: Wisconsin works differently: instead of an exemption, the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit refunds 100% of the property taxes paid on your primary residence and up to one acre, as a fully refundable credit on your state income tax return. You pay the bill, then get it all back.
How much is the Wisconsin disabled veteran property tax exemption?: 100% or unemployability: property taxes refunded through a state credit
Do 100% disabled veterans pay property tax in Wisconsin?: You pay it, then the state refunds all of it. Wisconsin's Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit refunds 100% of the property taxes paid on the primary residence and up to one acre for veterans with a 100% service-connected rating or individual unemployability, claimed each year on the state income tax return. It requires entering active duty as a Wisconsin resident or five consecutive years of Wisconsin residency after entering.
Do surviving spouses keep the Wisconsin veteran property tax exemption?: Unremarried surviving spouses qualify, including spouses of service members who died on duty and DIC recipients.
How do I apply for the Wisconsin disabled veteran property tax exemption?: Get certified once through your County Veterans Service Office (the WDVA verifies eligibility), then claim the credit each year on your Wisconsin income tax return with your paid property tax bill.

Property tax exemption rules and thresholds change; confirm current figures with your county assessor or state veterans' affairs office before applying.

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