Veterans with a service-connected disability are encouraged to file an exemption
application form to have their property taxes lowered. Some veterans may even qualify
for a 100 percent exemption of their taxes.

Texas law provides partial exemptions for any property owned by veterans who are
disabled, surviving spouses and surviving children of deceased disabled veterans. An
applicant may claim an exemption on only one piece of property the applicant owned on
Jan. 1. The applicant must be a Texas resident to qualify for a homestead exemption.
The other partial exemption is for homesteads donated to disabled veterans by charitable
organizations at no cost or not more than 50 percent of the good faith estimate of the
homestead’s market value to the disabled veterans and their surviving spouses.
The exemption amount is determined according to the percentage of service-connected
disability.

A disabled veteran who receives 100 percent disability compensation due to a service-connected disability and a rating of 100 percent disabled or individual unemployability
from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs is entitled to an exemption from
taxation of the appraised value of the veteran’s residence homestead. Surviving spouses
of veterans who qualified for this exemption or who would have qualified for this
exemption if it had been in effect at the time of the veteran’s death are also eligible with
certain restrictions.

The surviving spouse of a member of the U.S. armed services who is killed in action is
allowed a total (100 percent) property tax exemption on his or her residence homestead if
the surviving spouse has not remarried since the death of the armed services member.
Any eligible person who has not previously received an exemption should file an
exemption application by April 30.

For more information about property tax exemptions for disabled veterans and their
surviving spouses or to file an exemption, contact the Shelby County Appraisal District at
(936) 598-6171 online at www.shelbycad.com.

More information is also available on the Comptroller’s Property Tax Assistance Division’s
website at comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/.