Colorado Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption: 50% Off (2026)

Colorado's disabled veteran property tax exemption cuts the taxable value of a qualifying veteran's home by 50% of its first $200,000.1 It's a benefit written into Colorado law, claimed at your county assessor's office, and it's separate from anything you already receive from the federal U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

In This Guide

• Key Takeaways
• Do You Qualify?
• How Much Is the Exemption Worth?
• What About a Surviving Spouse?
• How to Apply
• How It Works With Your VA Benefits
• Not a Disabled Veteran?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Do You Qualify for the Colorado Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption?

Colorado sets a specific bar for this benefit, and it turns on your VA disability rating and your home rather than your income. To qualify as a disabled veteran, you need to meet all of the following.1

• You received an honorable discharge from active service.
• You meet one of three disability tests: a service-connected disability rated 100% permanent by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; a disability rated 100% permanent through disability retirement benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or the Department of the Army, Navy, or Air Force; or individual unemployability (IU) status as determined by the VA.1
• The property is your primary residence, which you've owned and occupied since January 1 of the year you're claiming.

The disability test is the piece that trips people up. A veteran has to meet one of those three tests, so a partial VA rating like 70% isn't enough on its own, but it also doesn't rule you out: a 100% permanent disability retirement administered by Homeland Security or your service branch qualifies you even if your VA rating sits below 100%.1 If you think your condition has worsened, it's worth asking the VA about a re-evaluation before you assume you don't qualify.

VA's National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics puts Colorado's veteran population at 362,908 for fiscal year 2024, a modelled projection rather than an enumerated head count, down from 369,318 in fiscal year 2023.2 A benefit like this reaches a lot of households across the state.

How Much Is Colorado's Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption Worth?

The exemption removes 50% of the first $200,000 of your home's actual value from the amount your property taxes are calculated on.1 In plain terms, that means up to $100,000 of value comes off the books before the assessor applies the tax rate.1 If your home is worth less than $200,000, the exemption is still half of your actual value; if it's worth more, the benefit caps out at that first $200,000.

Because the dollar figure that comes off is a slice of your home's value, not a flat rebate, the actual tax savings depend on your county's mill levy. Two veterans with identically valued homes in different counties can see different dollar amounts back. Your county assessor can tell you what the exemption translates to on your specific bill.

What About a Surviving Spouse or Gold Star Spouse?

The exemption doesn't end with the veteran. Colorado's disabled veteran property tax exemption also extends to a surviving spouse of a veteran who previously received it, as long as that spouse has not remarried and still lives in the same home.1 It also extends to Gold Star Spouses.1

Two conditions do the heavy lifting here: you can't have remarried, and you have to stay in the home the veteran held the exemption on. If a surviving spouse moves or remarries, the eligibility that carried over from the veteran no longer applies. When in doubt, the Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs can confirm whether your situation still qualifies before you file.

How to Apply, Step by Step

You claim the exemption directly with your county, not with the state or the VA. The filing window is narrow, so mark the dates.

Every county in Colorado has a Veterans Service Office that offers free assistance, and its service officers specialize in helping veterans and their family members with claims, applications, and appeals to the VA.3 The Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs points veterans to those offices.3 If gathering the Benefit Summary Letter or reading the rating requirement feels like a hurdle, that office is the place to start, and it won't cost you anything.

How It Works With Your Federal VA Benefits

This is a Colorado program, and it's separate from the federal VA's disability-compensation and pension benefits.1 The exemption lowers what your county taxes your home on; it is not a payment from the VA, so it is not the same transaction as VA disability compensation or a VA pension such as Aid and Attendance. If you receive, or are applying for, a needs-based VA Pension or Aid and Attendance, which the VA assesses on income and net worth, confirm your own situation with an accredited representative.1 The two run on different tracks: one lowers what your county taxes your home on, the other is a monthly federal payment.

The eligibility tests are different too, which matters if you're weighing more than one benefit. Aid and Attendance is a needs-based pension that caps a veteran's net worth at $163,699 for 2026 and looks at wartime service and the need for help with daily activities.4 The property tax exemption's published criteria, by contrast, are about your disability rating and your primary residence, not a financial test.1 A veteran can meet the requirements for both, since qualifying for one has no bearing on the other.5

If you're mapping out the full set of benefits available to an older veteran in Colorado, from VA long-term care to state Veterans Community Living Centers, our guide to VA benefits for senior care in Colorado covers how the pieces fit together, and the VA Aid and Attendance guide for Colorado walks through that pension in detail.

Not a Disabled Veteran? Other Colorado Property Tax Relief

This exemption is specifically for service-connected disabled veterans and their surviving spouses. If you don't meet any of the three disability tests above but you're a longtime older homeowner, Colorado has a separate age-based break, the Senior Property Tax Exemption (often called the senior homestead exemption), for homeowners who are at least 65 on January 1 and have owned and occupied the home as their primary residence for at least 10 consecutive years.6 It's a different program with different rules, and you can read how it works in our guide to Colorado senior property tax relief.

If you might qualify for more than one property tax break, your county assessor is the place to confirm how they interact and which one leaves you better off.

Learn More

Find personalized help claiming Colorado's disabled veteran property tax exemption at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.