If you have a 100% service-connected disability rating from the VA, Georgia can exempt more than $120,000 of your home's value from property tax. That's a break worth thousands of dollars a year, across state, county, city, and school taxes alike, and many eligible veterans never claim it.

This guide walks through who qualifies, exactly how much the exemption is worth, what happens to a surviving spouse, and how to file it with your county, so a benefit you've earned doesn't sit unclaimed.

In This Guide

Georgia is home to one of the largest veteran populations in the country: 656,508 veterans in 2024, seventh among the states. Many of those veterans qualify for this exemption and never file for it, often because they assume the county already applied it or because they confuse it with the age-based senior break. It's worth getting the details right, because on a typical home the savings run into the thousands of dollars a year.

Do You Qualify for Georgia's Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption?

The exemption is created under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 48-5-48) and administered by the Georgia Department of Revenue together with your county tax officials. To qualify, you generally need to meet all of these conditions:

  • You're a Georgia resident.
  • You received an honorable discharge.
  • You have a service-connected, 100% total and permanent disability rating from the VA.

There are a few other paths that also qualify, even without a flat 100% total-and-permanent rating. You're eligible if you're entitled to VA compensation at the 100% rate because of individual unemployability, or if you're entitled to VA compensation for the loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet, the loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands, the loss of sight in one or both eyes, or permanent impairment of vision in both eyes.

One point that trips people up: the exemption attaches to the home you own and actually occupy as your residence and homestead. It's a homestead exemption, so it applies to the place you live, not to a rental property or a second home.

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

Here's where the disabled veteran property tax exemption pulls away from every other homestead break in Georgia. A qualifying veteran is granted an exemption equal to the greater of $32,500 or the maximum amount that may be granted to a disabled veteran under Section 2102 of Title 38 of the U.S. Code. In practice, the Section 2102 figure is far higher than $32,500, so that federally indexed amount is what most veterans actually get.

That federal figure changes every year, and different official sources can show different years at any given moment. When we last checked, the Georgia Department of Revenue's page still listed the exemption as $121,812 for 2025, while the U.S. Army's benefits library listed $126,526 for 2026. Because the amount is federally indexed and updated annually, always confirm the current-year figure with your county before you count on a specific number.

A few things to understand about how the exemption is applied:

  • The exemption comes off your assessed value for state, county, municipal, and school ad valorem taxes, so it reduces the full stack of property taxes, not just one line.
  • Any value of the home above the exemption amount remains taxable. If your home is worth less than the exemption, the practical result is that you owe little or no property tax on it; if it's worth more, you're taxed only on the excess.

What About a Surviving Spouse?

The exemption doesn't end when the veteran dies. It's extended to the unremarried surviving spouse or the veteran's minor children, as long as they continue to occupy the home as a residence. Two conditions carry real weight there: the surviving spouse must not have remarried, and the family must keep living in the home. If the surviving spouse remarries, or the household moves out and the property stops being their residence, the exemption no longer applies.

If you're a surviving spouse who's unsure whether the exemption transferred to your name, this is worth raising with your county tax office directly, because the benefit doesn't always carry over automatically when ownership changes hands.

How to Apply

Applications for the homestead exemption are filed with your county tax officials, not with the state and not with the VA. The exact office is usually the county tax commissioner or the board of tax assessors, depending on the county.

Here's how to approach it:

1
Step 1

Gather your VA documentation

You'll need proof of your disability rating, which typically means a VA award or rating letter showing the 100% service-connected rating (or the qualifying equivalent), along with your discharge paperwork.

2
Step 2

Contact your county tax office

Ask the county tax commissioner or board of assessors for the disabled veteran homestead exemption application and the documents they require. Filing deadlines vary by county, so confirm the cutoff for the tax year you want the exemption to start.

3
Step 3

File and confirm

Submit the application with your documentation, then follow up to confirm the exemption was applied to your assessment. Check a later tax bill to make sure the reduction shows up.

If you'd rather not handle the VA side alone, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service can help. It offers free, personal assistance to veterans and their families in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits, its Field Service Officers are fully accredited with VA, and the main office can be reached at 404-656-2300. They can help you document the rating you'll need to show your county.

How It Works With Your VA Benefits

This is a state property-tax benefit, and it's a separate program from the federal VA's disability compensation and pension benefits. You claim it through Georgia and your county, while your monthly VA payments come from the federal VA under different rules. The connection between them is the disability rating: the property-tax exemption uses your VA rating as its trigger, but it's granted and administered by the state.

That means the exemption sits alongside, not instead of, the cash benefits you may already receive. VA Aid and Attendance, for example, is a separate federal monthly pension benefit for wartime veterans who need regular help with daily activities and meet the program's income, net-worth, and service tests. For 2026, Aid and Attendance pays a veteran with no dependents a maximum of $29,093 a year, about $2,424 a month, and a maximum of $34,488 a year with one dependent, or $2,874 a month. VA publishes these pension rates as annual maximums, so a monthly amount is the yearly award divided by 12, and the maximum is a ceiling rather than a set check: VA pays the difference between that maximum and your countable income. That's an entirely different benefit from the property-tax exemption, run by a different agency, and qualifying for one doesn't decide the other.

How This Differs From Senior Property Tax Relief

It's easy to mix up two very different Georgia property tax breaks, so it's worth being clear. The disabled veteran exemption keys off a service-connected disability rating and is worth tens of thousands of dollars in exempted value. Georgia's age-and-income senior exemptions are a different program entirely, tied to your age and household income rather than military service, and generally worth far less.

If you're a senior looking for the age-based break rather than the disabled veteran exemption, or you want to compare the two, see our guide to Georgia senior property tax relief. Because the disabled veteran exemption exempts far more value than the age-based senior exemptions, it's the better choice for most qualifying disabled veterans; if you think you might qualify for more than one homestead exemption, ask your county tax office how they interact and which one leaves you better off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a 70% VA disability rating qualify for the Georgia exemption?

Generally no. The exemption requires a 100% total and permanent service-connected disability rating from the VA, or one of the equivalent paths: entitlement to compensation at the 100% rate due to unemployability, or entitlement to compensation for loss or loss of use of both hands, both feet, sight, or vision as the statute lists. A 70% rating on its own doesn't meet that bar for this particular exemption.

Will claiming this exemption reduce my VA disability compensation or pension?

The property-tax exemption is a separate program from the federal VA's disability compensation and pension benefits. It's granted by Georgia and your county against your property taxes, while your VA payments come from the federal government under their own rules, so the two are administered independently.

Do I have to reapply every year?

That depends on your county's practice, so confirm it with your county tax office. What the state establishes is that applications are filed with the county tax officials, and the exemption stays with the home you own and occupy as your residence. A change in ownership, residence, or eligibility is the kind of event that can require action, so keep your county informed if your situation changes.

Does a surviving spouse have to reapply for the exemption?

Possibly. The exemption carries on for an unremarried surviving spouse (or the veteran's minor children) who keep living in the home, but because ownership changes when the veteran dies, it doesn't always transfer on its own. Contact your county tax office to confirm the exemption is in your name, and ask whether you need to file a new application.

Learn More

VA BenefitsVA Benefits You Can Use for Senior Care in GeorgiaA complete guide to VA senior care benefits in Georgia: home care, nursing homes, Aid and Attendance, state war veterans homes, and how to access them in 2026. VA BenefitsVA Aid and Attendance in GeorgiaVA Aid and Attendance in Georgia 2026: who qualifies, rates up to $29,093 a year, how to apply, and free help from the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. FinancialGeorgia Senior Property Tax ReliefHow Georgia senior property tax relief works: the $2,000 homestead exemption, the age-62 and 65 breaks, the income test, and the county exemptions worth most. VA BenefitsSpecially Adapted Housing and Adaptive Housing GrantsHow VA adaptive housing grants help veterans age in place: SAH, SHA, and HISA explained, 2026 grant maximums, who qualifies, and which VA form to file. VA BenefitsA Senior's Guide to VA BenefitsA complete guide to VA benefits for senior care: long-term care, Aid and Attendance, pensions, DIC, and home grants for older veterans and surviving spouses.

Find personalized help claiming Georgia'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.

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Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.