Maryland Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption: Owe $0 (2026)

Maryland's disabled veteran property tax exemption can erase the entire real property tax bill on the home of a veteran the VA has rated 100% permanently and totally disabled.1 It is one of the most valuable benefits the state offers, and it turns on a service-connected disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), not the age-and-income math behind the separate senior property tax relief most homeowners ask about.

Maryland is home to hundreds of thousands of veterans, and many who carry a total disability rating never realize the state will exempt their home from property tax entirely.2

In This Guide

• Key Takeaways
• Do You Qualify?
• How Much Is the Exemption?
• What About a Surviving Spouse?
• How to Apply
• How It Works With Your VA Benefits
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

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

Maryland's disabled veteran property tax exemption is written into state law (Tax-Property Article, § 7-208) and administered by the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) together with your local county assessment office.1 It is claimed on the veteran's dwelling house, meaning the home you actually live in.

The eligibility test is a single, specific determination. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must have found that you have a disability that is 100% service connected, permanently, and totally disabling.1 That is the same total-and-permanent rating the VA uses across its benefits, so if you already carry it, you meet Maryland's core requirement.

A federal benefits summary from the U.S. Army notes the exemption also reaches veterans rated 100% total and permanent or unemployable, and service members who received a 100% total and permanent disability rating from their branch of service.1 Because the exact wording of your rating decision matters here, it is worth confirming your specific eligibility with your local Maryland assessment office before you assume you are in or out.1

How Much Is the Maryland Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption?

Here is what sets this benefit apart from most property tax breaks: it is a complete exemption, not a capped credit or a flat dollar amount knocked off your assessment. A qualifying veteran owes no real property tax at all on the dwelling house and the surrounding yard.1

On a typical Maryland home, that is not a small line item. Property tax runs into the thousands of dollars a year across the state's counties and Baltimore City, and the exemption removes that obligation on the qualifying veteran's home entirely rather than trimming it. Because eligibility rests on the VA's total-and-permanent disability determination rather than a valuation ceiling, the full assessed value of the dwelling house is exempted.1

What About a Surviving Spouse?

The exemption does not end when the veteran dies. Maryland extends it to certain un-remarried surviving spouses of eligible veterans, and to surviving spouses of service members killed in the line of duty.1

The key word is un-remarried. Under § 7-208 a "surviving spouse" is an individual who has not remarried and who is the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran, is the surviving spouse of someone who died in the line of duty, or receives Dependency and Indemnity Compensation from the VA.1 Remarriage ends eligibility for the benefit.

Apply even if your husband or wife never had the exemption. This is the route most surviving spouses never hear about: § 7-208 also reaches a dwelling house the veteran merely occupied and that never received the exemption, as long as the veteran was domiciled in Maryland at death and you own the house and live in it.1 Once you have qualified that way, the exemption follows you to a home you buy later, up to the amount of the exemption on the former one.1 A surviving spouse of someone who died in the line of duty qualifies where that person owned the dwelling house at death, or where the spouse buys a home within two years of the death and either of them was domiciled in Maryland as of the date of death.1

A surviving spouse who has not remarried should file for the exemption the same way the veteran would have, and, like the veteran, is not held to the September 1 deadline.1 If you were eligible in past years and did not apply, you can also claim a refund of the state, county and municipal property tax you paid while the exemption was available, but only by applying within the three-year period that begins with the calendar year you first became eligible.1

How to Apply

Applying is more forgiving than most Maryland property tax filings, because veterans and surviving spouses are allowed to apply at any time and do not have to meet the September 1 filing deadline that governs other exemptions and credits.1 Here is the path.

You do not have to do this alone. The Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families (MDVMF) provides free, accredited help to veterans and their families, and its VA-accredited benefits specialists can walk you through state and federal claims at no cost.3 MDVMF asks veterans to find the DVMF Service Office nearest them and call that office directly to make an appointment. Its Baltimore regional office, one office of several rather than a statewide line, is listed at 31 Hopkins Plaza, Room 3020, at 410-230-4444 ext. 16453 or 800-446-4926 ext. 6450.3 If your appointment is to submit a disability compensation or pension claim, that submission depends on your discharge paperwork supporting the claim, so bring your DD-214.3

How It Works With Your VA Benefits

A common worry is that claiming a state tax break will somehow cut into a federal check. It will not, because these are different programs run by different governments. Maryland's exemption is a state property tax benefit created under state law, separate from the federal VA's disability compensation and pension.1 Claiming the exemption stands apart from the VA benefits you may already receive.

That includes VA Aid and Attendance, the pension supplement for veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities. For the December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026 period, the maximum annual pension with Aid and Attendance is $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents (about $2,424 a month) and $18,697 for a surviving spouse (about $1,558 a month).4 Those figures are ceilings, not checks: VA publishes annual rates and pays the difference between your income for VA purposes and that maximum, so a monthly amount is the yearly figure divided by 12.4 Aid and Attendance carries its own financial test, including a net worth limit of $163,699 for that same period, that the property tax exemption does not share.5

What doesn't count toward that limit: your primary residence, one personal vehicle, and basic home items like appliances you wouldn't take with you if you moved. The house you live in doesn't push you over the limit.5 What does count is the fair market value of your other real and personal property, minus any mortgage you owe on it, plus your income for VA purposes, and the calculation includes your spouse's net worth.5 VA may also subtract unreimbursed medical expenses and educational expenses from the income side.5

The practical takeaway is that a 100% disabled Maryland veteran can hold the property tax exemption on their home and, separately, pursue Aid and Attendance if they need care, since the two are judged under their own rules.1 For a full picture of the VA programs that pay for care in the state, see our guide to VA benefits for senior care in Maryland.

Learn More

Find personalized help claiming the Maryland 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.