PA Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemption Form: Eligibility and Filing

To apply for Pennsylvania’s disabled veterans property tax exemption, request the application form from your county’s Director of Veterans Affairs, complete it with your service, disability, and household income information, and bring it back to that same office to be co-signed before it is date-stamped by the county Board of Assessment. The form is officially titled the Disabled Veterans’ Real Estate Tax Exemption Program Application, and it cannot be mailed in on your own: the county veterans affairs office has to review your materials and sign the application alongside you.¹

Where to Get the Form

Contact your county’s Director of Veterans Affairs to request the application. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs publishes a county-by-county directory on its website.² Some counties also make the form available through the county Board of Assessment or online, and individual counties may use slightly different versions of the form, though every version follows the structure required by state law.

There is no single statewide filing deadline. Some counties accept applications on a rolling basis; others have specific review cycles. Ask your county veterans affairs office about local timing so the exemption takes effect as soon as possible on your next tax bill.

What the Application Asks For

The form has a predictable set of sections. Fill it out completely before your appointment so the veterans affairs office can focus on reviewing your documentation rather than helping you locate information.

Personal information for you and, if applicable, your spouse: name, address, Social Security number, and contact details.
Property identification, including the parcel number for your home. You can find the parcel number on a recent tax bill or through your county’s online property records. A wrong parcel number is one of the most common reasons applications come back, so double-check it.
Military service details: branch, dates of service, and discharge status. These must match your DD-214 exactly.
Disability information: your VA rating and the nature of your service-connected condition.
Income disclosure: a breakdown of all gross annual income for the previous tax year, with separate columns for the veteran and spouse. Every income source listed in the state regulations has to be accounted for.
Certification: your signature and the signature of the County Director of Veterans Affairs or a designated county veterans service officer, both certifying that the information is accurate.

Documents to Bring to Your Appointment

Pull these together before you meet with the county veterans affairs office:

DD-214 (Member-4 copy), which proves your service dates, branch, and discharge character. If you have lost your copy, request a replacement through the National Personnel Records Center. That can take weeks, so start early.
VA Summary of Benefits Letter confirming your disability rating. You can download a current copy from the VA’s eBenefits portal or request one by phone.
Federal tax return (Form 1040), if you are required to file, along with any relevant schedules for business income, capital gains, rental income, or farm income.
Income statements: SSA-1099 for Social Security, 1099-R for pensions and annuities, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, W-2s, and any Combat Related Special Compensation statements.¹
A recent property tax bill, which confirms the parcel number.

Having everything organized in advance prevents the back-and-forth that slows most applications.

Check Your Eligibility Before You File

Four conditions have to be met before the State Veterans’ Commission will certify your need for the exemption.³

Wartime service with an honorable discharge or release under honorable circumstances.
A service-connected disability rated 100% permanent and total by the VA. The statute also covers veterans who are blind, paraplegic, or have lost two or more limbs as a result of military service.
Ownership of the home as your primary residence, held solely, jointly with your spouse, or as a tenancy by the entireties. If someone other than your spouse is on the deed, the exemption may apply only to your ownership share.
Financial need, as determined by the State Veterans’ Commission.

The exemption covers one property, and that property must be your principal dwelling in Pennsylvania. Investment properties, vacation homes, and out-of-state residences do not qualify.

How Income Is Handled on the Form

As of January 1, 2025, the presumptive-need income level is $114,637. Gross annual household income at or below that figure creates a presumption of financial need.² The threshold is adjusted periodically, so confirm the current figure with your county veterans affairs office before you file.

The income definition is broad. It includes salaries, wages, bonuses, self-employment income, Social Security (excluding Medicare), pensions, annuities, railroad retirement, state unemployment benefits, interest, capital gains, rental income, workers’ compensation, and cash gifts over $300.⁴ The regulation text also lists veterans disability payments as income, though at least one federal military benefits resource states that veterans financial benefits are not required to be included. Because the income figure drives the outcome, ask your county Director of Veterans Affairs to confirm exactly which sources count for your situation before you sign the form.

Income above the threshold does not automatically disqualify you. The Commission then looks at whether your allowable monthly expenses exceed your monthly household income, so document housing costs, medical expenses, and other recurring obligations if you are close to or over the line.

What Happens After You Submit

Once the county Board of Assessment receives your stamped application and confirms that all required documents and signatures are present, the file goes to the State Veterans’ Commission. When the Board of Assessment and the Commission both agree that the statutory conditions are met, the board grants the exemption and notifies you along with every local taxing body and tax collector responsible for the property.⁵ Approval stops all real estate taxes on your primary residence: county, township or borough, and school district. You do not have to contact each taxing authority separately.⁶

If your application is denied, the letter should explain why. Veterans previously denied for exceeding the income threshold should check whether the threshold has been adjusted since their last attempt; the Commission encouraged re-application after the January 2025 increase to $114,637.² Your county veterans affairs office can walk you through your options, including whether additional expense documentation might change the outcome.

If You Move or Your Situation Changes

The exemption is tied to a specific property and does not transfer automatically. If you sell your home and buy a new one, file a new application through the county veterans affairs office in the county where the new home is located.

Report any change that affects eligibility to your county Board of Assessment promptly: a change in disability status, a change in ownership, or a move. Receiving the exemption on a property you no longer occupy as your primary residence, or after an ownership change that takes you outside the eligibility rules, could create a tax liability for the period you were not entitled to the benefit.

Some counties require periodic re-certification, which may include updated income verification or proof of continued residence. Ask your county veterans affairs office about the local re-certification schedule.

Filing as a Surviving Spouse

An unmarried surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran can continue the exemption if the State Veterans’ Commission finds financial need.³ Remarriage ends eligibility. Bring a marriage certificate and the veteran’s death certificate along with the standard financial documentation. The spouse does not have to remain in the same home, provided the deed is in the surviving spouse’s name and the new home is a primary dwelling. If the surviving spouse enters a long-term care or rehabilitative facility, the original home can still qualify as the primary residence.⁶

One boundary to be aware of: if the veteran was killed in action and never received a VA disability rating during their lifetime, the surviving spouse does not qualify under the current program. Pending legislation would extend eligibility to surviving spouses of veterans who died in the line of duty, were prisoners of war, or were declared missing in action, but that bill had not been enacted as of early 2026.⁷

1
Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Disabled Veterans Real Estate Tax Exemption Program Application
2
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Real Estate Tax Exemption
3
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 51 8902 – Exemption
4
Cornell Law Institute. 43 Pa Code 5.22 – Definitions
5
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 51 Chapter 89 Section 8903 – Duty of Board
6
Montgomery County, PA. Real Estate Tax Exemption FAQs
7
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Disabled Real Estate Tax Exemption Program Veterans Community Updates