CT Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption: Amounts and How to Apply

If you are a Connecticut resident with a VA disability rating of at least 10%, you qualify for the Connecticut disabled veterans property tax exemption. The statutory base takes $2,000 to $3,500 off your assessed value depending on your rating, but the number on your tax bill is usually much larger: your town multiplies the base by a revaluation factor, and an income-based add-on can double or triple what’s left. Veterans rated 100% permanently and totally disabled can wipe out the property tax on their primary home entirely.

Who Qualifies

Three requirements under Connecticut General Statutes § 12-81(20) decide eligibility.¹

At least 90 days of cumulative service in the U.S. Armed Forces during a recognized wartime period (World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf era, and others).
An honorable discharge.
A VA disability rating of 10% or higher.

The disability does not have to be combat-related. Any VA-rated condition of 10% or more counts, whatever the cause. You also need to be a Connecticut resident and own (or in some cases lease) the property the exemption will apply to.

How Much the Exemption Is Worth

Three things determine your actual savings: the base amount tied to your rating, a town-specific multiplier, and an income-based add-on.

Base Amounts by Rating

10% to 25% disability: $2,000
26% to 50%: $2,500
51% to 75%: $3,000
76% to 100%: $3,500
Any rating of 10% or higher if you are 65 or older: $3,500

Certain severe service-related losses add more on top. Losing one arm or leg adds $5,000, and losing both arms, both legs, or both feet adds $10,000.²

The Revaluation Multiplier

Those statutory figures are almost never the real number. Under § 12-62g, every time a town revalues property it must multiply the base veteran exemption by an increase factor equal to the new grand list divided by the pre-revaluation grand list, rounded to the nearest whole number.³ A town where property values have doubled will apply a factor of 2, turning a $2,000 base into $4,000. Towns with heavier growth may run factors of 3, 4, 6, or 8. Your local assessor can tell you the current factor.²

The Income-Based Add-On

A second layer under § 12-81g stacks on after the multiplier. Every disabled veteran gets something here. Above the income threshold, you get an additional exemption equal to half of your adjusted base. Below the threshold, the add-on jumps to twice your adjusted base, effectively tripling the total.⁴

For a veteran rated 10% to 25% in a town with a factor of 2:

Adjusted base: $2,000 × 2 = $4,000
Income over the threshold: $4,000 + $2,000 = $6,000 total
Income under the threshold: $4,000 + $8,000 = $12,000 total

For the 2026 assessment year, the Office of Policy and Management set the income limits at $56,500 for married applicants and $46,300 for single applicants.⁵ OPM adjusts these annually for Social Security cost-of-living increases.⁶ Income counts all sources including tax-exempt interest and Social Security, but VA disability payments are excluded.

A municipal option lets any town vote to enlarge the add-on for veterans rated 100% disabled, using three times the adjusted base instead of two (for a total of four times the base). The income limits for this enhanced version are lower. Check with your assessor to see whether your town has adopted it.²

Full Exemption for 100% Permanently and Totally Disabled Veterans

A separate benefit under § 12-81(83) eliminates the entire property tax bill on a primary residence for veterans rated 100% permanent and total. It removes the tax itself, not just a slice of assessed value. If you don’t own a home, the full exemption applies instead to one motor vehicle you own and keep in Connecticut.⁷

Any part of the dwelling used commercially or that produces rental income is excluded from the exemption. If your primary residence sits on leased land, the exemption can still apply, provided the lease is recorded in the town’s land records and requires you to pay property taxes on the dwelling.⁷

Surviving Spouses and Minor Children

When a veteran who was receiving the exemption dies, the surviving spouse keeps the same exemption as long as he or she does not remarry. A minor child of the veteran also qualifies while under 18. The exemption applies to the same extent the veteran received it, or would have been entitled to receive, at the time of death.⁷

For the full 100% P&T exemption, coverage carries over the same way. If the veteran did not own the home, the exemption can shift to a dwelling or vehicle belonging to the spouse, provided the couple lived together.⁷

How to Apply

Two offices are involved, and skipping either one costs you a full year.

File Your DD-214 With the Town Clerk

Your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) must be on file with the Town Clerk in your town of residence before any veteran exemption can be applied. The Clerk records it in the town’s land records. This filing has to be done before October 1 to count for that assessment year.⁸ Original or certified copy is fine. Once recorded, you don’t need to refile it.

Apply With the Assessor

With the DD-214 on file, submit your exemption application to the municipal assessor. Bring your current VA disability rating letter showing the percentage and effective date. The application must be filed by October 1 to appear on the following July’s tax bill; file after October 1 and it waits until the next cycle. You can deliver in person or by certified mail.¹

For the income-based add-on, include proof of household income for the prior calendar year. The filing window for the additional exemption runs from February 1 through October 1.

Keeping the Exemption Active

The base disability exemption stays in place as long as you keep your VA rating and own the property. No annual refile. The income-based add-on works differently: after your initial approval, you must refile every two years.⁴

In the off year, the law presumes you still qualify. If your income rises above the threshold during that gap year, though, you have to notify the assessor before the next filing deadline. Not reporting it isn’t a minor slip. The statute requires you to repay the town for the tax loss from any exemption you took improperly.⁴

1
Connecticut General Assembly. OLR Report 2016-R-0269 – Veterans Property Tax Exemptions
2
Connecticut General Assembly. Veterans Property Tax Exemptions by Town – State-Mandated Exemptions
3
Justia. Connecticut Code 12-62g – Increase in Certain Property Tax Exemptions and Tax Relief
4
Justia. Connecticut Code 12-81g – Additional Exemption From Property Tax For Veterans
5
Town of Killingworth. Additional Veterans Exemptions 2026
6
Connecticut General Assembly. Municipal-Option Property Tax Exemptions for Veterans
7
Connecticut General Assembly. Property Tax Exemption for Veterans With a 100% P and T Disability Rating
8
State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management. Additional Veterans Tax Relief Program