Veteran benefits in Los Angeles County, California
- Benefits you can claim here
- 33
- Property tax rate
- 1
- the Proposition 13 cap, statewide
- $180,671 exemption, typical home
- $1,807
- a year at this county rate
- Veterans in this county
- 222,934
- US Department of Veterans Affairs VetPop2023 county model, as of 9/30/2025
What to do, in Los Angeles County
The process is the same across California — the Board of Equalization prescribes the same forms in all 58 counties, and Proposition 13 fixes the rate. Only the office changes.
Find what applies to you
33 benefits reach Los Angeles County. Browse them below.
Check whether you qualify
Open any benefit and answer a few questions about that one specifically.
Get your proof
A VA Benefit Summary Letter from VA.gov covers most of them, in about two minutes.
File with Los Angeles County
Form DR-501 to the Property Appraiser before March 1. File even without your letter.
How much is a property tax exemption worth in Los Angeles County?
California does not vary the rate by county. Article XIII A of the state constitution — Proposition 13 — caps the ad valorem property tax at 1% of assessed value in Los Angeles County County and everywhere else, with voter-approved bonded debt adding a little on top, typically bringing the total to between 1.05% and 1.25%. So the figures below are essentially the same wherever in California you live. What actually decides your bill is your assessed value, which under Proposition 13 is based on what you paid for the home rather than on what it is worth today.
Every county in California uses the same rate — 1 percent of assessed value. There is no county-to-county comparison to draw here, so the $180,671 exemption is worth about the same wherever in California you live. What changes your bill is your assessed value, not your county.
These are example savings for a typical home in this county, not an estimate of your own bill. Your actual saving depends on your assessed value, your taxing districts, and how this exemption interacts with any others you hold.
| Constitutional rate cap | 1% of assessed value (Proposition 13) |
|---|---|
| Typical total including voter-approved debt | 1.05% to 1.25% |
| $180,671 exemption (Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code §205.5) | about $1,807 a year against the county rate |
| Total exemption (§205.5 low-income) | the entire bill — about $2,500 a year against the county rate on a typical $250,000 value, and more once your other taxing units are added |
| Where to file | Los Angeles County County Assessor |
| Deadline | February 15 for the low-income exemption, every year |
Which document does the Los Angeles County County Assessor accept?
The Board of Equalization prescribes the claim form statewide, so the form is never the question. What matters is that your VA letter establishes one of the four qualifying conditions.
Easiest · VA Benefit Summary / Rating Letter
Sign in at VA.gov, choose Download VA Letters, then Benefit Summary.
The Board of Equalization prescribes claim form BOE-261-G for every county assessor, so the form is settled statewide. What an assessor needs behind it is a VA letter establishing one of the four qualifying conditions. Get the printable one-pager to hand to the clerk.
All 33 benefits you can claim in Los Angeles County
California law applies in every county, so all of these are open to you here.
vehicles(5)
Former POW and Medal of Honor Plates — Registration and Licence Fees Waived
Former American prisoners of war and Congressional Medal of Honor recipients receive special recognition plates and an exemption from registration and vehicle licence fees on one passenger vehicle, motorcycle or commercial vehicle under 8,001 lb unladen, not for hire. A surviving spouse who retains the plates keeps the exemption. You may hold only ONE fee-exempt plate type — not both.
Registration and vehicle licence fees waived on one vehicle, plus the recognition plates
Fee-Exempt Plates — Disabled Veteran, Former POW, Medal of Honor, and Surviving Spouses
DV plates are issued without a plate fee, and §9105 then waives registration and licence fees on one vehicle entirely. The same section reaches former American prisoners of war and Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, and the surviving spouses of each who retain the special plates. One vehicle per person, and where more than one fee-exempt plate type applies, only one may be held.
Registration and licence fees waived on one vehicle
Free Tolls Statewide on a Veteran Licence Plate
Six plate types exempt you from tolls on every California toll road, bridge and crossing — but only if you enrol a transponder, and never in an express lane.
No tolls on any California toll facility except express lanes
Gold Star Family Plate — Eleven Relationships Qualify, and Renewal Is Free
Issued to a qualified family member of someone who lost their life in the line of duty. The list runs well past the widow: parents, stepparents, foster parents in loco parentis, children, stepchildren, siblings, half-siblings, grandparents and grandchildren all appear on it.
A sequential Gold Star Family plate, with no additional fee at renewal
The Disabled Veteran Plate Parks Free — No Placard Required
Veh. Code §22511.5 gives the holder of a §5007 disabled veteran plate the same parking rights as a disabled person placard: unlimited time in time-limited zones, and no parking meter fees at all.
Free metered parking and unlimited time in time-limited zones
licenses & fees(4)
A CDL Without the Driving Test — the Window Is 12 Months
California waives the CDL driving skills test for active duty, reserve and National Guard members, and for veterans whose DD-214 shows discharge within the last 12 months, who were regularly employed operating a commercial-motor-vehicle equivalent with about two years' experience and no disqualifying offences. The Even Exchange route additionally waives the knowledge tests. School bus and passenger endorsements are never waived.
The CDL driving skills test waived — and the knowledge tests too, on the Even Exchange route
Expedited Licensing for Veterans and Military Spouses
Every California licensing board must expedite an application from a military spouse licensed elsewhere, and from a veteran — and waive the fees for a spouse.
An expedited application, and waived fees for a military spouse
Veteran Designation on a California Driver Licence or ID
A "VETERAN" designation printed on your licence or ID after your County Veterans Service Office verifies your discharge. The cheapest proof of status you can carry.
Proof of veteran status you already carry in your wallet
Sell Goods Without Any Licence, Tax or Fee
An honorably discharged veteran may hawk, peddle and vend their own goods free of every municipal, county and state licence, tax or fee.
Every municipal, county and state vending licence fee waived
education(7)
Priority Registration at Community College and CSU — But Only for 15 Years
Education Code 66025.8 gives veterans priority enrolment for every degree and certificate programme at each California Community College district and CSU campus. It runs for four academic years after leaving active duty and must be used within 15 years of leaving. Honorable, general and other-than-honorable discharges all qualify; dishonorable and bad-conduct do not. UC is requested to comply rather than required to.
Priority enrolment for every degree and certificate programme, for four academic years
Operation Recognition — a Retroactive High School Diploma, Awarded Posthumously If Needed
Education Code 51430 lets a high school district, unified school district, county office of education or charter school governing body award a retroactive high school diploma to an honorably discharged veteran of the Second World War, Korea or Vietnam whose schooling was interrupted by service. It may be awarded POSTHUMOUSLY and received by next of kin, which is the part that matters most for a cohort this old.
A retroactive high school diploma, awardable posthumously
CalVet College Fee Waiver — Plan A (no income limit, age 14 to 26)
Waives all systemwide tuition at any California Community College, CSU or UC for the unmarried child of a totally disabled veteran, or one whose death was service-connected. No income test at all.
All systemwide tuition at a California Community College, CSU or UC
CalVet College Fee Waiver — Plan B (no age limit, income tested)
The same tuition waiver for the child of a veteran with any service-connected disability rating — no age limit and no wartime requirement, but the student’s income must be under $22,941.
All systemwide tuition at a California Community College, CSU or UC
CalVet College Fee Waiver — Plan C (POW and MIA families)
The same tuition waiver for any dependant of a veteran declared missing in action, captured in the line of duty, or forcibly detained by a foreign power.
All systemwide tuition at a California Community College, CSU or UC
CalVet College Fee Waiver — Plan D (Medal of Honor recipients and their children)
The tuition waiver for a Medal of Honor recipient, and for their children under 27. Undergraduate study only.
Systemwide tuition for undergraduate study
Immediate Resident Tuition for Veterans and Their Families
A veteran and their dependants are classified as California residents for tuition from the day they enrol, with no waiting period — worth tens of thousands at a UC.
The difference between non-resident and resident tuition
other(5)
No Fee for Any Public Record You Need for a VA Claim
Government Code 6107 bars California public entities from charging for recording, indexing or issuing certified copies of a military discharge or separation document — and, separately, from charging to search for and furnish certified copies of ANY public record required for a veterans' benefit application. That reaches birth, marriage and death certificates. An official who refuses is liable on their official bond.
No fee for recording a discharge document, or for certified copies of records needed for a claim
Veterans Homes of California
Eight state veterans homes offering everything from independent living to 24-hour skilled nursing, at rates well below the private market.
Care at well below the private market rate
Burial at a California State Veterans Cemetery
Interment for a veteran, their spouse and dependent children at one of California’s three state veterans cemeteries.
Plot, liner, marker, honours and perpetual care
Exclude Up to $20,000 of Military Retirement Pay from California Income Tax
California's first military retirement exclusion — up to $20,000, and another $20,000 of Survivor Benefit Plan annuity, if your federal AGI is under the cap. It expires after 2029.
Up to $20,000 excluded — and another $20,000 of Survivor Benefit Plan annuity
The Aging Department Runs No Veteran Caregiver Programme
The state aging department's own services-for-veterans page is a list of four links — the federal VA, the state veterans department, a page for LGBT veterans, and Social Security. It names no veteran-directed care budget, no veteran respite and no veteran adult day health programme of its own.
No veteran-specific caregiver, respite or adult day programme is named by the aging department
property tax(6)
Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption — Basic
Exempts $180,671 of your home’s assessed value in 2026. Once granted it needs no annual filing, and the amount rises every year with inflation.
$180,671 off your home’s assessed value
Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption — Low-Income
A larger exemption of $271,009 in 2026 where household income is under $81,131. It must be re-filed every single year.
$271,009 off your home’s assessed value
Disabled Veterans’ Exemption for an Unmarried Surviving Spouse
The exemption carries to an unmarried surviving spouse — including where the veteran died of a service-connected cause without ever having qualified in life.
$180,671 off your home’s assessed value, or $271,009 if low-income
The $4,000 Veterans’ Exemption — and Why Almost Nobody Can Use It
A $4,000 exemption that is unavailable to anyone owning more than $5,000 of property in total. We publish it to explain why it is not the benefit it looks like.
$4,000 off assessed value — about $40 a year
Proposition 19 Base Year Value Transfer for Severely Disabled Homeowners
Carry your Proposition 13 assessed value to a replacement home anywhere in California, up to three times. For a long-time owner this is frequently worth more than every other benefit here combined.
Your old assessed value, carried to a new home
Property Tax Postponement for Older, Blind or Disabled Homeowners
The state pays your property tax and takes a lien instead, at 5% simple interest. Funds are limited and it is first come, first served.
The state pays your property tax; you repay later at 5% simple interest
recreation(2)
Reduced-Fee Hunting and Fishing Licences at a 50% Rating
A $10.54 sport fishing or $9.79 hunting licence for a veteran rated 50% or higher, against a standard resident price of $64.54.
About $54 a year off each licence
Distinguished Veteran Pass — Free State Park Day Use, Camping and Boating
A free pass covering day use, camping and boating at every California state park for a veteran rated 50% or higher. It covers camping, which almost no other state pass does.
Day use, camping and boating at every California state park
Filing in Los Angeles County
- Office
- Los Angeles County Property Appraiser
- Form
- DR-501 for most exemptions; DR-501DV for the combat-related discount; DR-501M for a deployment exemption.
- Deadline
- March 1, every year. Missing it costs the whole tax year — there is no late route back in.
Free help in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County has a County Veteran Service Officer, and their help is free. Go to them for anything touching a federal VA disability claim.
Nobody should charge you to claim the benefits on this page. Unaccredited operators charging fees for VA claims are a real and growing problem.
Common questions about Los Angeles County veteran benefits
- What veteran benefits are available in Los Angeles County, California?
- 33 verified benefits apply in Los Angeles County: 33 California statewide benefits that apply in all 58 counties. They include the Disabled Veterans' Property Tax Exemption, the CalVet College Fee Waiver for a veteran's children, free state park camping at a 50% rating, reduced-fee hunting and fishing licences, and the CalVet home loan.
- How much is the California disabled veteran property tax exemption worth in Los Angeles County?
- About $1,807 a year, and that answer is the same in every California county. Proposition 13 caps the ad valorem rate at 1% of assessed value statewide, so the $180,671 basic exemption is worth roughly the same wherever you live — the low-income exemption of $271,009 is worth about half as much again. What differs between veterans is not the county but the assessed value, which under Prop 13 reflects what you paid rather than what the home is worth now.
- Where do I file for a veteran property tax exemption in Los Angeles County?
- With the Los Angeles County County Assessor, on form BOE-261-G. File within 90 days of qualifying, or by the January 1 after it, for 100% of the exemption. If you are claiming the low-income version you must re-file every year between January 1 and February 15.
- What document does the Los Angeles County County Assessor accept as proof?
- The Board of Equalization prescribes form BOE-261-G for every county assessor, so the form is settled. What you need behind it is a VA letter establishing one of the four qualifying conditions — a 100% rating, individual unemployability, blindness in both eyes, or loss of the use of two limbs.
Veteran benefits in other California counties
- Alameda
- Alpine
- Amador
- Butte
- Calaveras
- Colusa
- Contra Costa
- Del Norte
- El Dorado
- Fresno
- Glenn
- Humboldt
- Imperial
- Inyo
- Kern
- Kings
- Lake
- Lassen
- Madera
- Marin
- Mariposa
- Mendocino
- Merced
- Modoc
- Mono
- Monterey
- Napa
- Nevada
- Orange
- Placer
- Plumas
- Riverside
- Sacramento
- San Benito
- San Bernardino
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Joaquin
- San Luis Obispo
- San Mateo
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Shasta
- Sierra
- Siskiyou
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Stanislaus
- Sutter
- Tehama
- Trinity
- Tulare
- Tuolumne
- Ventura
- Yolo
- Yuba
This is an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. Veterans Alliance is privately owned and is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The 1% rate is the Proposition 13 constitutional cap, not a county figure. Veteran population is from the VA's VetPop2023 model.