Surviving Spouse Carryover of the Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption
The exemption a totally and permanently disabled veteran held can carry over to their surviving spouse — capped at the amount granted on the most recent tax roll.
Verified August 15, 2026
What this benefit is
When a veteran who held the total and permanent disability exemption dies, the exemption can carry over to their surviving spouse. It is one of the most valuable benefits in the state and one of the most frequently lost, because nothing in Florida's system tells the spouse it exists.
The carryover is capped at the dollar amount granted on the most recent tax roll. It is not a fresh full exemption, and it is portable to a new residence up to that same capped amount.
What it's worth: Up to the exemption amount your spouse received on the most recent tax roll
- The transfer is capped at the dollar amount granted on the most recent tax roll. It is not a fresh full exemption.
- It is portable to a new residence, up to that same capped amount.
Who is entitled to it
- The surviving spouse of a veteran who was receiving the §196.081 exemption.
- Who holds title to the property and lives in it.
- And who has not remarried.
Exceptions
Remarriage ends the surviving-spouse exemption permanently. It does not transfer if you remarry — the FDVA guide states the opposite, and it is wrong. Fla. Stat. §196.081(3)
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
The thing most people get wrong
Remarriage ends it, permanently
Florida's own 2026 FDVA Benefits Guide states the exemption transfers "if the spouse remarries". The statute says the exact opposite — remarriage terminates it. That is a flat inversion in the state's most-cited secondary source, and acting on it would cost a spouse the entire benefit.
How to claim it
Deadline: March 1- 1File a DR-501 in your own name with the county property appraiser.
- 2Bring the death certificate and your spouse's VA letter.
- 3Do this within 60 days of the death and before the next March 1.
- Form
- DR-501
- File with
- Your county property appraiser
- Documents you will need
- death certificate · va letter certifying tp · proof of title
- Confirm this every year
- Miami-Dade tells applicants this exemption "renews automatically". That is true for the living veteran and it is a trap for the surviving spouse — when the veteran dies the renewal eventually stops, and by then March 1 may have passed.
Common mistakes that cost people this benefit
- Trusting the "renews automatically" language. That is true while the veteran is alive. After the death the renewal eventually stops, and by then March 1 may have passed.
- Waiting past 60 days. Act within 60 days of the death and before the next March 1.
- Assuming it transfers at full value. It is capped at the prior tax roll amount.
Questions people ask
- The county says the exemption renews automatically. Do I need to do anything?
- Yes. File a DR-501 in your own name. The automatic renewal was set up for your spouse, and it will stop.
- Can I take it with me if I sell and move?
- Yes, up to the same capped amount that was on the most recent tax roll.
Sources
- authority · statuteFla. Stat. §196.081(3)
Why only one source type: The statute is the authority. No agency publishes a distinct operating page for the carryover — counties handle it under the same DR-501 process as the veteran exemption.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.