property taxstate

$250 Off the Property Tax Bill Every Year — No Disability Needed

An annual $250 property tax deduction for an honourably discharged veteran with active duty service who owns a New Jersey home, and for an unremarried surviving spouse — tested as of 1 October of the pretax year.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: $250 off the property tax bill, every year

The Division states the deduction as a flat annual $250. It is a deduction from the tax itself rather than from assessed value, so the saving is $250 regardless of the local rate.
It is administered by the municipality, so the money shows up as a reduction on the bill rather than as a payment to you.
The full exemption for a 100% service-connected disabled veteran is a different and much larger benefit. Where that applies there is no tax left for a $250 deduction to reduce.

Who is entitled to it

You are the veteran, or an unremarried surviving spouse.
The character of service works for this one.
Your home is in New Jersey.
The remarriage condition does not stand in your way.
This condition only applies to a surviving spouse.
You have not remarried, so the benefit carries over to you.

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.

How to claim it

Deadline: File with the municipality — eligibility is tested as of 1 October of the pretax year

1File Form V.S.S. with your local assessor or tax collector, with the documentary proofs. This is a municipal filing, not a state one.
2Count backwards to 1 October. Every requirement — legal New Jersey residency, ownership of the property, and the military service — must be met as of 1 October of the pretax year, which is the year before the tax year you are claiming for.
3Check the service test carefully if you served in the Guard or reserve: you must have been called to active duty service. The Division states that active duty for training is ineligible.
4Gather the proofs the Division names: the DD 214, and as applicable a death certificate, the deed, a marriage certificate, a driving licence or voter registration.
5A surviving spouse, civil union partner or domestic partner claims in their own right, but only where they have not remarried or entered a new civil union or domestic partnership, and the veteran was a New Jersey resident at death.
6If a claim is denied, the appeal is Form A-1 to the County Board of Taxation by 1 April following — and by 15 January in Burlington, Gloucester and Monmouth counties, which run a different assessment calendar.

Form: Form V.S.S.
File with: Your local assessor or tax collector
Documents you will need: dd214
Automatic until something changes: The municipality carries it forward, but a change in ownership, residency or marital status has to be reported.

CorrectionThis is not the disabled veterans’ exemption. It needs no VA rating at all — active duty service and an honourable discharge are the whole service test. A veteran with no rating who assumed property tax relief was only for the disabled has been leaving $250 a year on the table.

Worth knowingThe 1 October pretax-year date is the thing that catches people. Buying in November means the first claimable year is the one after the year you might expect, so ask the assessor which tax year your first deduction lands in.

Known gapThe Division’s page does not restate the statutory section or the residency provision for a continuing care retirement community in full. If you live in a CCRC, ask the assessor how the deduction is applied there before assuming your monthly fee is reduced.

Sources

authority · published policyNJ Division of Taxation — $250 Veterans Property Tax Deduction
operating · published policyNJ Division of Taxation — Military and Veteran Tax Credits, Exemptions, and Benefits

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.