My combined rating is 70% but I am paid at the 100% rate through IU. Do I get this?

On the text of the statute, yes. §11.131(b) names individual unemployability as an alternative to a 100 percent rating. Take a VA letter that shows both the compensation rate and the unemployability determination — the Benefit Summary Letter has a tick box for unemployability specifically, and that box is what carries the claim.

Does this cover my school district taxes?

Yes. It exempts the total appraised value from every taxing unit. In Texas the school district is usually the largest line on the bill, often two to three times the county rate, so this is where most of the value sits.

I filed late. Is it gone?

Probably not. Ask the chief appraiser to accept a late application under §11.439. The window is five years from the delinquency date, and separately one year from the date the VA approved your disability. Very few people know either exists.

What happens to it when I die?

It can carry to your surviving spouse if they do not remarry and the home was, and remains, their residence homestead. It is not automatic — they have to file in their own name, and nothing in the Texas system will tell them so.

Should I ask the VA for an IU determination to get this?

We will not advise you to do that. Any request that reopens your file can trigger a review. Talk to an accredited veterans service officer before taking a step that touches your federal claim.

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property taxstate

Total Property Tax Exemption for 100% Disabled Veterans

Exempts the entire appraised value of your home from property tax. Not a discount and not a cap — the taxable value of your residence homestead goes to zero.

Verified August 17, 2026

What this benefit is

This is the largest property tax benefit Texas offers anyone, veteran or otherwise. It exempts the TOTAL appraised value of your residence homestead — county, school district, city and special districts alike. The taxable value of your home goes to zero.

It is not a discount, a cap, or a reduction in value. For an eligible veteran the property tax bill on their homestead is nothing.

What it's worth: 100% of your property tax bill

Exempts the total appraised value of the residence homestead from every taxing unit — county, school district, city and special districts alike.
The figure shown uses your county government rate only, which every parcel pays. Your school district rate is usually two to three times larger again, so your real saving is materially higher.

Who is entitled to it

A veteran who receives 100 percent disability compensation from the VA,
and who holds either a 100 percent disability rating OR a determination of individual unemployability,
and who owns and occupies a Texas home as their residence homestead.

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

Individual unemployability qualifies, and the statute says so

This is the most consequential sentence in Texas veteran benefits law. §11.131(b) entitles a veteran who receives 100 percent disability compensation "and a rating of 100 percent disabled or of individual unemployability" to the total exemption. Those last four words are in the statute. A veteran rated 70 percent combined who is paid at the 100 percent rate through IU is entitled to a total exemption of their home — and is regularly refused by someone who reads the percentage and stops. If that happens to you, ask them to read subsection (b), and ask for the refusal in writing. Texas is unusually clear here; Florida's equivalent statute says nothing about TDIU at all and its counties disagree with each other as a result.

How to claim it

Deadline: April 30

1Get a VA award or benefit summary letter showing you receive compensation at the 100 percent rate, and showing either a 100 percent rating or individual unemployability.
2File Form 50-114 with your county appraisal district.
3If you qualified partway through the year, say so — the exemption applies from the date you qualified, not from the next January.

Form: 50-114
File with: Your county appraisal district
Documents you will need: va disability award letter · tx dl or id · dd214
Stays in place once granted: It stays in place once granted. Re-file when you move, and tell the district if your VA rating changes. The district may ask you to re-apply periodically.; A district may ask you to re-apply periodically to confirm you still qualify. Answer that letter.

You can file before your VA letter arrives.

Two separate late routes, and most people know neither. §11.439 lets the chief appraiser accept a late application up to five years after the delinquency date. And if the VA approves your disability after the deadline, §11.439(a) requires the appraiser to accept an application filed within one year of that approval.

Walk me through it

Common mistakes that cost people this benefit

Applying for the wrong exemption. §11.22 is a flat $5,000 to $12,000 off your value. §11.131 exempts the whole thing. They are different sections with different forms — 50-135 and 50-114 — and a district will not upgrade an application you did not make.
Believing you have missed the deadline. Texas has two late routes and they are generous. §11.439 accepts a late application up to five years after the delinquency date, and where the VA approves your disability after the deadline the chief appraiser must accept an application filed within one year of that approval.
Waiting for January because you qualified in July. You do not. The exemption applies from the date you qualified for the remaining portion of that tax year.
Assuming the surviving-spouse carryover moves with you at full value. It does not — it converts to a fixed dollar amount frozen at your last year in the old home.

Worth knowingIndividual unemployability qualifies. The statute names it: "a rating of 100 percent disabled or of individual unemployability". A veteran rated 70 percent combined and paid at the 100 percent rate through IU is entitled to the total exemption. This is the opposite of Florida, where no statute addresses TDIU and counties disagree.

Worth knowingThis is not the $12,000 exemption. §11.22 pays a flat amount off your appraised value and tops out at $12,000; §11.131 exempts the whole value. Veterans routinely apply for the wrong one, and an appraisal district will not upgrade an application you did not make.

Worth knowingQualifying mid-year is fine. If your eligibility begins after January 1, the exemption applies to the remaining portion of that tax year — you do not wait for the next January.

Questions people ask

My combined rating is 70% but I am paid at the 100% rate through IU. Do I get this?: On the text of the statute, yes. §11.131(b) names individual unemployability as an alternative to a 100 percent rating. Take a VA letter that shows both the compensation rate and the unemployability determination — the Benefit Summary Letter has a tick box for unemployability specifically, and that box is what carries the claim.
Does this cover my school district taxes?: Yes. It exempts the total appraised value from every taxing unit. In Texas the school district is usually the largest line on the bill, often two to three times the county rate, so this is where most of the value sits.
I filed late. Is it gone?: Probably not. Ask the chief appraiser to accept a late application under §11.439. The window is five years from the delinquency date, and separately one year from the date the VA approved your disability. Very few people know either exists.
What happens to it when I die?: It can carry to your surviving spouse if they do not remarry and the home was, and remains, their residence homestead. It is not automatic — they have to file in their own name, and nothing in the Texas system will tell them so.
Should I ask the VA for an IU determination to get this?: We will not advise you to do that. Any request that reopens your file can trigger a review. Talk to an accredited veterans service officer before taking a step that touches your federal claim.

Sources

authority · statuteTex. Tax Code §11.131
operating · published policyTexas Comptroller — 100 Percent Disabled Veteran and Surviving Spouse FAQ
operating · formForm 50-114, Residence Homestead Exemption Application

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