Disabled Veteran Exemption for a Surviving Spouse or Surviving Children
The flat disabled veteran exemption passes to an unmarried surviving spouse, or is divided among surviving children under 18.
Verified August 17, 2026
What this benefit is
The flat disabled veteran exemption does not die with the veteran. An unmarried surviving spouse takes the whole amount the veteran was entitled to; where there is no qualifying spouse, surviving children under 18 divide it equally.
What it's worth: The same exemption the veteran held, up to $12,000 of appraised value
- A surviving spouse takes the whole amount the veteran was entitled to at death.
- Where there is no qualifying spouse, surviving children under 18 divide it equally between them.
Who is entitled to it
- The unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who qualified under §11.22,
- or, where there is no qualifying spouse, the surviving children of that veteran while they are under 18.
Exceptions
Remarriage ends the surviving-spouse exemption. Texas is explicit and there is no route back — every surviving-spouse exemption in chapter 11 is conditioned on not having remarried since the death. Tex. Tax Code §11.131(c)
A surviving child's share ends at 18. The statute is a hard age cut-off, not a school-enrolment test. Tex. Tax Code §11.22(c)
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
The children's share ends at 18, and it is a hard line
This is an age cut-off, not an enrolment test. A surviving child in full-time education loses their share on their eighteenth birthday. Where there are several children the amount is divided equally between them, and as each turns 18 the remainder redistributes among those still eligible. Nothing tells the family any of this.
How to claim it
Deadline: April 30- 1File Form 50-135 with the county appraisal district in your own name.
- Form
- 50-135
- File with
- Your county appraisal district
- Documents you will need
- death certificate · va disability award letter · proof of title
- Confirm this every year
- Nothing in the Texas system tells a survivor this exemption exists or that it must be claimed in their own name. Check it is on your bill.
Common mistakes that cost people this benefit
- Assuming the exemption lapsed when the veteran died.
- Remarrying without knowing it ends the spouse's route permanently.
- Waiting until the tax bill arrives to notice it was dropped.
Questions people ask
- The veteran was rated 55%. What do I get?
- The amount the veteran was entitled to at death — the $10,000 bracket at a 50 to 69 percent rating.
Sources
- authority · statuteTex. Tax Code §11.22(c)
- operating · published policyTexas Comptroller — Disabled Veteran and Surviving Spouse Exemptions FAQ
Why only one source type: The statute is the authority. The Comptroller FAQ is the operating source and covers the survivor route only in outline; no form-specific survivor guidance is published.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.