Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption in Louisiana (2026)

Last reviewed August 26, 2026. Every figure, form and deadline on this page is re-checked against the state’s own government sources once a quarter, and the date above is updated when we do it.

Louisiana’s disabled veteran property tax exemption scales with your VA disability rating, on top of the homestead exemption every owner-occupant already gets. A 50% to 69% rating adds $2,500 of exempt assessed value, 70% to 99% adds $4,500, and a 100% rating, or 100% pay for individual unemployability, exempts your entire home’s assessed value from parish and most other ad valorem property tax.

The number that trips people up is “assessed value.” Louisiana assesses homes at only 10% of market value, so those add-on dollar figures are smaller than they look and the full 100% exemption is worth far more than they look. I break down both further down. You apply through your parish assessor using Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Form A25.

How much is the Louisiana exemption worth?

VA disability rating	Added exempt assessed value	Roughly, added exempt market value
Under 50%	None beyond the regular homestead exemption	—
50% to 69%	+$2,500 assessed value	about +$25,000
70% to 99%	+$4,500 assessed value	about +$45,000
100%, or 100% pay for individual unemployability	Entire assessed value	Entire home, at any value

Every tier stacks on top of, not instead of, the regular homestead exemption, which already shields the first $7,500 of assessed value ($75,000 of market value) for any owner-occupant. So a veteran rated 50% to 69% is protecting $10,000 of assessed value in total, a veteran rated 70% to 99% is protecting $12,000, and a veteran rated 100%, or paid at the 100% rate for individual unemployability, pays no ad valorem property tax on the home at all, regardless of what it is worth. The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs states the 100% tier plainly: exempt from all ad valorem taxation, with a narrow exception for certain municipal tax assessments that some cities levy outside the ad valorem system.

Why “assessed value” is not the number on your Zillow listing

Louisiana assesses residential land and improvements at 10% of fair market value, a ratio set in the state constitution. A $2,500 exemption in assessed-value terms is a $25,000 exemption in market-value terms, and the $4,500 tier is $45,000 of market value. That is a much bigger number than the raw “$2,500” and “$4,500” figures suggest on their own, and it is also why the swing between the 70-99% tier and the 100% tier is so large: at 100%, there is no cap at all.

A different program with a similar name: the special assessment level

Louisiana also has a separate benefit, the special assessment level under Article VII, Section 18(G), that freezes your home’s assessed value at the level it was the first year you qualify, so future reassessments cannot raise your tax bill. Veterans rated 50% or higher can use it, along with owners 65 and older and a few other groups. Unlike the tiered exemption above, the assessment freeze has an income limit, currently $100,000 of federal adjusted gross income, adjusted for inflation starting with the 2026 tax year. Do not confuse the two. You can apply for both if you qualify, but the freeze is means tested and the exemption is not.

Who qualifies in Louisiana?

To claim the veteran property tax exemption in Louisiana you need:

• A service-connected disability rating of 50% or higher from the VA, or, for the full exemption, a 100% rating or 100% pay for individual unemployability.
• Louisiana’s Form A25 instructions specifically exclude temporary ratings issued under 38 CFR 4.28, 4.29 or 4.30 from qualifying. Those are convalescence and hospitalization ratings that are expected to change, and Louisiana wants a rating expected to be permanent.
• You must own and occupy the home as your primary residence and already qualify for, or be applying for, the regular homestead exemption on the same property.

There is no income limit on this exemption. Income only matters for the separate special assessment level described above.

Surviving spouses

The surviving spouse of a veteran who had a qualifying disability rating keeps the same exemption tier, whether or not the exemption was already on the property before the veteran died, as long as the spouse occupies the home and remains its owner. If the spouse remarries or moves, the exemption on that home generally ends.

A constitutional amendment on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot (Act 39 of the 2026 Regular Session, from Senate Bill 180) would let a surviving spouse who already holds the exemption transfer its dollar value, one time, to a different home. As of this writing that is a proposed change voters have not yet decided on, not current law. Check with your parish assessor on where it stands if you are a surviving spouse planning to move.

Can the exemption be used before closing?

In Louisiana, generally no, not for the year you buy. Homestead exemptions, and the veteran tiers that ride on top of them, are tied to who owns and occupies the property as of January 1 of the tax year. If you close on a home partway through 2026, the seller’s exemption status (or lack of one) generally governs the 2026 tax year, and your own application for the homestead exemption and the veteran add-on typically takes effect for tax year 2027, which you would apply for during 2027. Practice on timing can vary a little by parish assessor, so confirm the cutoff with the assessor’s office where you are buying before you assume either way.

Four states put a pre-purchase determination in the statute. Louisiana is not one of them

State rule. Four states let a qualifying veteran get something in writing from the taxing authority before they own the home:

• Virginia: file the normal exemption paperwork plus documentation of the purchase agreement and the commissioner of the revenue must process it and send an approval or denial letter, with the exemption amount, within 20 business days. Va. Code § 58.1-3219.6(B). The exemption itself takes effect only after you become the owner.
• Maryland: you may apply for a specific dwelling you intend to purchase, and the Department of Assessments and Taxation must send a preliminary approval or denial, with the amount, within 15 business days. Md. Code, Tax-Property § 7-208(d)(5). No second application is needed once you own it.
• Utah: a qualifying disabled veteran claimant may apply before owning the residence with a real estate purchase contract, filed in the county where the home sits, and the county must send a receipt with preliminary approval or denial and the calculated amount within 15 business days. Utah Code § 59-2a-502(5).
• Alabama: for closings on or after October 1, 2026, the tax assessing official issues a tentative certificate of permanent and total disability before purchase, within 20 days, and the statute says a settlement agent or loan closing officer may not consider the homestead ad valorem taxes when calculating debt-to-income once you hand over that certificate. Ala. Code § 40-9-21.3.

One correction worth having, because it gets repeated a lot: outside of Alabama these laws bind the county or the state tax office, not your lender. They force the taxing authority to answer you in writing before closing. They do not order a lender to waive or exclude the tax. Alabama is the only one of the four that reaches into the loan file itself. North Carolina has a bill that would add a prequalification process, House Bill 94, which passed the House 112 to 0 in May 2025 and has sat in Senate Rules since. It is not law, so do not plan around it.

In Louisiana it is a lender decision, so shop it

Lender overlay and market practice. There is no Louisiana statute telling the taxing authority to pre-approve you before you own the home, so whether this benefit helps you qualify comes down to lender policy. Here is what that looks like in practice, from lender guidance we collected directly in August 2026:

• Some lenders will use the reduced tax figure before closing, and some will not. One wholesale lender told us plainly it will consider a veteran real estate tax exemption and a reduced property tax number in the qualifying payment, as long as underwriting gets the local exemption rules and proof you meet them. If the documentation is short, underwriting uses the full tax amount instead. Another wholesaler checks it state by state and county by county on every single closing. If your lender says no, that is not the final answer on the benefit. It is that lender’s answer. Ask another one.
• Every lender will require proof of eligibility if the lower tax is doing work in your file. If the reduced tax is what lowers your debt ratio or raises your residual income, expect to document it: your VA rating decision or award letter showing the qualifying disability, the taxing authority’s own published exemption rules, and usually the completed exemption application. One lender’s VA guide requires proof of 100 percent disability from VA plus a copy of the completed county application for property tax exemption, and where the application has to be notarized it takes an unsigned copy up front and conditions it to be signed at closing.

Lender overlays apply everywhere. State permission is not lender permission. One large investor allows the anticipated reduced tax for qualifying only for primary residences in California, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Utah and Virginia, and only with proof the veteran applied to the taxing authority before the note date. Louisiana is not on that list.

Practically, ask your loan officer two questions before you write an offer: will you use a reduced tax figure to qualify me, and will you waive the tax escrow. Different lenders give different answers on the same file, and that is normal, not a mistake.

What we can do instead: waive the escrow

If the exemption cannot be counted yet, the fallback is to not escrow the taxes at all, so your monthly housing expense is not carrying twelve months of a tax bill that is about to shrink. VA does not require escrows, so this is a lender and investor decision, and many will allow it on a strong file. There are lenders that will waive the tax escrow on a VA loan even when the property taxes have not been waived yet, so this is a real option and not a rare favor. Some will waive it with no restrictions at all, others want the eligibility proof and the correct paperwork in the file first. Waiving escrow does not require the taxing authority to approve anything, which is why it is usually the easier ask of the two. Understand the tradeoff: with no escrow account, you pay the taxing authority directly and you are on your own for those tax bills until the exemption is actually approved, and approval can take a while. Budget for it and pay the bill on time; a delinquent tax bill on a home you just bought is an expensive way to save a few dollars of monthly payment.

One more VA rule to know, because it runs the other way. On estimating taxes, Chapter 4 says “If taxes are expected to increase, use the increased amount.” There is no matching VA instruction that lets an underwriter write down your taxes, which is why the reduction is always a lender option and never a VA entitlement. The Chapter 4 text is here if you want to read it.

Plan for the gap between closing and approval

These applications take a while to process, and the taxing authority’s calendar does not wait for your loan. A tax bill can come due between your closing date and the day your exemption is approved, and you are the owner, so that bill is yours. That can include taxes attributable to the period the prior owner held the home. One lender’s VA guide makes it explicit and requires a signed letter of explanation from the veteran borrower stating they are solely responsible for the property taxes owed for the prior owner. Keep the money set aside and do not assume the first bill will be reduced, especially if you waived escrow and Louisiana is billing you directly.

How to apply in Louisiana, step by step

1. Get LDVA Form A25, the certification of your VA disability rating. Your local parish veterans service office completes and signs it, at no cost. Use the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs office locator to find the office for your parish.
2. File your regular homestead exemption with your parish assessor if you have not already, since the veteran exemption is always an add-on to it, not a stand-alone filing.
3. Submit the signed Form A25 along with your parish assessor’s own exemption application. Most parish assessors post their own short veteran exemption application alongside the state form; your parish assessor’s office can tell you which local paperwork they want with it.
4. Find your parish assessor using the Louisiana Assessors’ Association parish directory (PDF download), which lists all 64 elected parish assessors, including Orleans Parish’s district assessors, with current addresses and phone numbers.
5. Watch your parish’s deadline. Homestead-related exemptions in Louisiana are generally filed for the tax year based on ownership and occupancy as of January 1, and assessors typically want the paperwork in before the rolls close that summer. Deadlines are set locally, so confirm the exact date with your parish assessor.
6. You generally do not refile every year once approved, unless your rating changes, you move, or your parish asks you to recertify. Notify your parish veterans service office if the VA changes your rating, since a rating increase can move you into a higher tier.

Can you fix a missed year or a rating change?

Louisiana does not run a statewide “late application for a prior year” process for this exemption the way some states do. Homestead and veteran exemptions are tied to your status as of January 1 of each tax year, and the practical fix if you missed a year is local: contact your parish assessor as soon as you realize the exemption was not applied, and ask what your parish’s process is for adjusting that year’s roll or crediting an already-paid bill. Some parishes can correct the current or immediately preceding roll if you catch it in time; the window and the mechanism vary by parish assessor and by whether the bill has already been paid.

If your VA rating changes mid-year, for example a 70% rating upgraded to 100%, tell your parish veterans service office right away so an updated Form A25 is on file. The higher tier generally applies starting the next tax year your ownership and rating are both in place as of January 1, not retroactively to the year of the rating change.

Other Louisiana programs for disabled veterans

The property tax exemption is the biggest homeownership benefit, but Louisiana has several others worth knowing about.

• Special assessment level, a.k.a. the assessment freeze (state, means tested). Veterans rated 50% or higher, along with owners 65 and up and a few other groups, can freeze their home’s assessed value so future reassessments do not raise the tax bill. It requires federal adjusted gross income at or under $100,000, a figure the constitution now indexes for inflation starting with the 2026 tax year. Filed with your parish assessor, also using Form A25 to certify the rating. La. Const. art. VII, §18(G).
• Military retirement pay tax exemption (state income tax). Louisiana fully exempts military retirement benefits from state income tax. Louisiana Dept. of Veterans Affairs, state benefits.
• Reduced vehicle use tax for new residents (state). Veterans and military retirees moving a previously registered vehicle into Louisiana pay a flat $90 use tax instead of the standard rate, if the vehicle is registered within 90 days of the move. Louisiana Dept. of Veterans Affairs, state benefits.
• Louisiana Veterans Homes (state). Five state-run veterans homes, with no monthly fee for residents with a service-connected disability rating of 70% to 100%. Louisiana Dept. of Veterans Affairs, veterans homes.
• Parish veterans service offices (parish, no cost). Every parish has one. They help file VA claims, sign Form A25, and connect veterans to state and local assistance. Office locator.

Louisiana disabled veteran property tax FAQs

How much is Louisiana’s disabled veteran property tax exemption worth?

It depends on your VA disability rating. On top of the regular homestead exemption, which already covers the first $7,500 of assessed value, a rating of 50% to 69% adds $2,500 of exempt assessed value, 70% to 99% adds $4,500, and a 100% rating, or 100% pay for individual unemployability, exempts the entire assessed value of your home from ad valorem tax.

Do I need a 100 percent rating to get any exemption in Louisiana?

No. Louisiana’s veteran exemption starts at a 50% combined VA rating. Below 50%, you still get the regular homestead exemption everyone qualifies for, just not the added veteran tiers.

Is Louisiana’s assessed value the same as market value?

No, and this trips people up. Louisiana assesses residential land and improvements at 10% of fair market value, so a $2,500 assessed-value exemption is worth $25,000 of market value, and the top added tier, $4,500 assessed, is worth $45,000 of market value. A 100% rating exempts all of it, at any market value.

What form do I need and where do I get it?

Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Form A25, certifying your VA disability rating. Your parish veterans service office signs it at no cost, and you then file it with your parish assessor along with your regular homestead exemption paperwork.

Can a surviving spouse keep the Louisiana exemption?

Yes. The surviving spouse of a veteran who had a qualifying rating keeps the same exemption tier as long as the spouse occupies the home and remains the owner, whether or not the exemption was already in place before the veteran died. A November 2026 ballot measure would let a surviving spouse carry the dollar value of the exemption to a new home one time; it is not law yet.

Can I use the exemption on a home I am buying right now?

Not for the current tax year in most cases. Louisiana homestead exemptions, including the veteran add-on, run off ownership and occupancy as of January 1 of the tax year. Buy partway through 2026 and the exemption normally does not attach until you file for tax year 2027.

Is there a separate program that freezes my assessment?

Yes, and it is easy to confuse with the exemption. Louisiana’s special assessment level, under Article VII, Section 18(G), freezes the assessed value of your home for veterans rated 50% or more, but it has its own income limit, currently $100,000 of adjusted gross income, indexed for inflation starting with the 2026 tax year. The tiered exemption itself has no income test.

Where to go next

• Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption Guide, every state’s exemption, form and deadline in one directory
• The complete guide to VA home loans
• Property tax discounts for veterans on VA disability, the national overview
• Bad credit VA loans in Louisiana
• Funding Fee Waivers and Refunds Guide, the fee is waived outright at a 10 percent rating or higher, and can be refunded if you already paid it
• Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, state benefits, the property tax exemption tiers in the state’s own words
• Directory of all 64 Louisiana parish assessors (PDF download)