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Military/Veterans Exemptions
- $5000 Service Connected Disability Exemption
If you have a service connected disability of 10% to 100% (not totally and permanently disabled) you may qualify for this exemption. To determine if you qualify, applicants must be a permanent Florida Resident as of January 1st of the tax year for which the exemption is being claimed and submit a letter from the United States Government or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that contains the following information:
1) The percentage of service connected disability (10% to 100%)
2) The effective date of the disability (the disability must be effective as of Jan. 1 of the year you wish to apply)
3) The applicant was honorably discharged
However, a disabled veteran who feels they may qualify for this exemption may apply before receiving the necessary documentation. The exemption will not be granted until the proper documentation is received, but upon receipt of the documentation the exemption may be granted as of the date of the original application.
Applications can be completed online, by mail, or in person.
- $5000 Service Connected Disability Exemption for Surviving Spouse
If you are the unremarried surviving spouse of a deceased veteran who was eligible to qualify for a service connected disability exemption of 10% to 100% (not totally and permanently disabled), you may qualify for this exemption. You must be a permanent Florida Resident as of January 1st of the tax year for which the exemption is being claimed and submit the following:
1) A letter from the United States Government or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs stating the percentage of service connected disability 10% to 100% (not totally and permanently disabled) of the deceased spouse. The letter must have the effective date of the disability (the disability must be effective as of Jan. 1 of the year you wish to apply)
2) A copy of spouse death certificate
However, a surviving spouse who feels they may qualify for this exemption may apply before receiving the necessary documentation. The exemption will not be granted until the proper documentation is received, but upon receipt of the documentation the exemption may be granted as of the date of the original application.
Please note – The benefit of the exemption does not carry over to the veteran’s spouse in the event of the veteran’s death. The surviving spouse is required to apply as the widow/widower of the service member. Please contact our office (407)836-5044 for additional information.
Applications can be completed online, by mail, or in person.
- Combat Related Disability Exemption for Seniors
If you qualify for homestead in Orange County and are a partially or totally disabled veteran who was 65 years of age or older as of January 1, whose disability was combat-related, and who was honorably discharged you may qualify for this additional exemption.
The percentage of tax discount a veteran may qualify for is based on the overall service-connected disability percentage the veteran has been granted by the Department of Veterans Affairs, a portion of which must be combat-related. Applicants must provide a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs stating that the applicant was honorably discharged, that the disability is service connected and combat related, the percentage of disability (it must be at least 10%), and the effective date of the disability. It is imperative that the letter contain the verbiage “combat related”.
However, a disabled veteran who feels they may qualify for this exemption may apply before receiving the necessary documentation. The exemption will not be granted until the proper documentation is received, but upon receipt of the documentation the exemption may be granted as of the date of the original application.
Applications can be completed online, by mail, or in person.
- Service-Connected Total and Permanent Disability Exemption
Any honorably discharged veteran with a service-connected total and permanent disability, surviving spouses of qualifying veterans, and spouses of a Florida resident veteran who died from service-connected disabilities while active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, may qualify for an exemption.
To be eligible for this exemption, an applicant must own and occupy their home, be a permanent resident of Florida as of January 1st of the tax year for which the exemption is being claimed and have a homestead exemption on the property.
Addition to the Veterans T&P Homestead Exemption (Section B) http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0196/Sections/0196.081.html
Applicants for this exemption must provide a letter from the United States Government or United States Department of Veterans Affairs which certifies that the veteran has a service-connected, total and permanent disability or certifies the death of the spouse while on active duty.
The letter from the United States Government or United States Department of Veterans Affairs is required to have the following:
1) The signature of a representative of the United States Government or United States Department of Veterans Affairs
2) An “effective date” stating when the veteran became totally and permanently disabled, and it must clearly state that the veteran is totally and permanently disabled (the disability must be effective as of Jan. 1 of the year you wish to apply). However, a disabled veteran or surviving spouse who feels they may qualify for this exemption may apply before receiving the necessary documentation. The exemption will not be granted until the proper documentation is received, but upon receipt of the documentation the exemption may be granted as of the date of the original application.
Rating decision letters cannot be accepted as proof of a service-connected total and permanent disability to qualify for this exemption. Click here to view a sample of an acceptable letter.
Please note – The benefit of the exemption does not carry over to the veteran’s spouse in the event of the veteran’s death. The surviving spouse is required to apply as the widow/widower of the service member. Please contact our office (407)836-5044 for additional information.
Applications can be completed online, by mail, or in person.
If you were a deployed service-member on active duty during the preceding calendar year outside the continental United States, Alaska, or Hawaii in support of the following operations, you may qualify for this additional exemption:
- Operation Noble Eagle
- Operation Joint Task Force Bravo
- Operation Joint Guardian
- Operations in the Balkans
- Operation Nomad Shadow
- Operation US Airstrikes Al-Qaeda in Somalia
- Operation Copper Dune
- Operation Georgia Deployment Program
- Operation Spartan Shield
- Operation Observant Compass
- Operation Inherent Resolve
- Operation Atlantic Resolve
- Operation Freedom’s Sentinel
- Operation Resolute Support
- Operation Juniper Shield
- Operation Pacific Eagle
- Operation Martillo
Applicants must currently receive a homestead exemption in Orange County and must submit the Deployed Military Exemption Application, along with copies of deployment orders listing deployment dates and the deployment travel voucher, or a copy of form DD-214, showing deployment dates. Applicants for this exemption must apply with the Deployed Military Exemption Application (DR501M).
You can apply in person or by mail.
Fallen Hero Exemption
An un-remarried, surviving spouse of a first responder who died in the line of duty may be exempt from ad-valorem taxation if the deceased was a Florida resident as of January 1 of the year the first responder died. Applicants for this exemption must qualify for homestead and submit an application by March 1, along with documentation from the first responder’s Florida employer certifying that the death occurred while in the line of duty, as well as a copy of the deceased’s death certificate.
Applications can be completed online, by mail, or in person.
Total and Permanent Disability Exemption (non service-connected)
A totally and permanently disabled person may apply for a total and permanent disability exemption if they are: quadriplegic, paraplegic, hemiplegic, legally blind, or another totally and permanently disabled person (as defined in Section 196.012(10) of Florida Statutes) who must use a wheelchair for mobility. In addition, the applicant must meet certain income requirements and be a permanent resident of the state of Florida as of January 1st of the year the exemption is requested.
The 2020 gross income limit is $30,317 (adjustment pending) to qualify for this exemption in 2021. (*Note – quadriplegics do not need to meet the income requirements.) The income limit is adjusted annually by the United States Department of Labor. Gross income includes the income of all persons residing in or upon the homestead property and the total amount cannot exceed the income limit set by statute. Gross income also includes United States Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and any social security benefits. A notarized statement of gross income must accompany the application.
When applying for this exemption, you must file the exemption application DR- 501A and, if filing for the first time, applicants must provide certifications from two (2) professionally unrelated, licensed Florida physicians on form DR- 416 OR one (1) letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and one (1) certification from a professionally unrelated, licensed Florida physician on form DR- 416 .
Applications can be completed online, by mail, or in person.
