Veteran Exemptions

Additional exemptions available to qualifying veterans
and the unremarried spouse of a qualified veteran

Veterans who qualify for the homestead exemption may also qualify for additional exemptions due to disability or as a result of qualifying* deployment in the prior year.

Disabled Veteran Exemption:

Veterans having a service connected disability rating from 10% to 99% are eligible for a $5,000 exemption. This reduces your assessed value by $5,000 in addition to the (up to $50,000) homestead exemption reduction.

Veterans having a service connected total and permanent disability rating of 100% are entitled to be wholly exempt from real estate taxes.

To qualify for a veteran disability exemption you must provide proof of service connected disability, the percentage of disability and proof the disability is deemed total and permanent. If you do not already have a letter from the Veterans Administration stating the above, you may contact the Lee County Veterans Services office, located at 2440 Thompson St, Fort Myers, FL, (239) 533-8381 for assistance.

The unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran may qualify for the additional disability exemptions. Surviving spouse must be a Florida resident and apply for and qualify for homestead exemption – proof of continuous marriage may be required. Other qualifiers may apply – contact our office for more information, e-mail exemptions@leepa.org.

The unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who dies from service connected causes while on active duty may qualify if the veteran was a permanent resident of Florida on January 1 of the year in which the veteran died. Proof of service connected/active duty is required. Additional qualifiers may apply – Contact our office for more information, e-mail exemptions@leepa.org. Please refer to Florida Statute 196.081 for specific information related to the surviving spouse entitlements.

To apply for a Homestead Tax Discount for veterans age 65 and older with a combat-related disability, complete the application form DR-501DV and provide a copy of your DD214 and VA disability rating letter to our office.

Exemption for deployed service members:

Veterans deployed in the prior year outside the continental United States, Alaska or Hawaii in support of operations designated by the Florida legislature are eligible for additional exemption based on the term of deployment in the prior year.

The 2012 Legislature enacted Chapter 2012-193, Laws of Florida (CS/HB7097), effective April 27, 2012. Section 24 amends section 196.173, Florida Statutes, designating two new military operations for which an exemption is available and providing an ending date for an existing operation.

*The operations currently designated by the FL Legislature are as follows:

Operation Joint Task Force Bravo, which began in 1995
Operation Joint Guardian, which began on June 12, 1999
Operation Noble Eagle, which began on September 15, 2001
Operations in the Balkans, which began in 2004
Operation Nomad Shadow, which began in 2007
Operation U.S. Airstrikes Al Qaeda in Somalia, which began in January 2007
Operation Juniper Shield, which began in February 2007
Operation Copper Dune, which began in 2009
Operation Georgia Deployment Program, which began in August 2009
Operation Spartan Shield, which began in June 2011
Operation Observant Compass, which began in October 2011
Operation Martillo, which began in January 2012
Operation Inherent Resolve, which began on August 8, 2014
Operation Atlantic Resolve, which began in April 2014
Operation Freedom's Sentinel, which began on January 1, 2015
Operation Resolute Support, which began in January 2015
Operation Pacific Eagle, which began in September 2017

The designated operations can change – please file an application and we will process it based on the latest information provided to the Legislature by the Department of Military Affairs.

To qualify for an additional disability exemption, please provide proof of percentage of disability or proof of 100% total and permanent disability from the VA.

To qualify for the additional exemption related to prior year deployment, complete the application DOR 501M and provide proof of deployment stating the name of the military operation and dates of deployment. You can access the application on our website – Form DOR 501M or contact our office for more information. Please refer to Florida Statute 2012 – 196.173.