Texas Veteran Benefits 2026

Income Tax Treatment

Texas has no state income tax. Texas has no state income tax, so military retirement pay is not taxed.

This means military retirement pay, active duty pay, and all other income sources are free from state income tax. VA disability compensation is also tax-free at the federal level.

Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in Texas

Type: Graduated by disability rating

Texas has multiple distinct disabled-veteran property-tax benefits: (1) a GRADUATED fixed-dollar exemption by VA disability rating band under Tax Code 11.22 ($5,000 / $7,500 / $10,000 / $12,000 of assessed value); (2) a SEPARATE TOTAL (100%) residence-homestead exemption under 11.131 for veterans awarded 100% disability compensation due to a 100% rating OR individual unemployability (TDIU); (3) a DONATED-HOME exemption under 11.132 (percentage of value equal to the disability rating, for charity-donated homes); and (4) a total exemption for surviving spouses of service members killed/fatally injured in the line of duty (11.133/11.134). The 11.22 graduated exemption applies to any one property the veteran owns (not limited to homestead).

• Income limit: None
• Age requirement: None for the standard graduated exemption or the 100% exemption; age 65+ is one path to the $12,000 maximum 11.22 amount for veterans rated at least 10%.
• Surviving spouse: Surviving spouse of a 100%-disabled veteran (11.131) may continue the total homestead exemption if unremarried and the property was the homestead at the veteran's death and remains the homestead. Surviving spouse may also continue the 11.22 graduated exemption ($5,000) and the donated-home 11.132 exemption. Surviving spouses of service members KIA receive a total exemption (11.133).
• Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Yes — being paid at the 100% rate via Individual Unemployability (TDIU) qualifies

Source: Tex. Tax Code 11.22 (graduated exemption); 11.131 (100% total homestead exemption, incl. TDIU); 11.132 (donated residence homestead); 11.133/11.134 (surviving spouse of fallen service member/first responder) and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.

To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the Texas Department of Veterans Affairs. You will typically need your VA disability rating letter (and often your DD‑214) and proof that the home is your primary residence.

Real estate vs. personal property: this benefit applies to real-estate (home/homestead) property tax. Personal-property taxes — such as the annual tax some states levy on vehicles — are separate and generally still apply, even at a 100% rating, unless your state specifically exempts them.

Check your exemption by rating & state →

Vehicle & Registration Benefits

Motor vehicle sales tax — no general veteran exemption: Texas does not exempt veterans or active-duty members from its 6.25 percent motor vehicle sales tax. The Comptroller’s Motor Vehicle Tax Guide is explicit: the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act “does not apply to motor vehicle taxes,” and there is no exemption even if the vehicle is purchased in another state, overseas, or through a base exchange.

Adapted-vehicle exemption (Tax Code 152.086): The one motor-vehicle tax exemption that can reach disabled veterans is for orthopedically-handicapped-adapted vehicles. Under Tex. Tax Code 152.086, the sale or use of a motor vehicle is tax-free if the vehicle “has been or will be modified before the second anniversary of the date of purchase” for operation by — or transportation of — an orthopedically handicapped person and is driven by or used to transport that person. The Comptroller requires the vehicle to be used primarily (at least 80 percent of its operating time) by or for the qualifying person, with eligible modifications such as wheelchair lifts, hoists, permanent ramps, special seat restraints, or altered controls — and warns that a disabled veteran is not automatically exempt: the veteran must personally meet the orthopedically-handicapped definition. Claim it with Form 14-318 at the dealership or county tax office.

Disabled Veteran license plates — $3, no annual registration fee on one vehicle: Under Tex. Transp. Code 504.202, a veteran with at least a 50 percent service-connected disability — or a 40 percent disability due to the amputation of a lower extremity — who receives U.S. compensation for the disability may register one vehicle (gross weight of 18,000 lbs or less, or a motor home) “without payment of any fee paid for or at the time of registration except the fee for the license plates.” The first set of DV plates is $3; additional sets are free, but vehicles beyond the first pay normal registration and local fees. TxDMV’s Disabled Veteran plate catalog (Form VTR-428) lists 102 DV designs — branch, medal, and badge variants — and confirms $0 annual registration and local fees for one vehicle; state law permits only one fee-exempt plate per person. An unmarried surviving spouse may register one vehicle with Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran plates ($3 first set). Apply with Form VTR-615 through your county tax assessor-collector — details on TxDMV’s For Our Troops page, which also catalogs 122 more plates exclusively for military veterans (Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, campaign and valor awards, Gold Star — one set of Gold Star plates per person) plus active-duty plates.

Parking changed January 1, 2022 (SB 792): A DV plate by itself no longer authorizes parking in a disabled parking space. Under SB 792 (87th Legislature), effective January 1, 2022, a vehicle in a disabled space must display a plate or placard with the International Symbol of Access (ISA). Veterans who meet the separate mobility-based standard in Transportation Code 504.201 can request a DV plate with the ISA or a parking placard (Form VTR-615, with a health-care provider’s disability statement) — not every disability that qualifies for DV plates qualifies for the ISA version. Vehicles displaying DV plates, with or without the ISA, may still park free at parking meters operated by a governmental authority other than the federal government — a privilege TxDMV also lists for Purple Heart and Medal of Honor plates.

Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing

Free state park entry — Texas Parklands Passports: TPWD’s free Parklands Passports waive the per-person entry fee at Texas state parks. The Disabled Veteran passport requires a 60 percent or more service-connected disability — or loss of a lower extremity — and admits the veteran plus one companion free. Veterans without a qualifying rating still get free entry with the Veterans passport, and active-duty members of any branch (including Reserve and National Guard) and Gold Star family members have their own free-entry passports — those three cover the pass holder only, with no companion benefit. Bring photo ID plus proof (for the disabled-veteran version, documentation establishing the disability percentage, such as your VA award letter); passes are issued at any state park.

Free Disabled Veteran Super Combo hunting & fishing package: TPWD issues the Disabled Veteran Super Combo Hunting and All-Water Fishing Package at no cost to a resident or non-resident veteran with “the loss of the use of a foot or leg, or a disability rating of 50% or more,” who receives U.S. compensation for the disability. It bundles a resident hunting license, resident fishing license, and the archery, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing (with red drum tag), upland game bird, and migratory game bird endorsements; the Federal Duck Stamp is not included and is still required for waterfowl. Available in person at license retailers only — show official VA proof of the disability rate issued within the last 12 months, or a Texas driver license with the Disabled Veteran designation, each year.

Active-duty Texas residents hunt & fish free: Any Texas resident on full-time active military service qualifies for the free Texas Resident Active Duty Military packages — the Super Combo, hunting, and all-water fishing packages — by showing service records with a Texas home of record or a Texas duty station for the six months before applying. Also in person at a license retailer.

Education & Other Texas Benefits

Hazlewood Act — up to 150 credit hours of tuition exemption: Under Tex. Educ. Code 54.341, qualified veterans are exempt from tuition and most required fees — but not books, supplies, living expenses, student services fees, or deposits — for up to 150 semester credit hours at Texas public colleges and universities (private institutions are excluded). Per the Texas Veterans Commission, the veteran must have resided in Texas at entry into service, entered the service in Texas, or declared Texas as home of record; currently reside in Texas; have served at least 181 days of active duty (excluding initial entry training); and hold an Honorable or General–Under Honorable Conditions discharge. You cannot stack Hazlewood on top of federal benefits dedicated solely to tuition and fees (Post-9/11 GI Bill Chapter 33 or Chapter 31) when those cover the full cost for the term, but you can combine them when the federal benefit falls short; being in default on a Texas state student loan disqualifies you.

Legacy Act — transfer to a child: An eligible veteran may assign unused Hazlewood hours to a child (biological, step, adopted, or a claimed tax dependent) who is a Texas resident and 25 years old or younger on the first day of the term — extensions are possible for a qualifying illness or debilitating condition. Only one child may use Legacy hours at a time, unused hours can be re-assigned to another child, and the child must meet the institution’s satisfactory-academic-progress GPA standard.

Spouses & children of 100% disabled or fallen veterans: The spouse and each dependent child of a veteran who is 100 percent permanently and totally disabled (or rated individually unemployable), missing in action, killed in action, or who died of service-connected injuries qualify for their own 150-hour exemption — Texas National Guard members killed on state or federal active duty are included. The veteran must meet the Texas-entry requirement, and the spouse or child must be classified as a Texas resident. Apply through your school’s veterans office with the TVC Hazlewood application and the veteran’s DD-214.

VA Healthcare in Texas

Texas has approximately 6 VA medical centers along with community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) throughout the state. Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare can receive care at any VA facility nationwide.

To find the nearest VA facility, visit VA.gov Facility Locator.

Official Texas Veterans Resources

• Texas Veterans Commission
• Texas Veterans Commission — Hazlewood Act
• TxDMV — For Our Troops (Military & Veteran License Plates)
• Texas Comptroller — Motor Vehicle Tax Guide: Military Personnel
• TPWD — Texas Parklands Passports
• TPWD — Disabled Veteran Super Combo Package
• VA Facility Locator
• 2026 VA Disability Compensation Rates