Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption.
Rated 100% by the VA and buying or living in Los Angeles County? The County Assessor can take $180,671 off your home’s assessed value in 2026, or $271,009 if your household income qualifies. Here’s how to file in Los Angeles County, where the claim goes by mail.
Written by Luis, Military and VA Realtor serving North County San Diego
Updated October 2026
Los Angeles County at a Glance
Amounts come off assessed value. Source: California State Board of Equalization. Savings estimated at the 1% base rate, compared with the $7,000 homeowners’ exemption.
How to file hereThe Numbers
What It Saves in Los Angeles County
Every Los Angeles County tax bill starts with the 1% base rate, and voter-approved school, city and water bonds add a little on top, depending on the neighborhood. At the 1% base alone, the basic exemption saves about $1,740 a year compared with the $7,000 homeowners’ exemption, and the low-income exemption saves roughly $900 more. I run the exact number for the home you’re looking at.
Your tax bill shows your exact rate. Savings compare the 2026 basic exemption with the $7,000 homeowners’ exemption.
How to File
How to File in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County takes the claim by mail and won’t accept your sensitive documents by email. Here’s the order I’d follow.
Gather your documents
Form BOE-261-G from the Assessor’s page, plus proof of your 100% rating and its effective date. Bring your DD214 too, since the exemption depends on your discharge.
Mail it
Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office, 500 W. Temple St., Room 227, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Confirm it arrived
Use the Assessor’s online contact form to ask questions or confirm the office received your mailed claim.
Call with questions
Los Angeles County Assessor: (213) 974-3211, or toll free (888) 807-2111.
Deadlines
When to File
California sets the clock, and it depends on how you qualify. The safest move is mailing the claim right after you close and move in.
You just bought
After a purchase, the county sends a supplemental tax notice. File within 30 days of that notice for the full exemption. If no notice comes, file by January 1 after you buy.
You already own and just got your 100% rating
File by January 1 of the next year, or within 90 days of your rating, whichever is later. The exemption starts from your rating’s effective date.
Late still pays
Miss those windows and you still get most of it, 90% or 85% depending on timing, and it can reach back up to eight years.
Low-income refiles every year
The low-income exemption needs a new claim each year: by February 15 for the full amount, or by December 10 for 90%. VA benefits count toward household income.
Your Tax Bill
Special Taxes and Your Monthly Payment
The exemption lowers the taxes based on your home’s assessed value. It doesn’t lower Mello-Roos, other special taxes or fixed charges, and those vary a lot across Los Angeles County. When you’re comparing homes, I pull those charges so you see the real bill.
If your lender pays your taxes through escrow, call them once the exemption shows up on your tax bill so they can recalculate. That’s when your monthly payment drops.
Not rated 100%? File the $7,000 homeowners’ exemption instead. If your rating goes to 100% later, you file for the disabled veterans’ exemption then.
Questions
Los Angeles County Questions, Answered
The questions veterans ask me most about filing in Los Angeles County. If yours isn’t on the list, call or text me.
Ask Me a QuestionHow do I apply for the disabled veterans’ exemption in Los Angeles County?
Download form BOE-261-G from the Assessor’s page, complete and sign it, and mail it to the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office, 500 W. Temple St., Room 227, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Can I email my claim in Los Angeles County?
No. The Assessor’s Office doesn’t accept documents with sensitive personal information by email, so mail the claim. You can use the online contact form to confirm it arrived.
When should I file after buying?
Right after you close and move in. Once the supplemental tax notice arrives, you have 30 days to file for the full exemption.
Does the exemption lower my Mello-Roos?
No. It lowers the taxes based on your home’s assessed value. Mello-Roos, other special taxes and fixed charges stay the same.
Can I get the exemption for past years?
Yes. A late claim still gets 85% of the exemption, and it can reach back up to eight years.
What if I’m not rated 100%?
You can still claim the $7,000 homeowners’ exemption on the home you live in. If your rating goes to 100% later, you file for the disabled veterans’ exemption then.
Buying in Los Angeles County?
Tell me where you’re looking, and I’ll run what the exemption saves on that home and help you file once you close. If you’re not sure I cover your area, call me anyway.
Prefer to call? (619) 485-8293
