San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption.
Rated 100% by the VA and buying or living in San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino County, including Twentynine Palms, and what the county asks for.
Written by Luis, Military and VA Realtor serving North County San Diego
Updated October 2026
San Bernardino County at a Glance
Amounts come off assessed value. Source: California State Board of Equalization. Savings at the 1% base rate, compared with the $7,000 homeowners’ exemption.
How to file hereThe Numbers
What It’s Worth in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County figures the savings at 1% of the exemption amount. Compared with the $7,000 homeowners’ exemption, that’s about $1,740 a year for the basic exemption and about $2,640 for low-income. The amounts go up again in 2027, and I run the exact number for the home you’re looking at.
Savings compare each exemption with the $7,000 homeowners’ exemption at the 1% rate. Amounts from the California State Board of Equalization.
How to File
How to File in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County’s Special Exemptions Section handles the claim. Here’s what it asks for.
Move in first
The county won’t accept the claim until you live in the home, so file right after move-in.
Gather your documents
Form BOE-261-G, your DD214 or another official record showing your discharge, and every page of your VA rating decision or summary of benefits showing your percentage and its effective date.
Send it to the Special Exemptions Section
San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, 222 W. Hospitality Lane, 4th Floor, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0311.
Call with questions
Special Exemptions Section: (909) 387-8307, or toll free (877) 885-7654.
Deadlines
When to File
California sets the clock, and it depends on how you qualify. The safest move is filing right after you 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
Your Tax Bill and Your Monthly Payment
The exemption applies to the property tax based on your home’s value. San Bernardino County is clear that it doesn’t cover special assessments, special taxes or direct charges, so those stay on your bill. When you’re comparing homes, I pull those charges so you see the real number.
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
San Bernardino County Questions, Answered
The questions veterans ask me most about filing in San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino County?
File form BOE-261-G with the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s Special Exemptions Section, with your DD214 and every page of your VA rating decision. Questions go to (909) 387-8307 or (877) 885-7654.
Can I file before I move in?
No. San Bernardino County takes the claim once you live in the home, so file right after move-in.
Why does the county page show a different amount?
County pages can lag behind. The State Board of Equalization sets the amount every year, and for 2026 it’s $180,671 basic and $271,009 low-income.
Does the exemption cover special assessments?
No. It applies to the property tax based on your home’s value, not to special assessments, special taxes or direct charges.
When should I file after buying in Twentynine Palms?
Right after you move in. Once the supplemental tax notice arrives, you have 30 days to file for the full exemption.
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.
Buying in San Bernardino County?
I’ve closed deals in Twentynine Palms. Tell me where you’re looking, and I’ll run what the exemption saves on that home. If your area isn’t listed, call me anyway.
Prefer to call? (619) 485-8293
