A large yearly break for qualifying vets

A large yearly break for qualifying vets

Georgia's disabled veteran homestead exemption takes up to $121,812 of assessed value off your annual property tax. For a qualifying Riverdale veteran, that can cut the county bill on a typical home from about $2,700 a year to near zero.

One caveat on that number. The $121,812 is the ceiling for tax year 2025. Georgia sets this exemption at the maximum grant allowed under 38 U.S.C. § 2102, and the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs adjusts that amount every year, so the figure for the year you file can be higher. Confirm the current number with the Clayton County Tax Commissioner before you build a budget around it. Source: Georgia Department of Veterans Service and Georgia Department of Revenue, retrieved 2026-08-24.

You file with the Clayton County Tax Commissioner by April 1. The first year you apply. After that it renews automatically while the home is your primary residence.

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How it works and who qualifies

• VA-rated 100% permanent and total, or
• 100% by individual unemployability, or
• A qualifying statutory loss-of-use award
• Honorably discharged
• Owns and lives in the home
• File with the Tax Commissioner by April 1
• Bring rating letter, DD-214, deed, residency
• Surviving spouse keeps it if un-remarried

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What this means in Clayton

One thing to plan around. This applies mainly to the county portion. Clayton's school millage runs about 19.6 mills and may have its own rules. Verify the full reduction with the Tax office.

It stacks with or replaces the standard and senior homestead exemptions, and the Tax Commissioner applies whichever combination saves you the most.

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Qualify, file once, and the county portion of your tax bill can stay near zero year after year.