A disabled veteran in Placer County can hold one of two property tax exemptions on the home, and only one of them comes with a yearly homework assignment. Veterans on the low-income version have to file again every year, and the next deadline is a little more than three months away. Missing it can cost the exemption for that tax year.
The county has also warned that a new state law will change the exemption starting in 2027, but the paperwork for it does not exist yet. For a veteran or surviving spouse already on the low-income track, the open question is whether the old routine still applies this winter.
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Two exemptions, one refiling date
The Placer County Assessor’s disabled veterans’ exemption page describes a basic exemption and a low-income exemption. The basic one is available regardless of income and takes a one-time filing. Approved claimants then get an annual eligibility form that is only for reporting changes.
The low-income exemption is based on total household income, and it requires an annual filing. The assessor’s page puts the deadline at before 5:00 p.m. on February 15. When the 15th lands on a weekend or holiday, the next business day applies, and the page notes that February 15, 2027 is a Monday, so that date stands.
Who holds the exemption
The exemption covers the primary residence of a U.S. military veteran rated 100% disabled, or 100% unemployable, because of a service-connected injury or disease. It also covers the unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who qualified, or whose death was service-connected.
The county says the exemption is not automatic. A first claim is due by December 31 of the tax year it is meant to cover, and a late claim can still be accepted but with a reduced exemption for the initial filing.
What goes in the annual packet
The same BOE-261-G claim form is used for the first filing and for the annual low-income filing. Low-income applicants also submit the Disabled Veterans Household Income Worksheet, known as PCA-703, which lays out the household income the exemption turns on.
First-time claims also need a copy of the VA rating decision letter showing the effective date and a copy of the veteran’s DD-214 discharge paper showing a discharge other than dishonorable. Surviving spouses add a marriage certificate and a death certificate, and may submit a Dependency and Indemnity Compensation letter in place of the rating letter. The county says completed forms go by mail to the address printed on the claim form.
Veterans on the basic exemption receive the separate Change of Eligibility Report, which is for reporting changes rather than renewing. The county’s page does not list the current-year exemption amounts or income limits, pointing instead to the claim form and the PCA-703 worksheet.
The 2027 state law and the missing forms
The assessor’s page says Senate Bill 296, signed September 28, 2026, creates a new disabled veterans’ exemption beginning with the January 1, 2027 lien date. It may provide a 50% or 100% exemption on the first $1 million of a qualifying home’s assessed value, depending on eligibility and income limits. Some owners may continue to qualify under the existing exemption.
The California State Board of Equalization’s analysis of the bill says the new exemptions apply to lien dates on or after January 1, 2027 and before January 1, 2032. The county says claim forms and filing instructions will follow once the board issues guidance, and current recipients will get a mailed notice at the end of December explaining the changes.
Until that guidance arrives, the county’s published rule for the low-income exemption is the February 15 refiling. Anyone unsure which exemption they hold, or whether a packet is due, can call the Placer County Assessor’s Office at 530-889-4300. The office is at 2980 Richardson Dr. in Auburn.
Replacing lost VA paperwork
A veteran without a rating letter or discharge papers cannot complete the packet. The county’s page directs people to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at 1-800-827-1000 for copies.
That is worth sorting out well before February, since the rating letter’s effective date is what the assessor uses to place the claim on the right tax year.
Is a Placer County veteran on the low-income exemption set to refile by Feb. 15?
A veteran on the low-income exemption who lets February 15 pass without a complete packet risks losing the exemption for that tax year, and a lost rating letter or a muddled household income worksheet is how that usually happens. The state is still writing the new forms, so there is no new paperwork to lean on yet.
The Veterans Benefits Action Kit keeps the veteran’s other benefit paperwork in one place. It lays out the three VA pension levels including Aid & Attendance and how to file for free with VA Form 21P-527EZ, and it includes a claim tracker plus a deadline calendar for dates like this one.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
