Texas
Texas exempts 100 percent permanent and total disabled veterans (and their surviving spouses) from all property taxes on the primary residence, gives tiered exemptions ($5,000 to $12,000) for partial ratings, free hunting and fishing licenses for resident veterans rated 50 percent or higher, in state tuition at Texas public colleges (Hazlewood Act covers up to 150 credit hours), and free state park entry for qualifying veterans.
Texas Department of Veterans AffairsProperty tax exemption
Tiered exemption from assessed value on any one property the veteran owns, scaling by rating (Tax Code 11.22; apply with Form 50-135). Veterans rated 100 percent disabled or paid at the 100 percent rate for individual unemployability receive a separate full exemption from all property taxes on the residence homestead (Tax Code 11.131). The surviving spouse keeps the exemption in qualifying circumstances.
| Rating tier | Exemption |
|---|---|
| 10 to 29 percent | $5,000 |
| 30 to 49 percent | $7,500 |
| 50 to 69 percent | $10,000 |
| 70 percent or higher | $12,000 |
| 100 percent permanent and total | Full exemption |
State income tax
Texas has no state personal income tax, so neither your VA disability compensation nor your military retirement pay is taxed by the state.
Disabled veteran plates & registration
Texas issues Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates to veterans rated at least 50% service-connected (or with a qualifying award or service-connected amputation). DV plates include free metered/municipal parking, and many Texas toll authorities waive tolls for DV-plate holders.
Public employment preference
Texas Government Code Chapter 657 requires state agencies to grant veterans' employment preference: if six or fewer applicants are interviewed, at least one must be a qualified veteran-preference applicant, and if more than six are interviewed, at least 20 percent must be. Applicants must meet the position's minimum qualifications, and when finalists are equal, the veteran is offered the job.
In state tuition
Under 38 USC 3679(c) (originally Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act), every public college that accepts Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill students must charge in state tuition to covered students using their GI Bill, regardless of state residency. The old requirement to enroll within 3 years of separation was removed by the Isakson and Roe Act effective August 1, 2021, so there is no longer a time limit after discharge. State specific extensions to this rule are noted below where applicable. The Hazlewood Act exempts veterans (who entered service from Texas) from tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for up to 150 credit hours. Legacy benefit allows unused hours to transfer to a child.
Dependent / survivor education (Hazlewood Act)
The Hazlewood Act exempts up to 150 credit hours of tuition and most fees at public Texas colleges. Veterans rated 100% permanently disabled or unemployable (or KIA/MIA) can transfer unused hours to a spouse or child (Legacy Act, child under 25), subject to Texas residency and academic rules.
Hunting and fishing license
Free Texas Resident Super Combo License Package (hunting plus all fishing endorsements).
State park entrance
The Disabled Veterans Texas Parklands Passport gives free entry to Texas state parks for veterans with a 60 percent or more service-connected disability or loss of a lower extremity (bring photo ID and a VA award letter, DV plate receipt, or tax exemption letter). Camping and facility fees still apply.
Camping & recreation
The Texas Parklands Passport gives free state-park entry to any honorably discharged veteran. Veterans rated 60% or higher service-connected (or with a service-connected lower-extremity loss) also bring one companion in free.
State veterans cemetery
The Texas Veterans Land Board runs five Texas State Veterans Cemeteries (Abilene, Corpus Christi, Killeen, Mission, and Dallas-Fort Worth area). Burial of an eligible Texas veteran is at no cost, including the grave, opening/closing, and a marker.
Texas ranks 22 of 51 for rural veterans' access to accredited help: 7.76 accredited representatives per 10,000 veterans, with 23.5 percent of its veterans living rural.
Email me the Texas benefit checklist
A clean, printable checklist of every Texas benefit on this page - with the eligibility threshold and official source for each - sent straight to your inbox.
State legislatures revise thresholds and dollar amounts every session. The figures above are sourced from the state agency that administers each program, but the latest year is the state's word, not ours. Before you file an application, click the source link in each section and verify the current threshold.
Writing about Texas veteran benefits? You are welcome to reference this guide. Copy the citation below and link back so your readers can verify each program against the state source, or download the benefits table.
Developers: this record is available as structured data VBD:STATE:TX