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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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New York veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability will be fully exempted from paying property taxes, according to a new bill signed into law this week by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul.
Why It Matters
The state of New York is home to 688,611 veterans, according to the Office for the Aging—the seventh-largest veteran population in the country. Based on 2024 data from NY Health Foundation, approximately 30 percent of all these veterans have a disability; this share is higher among veterans who have recently separated from the military, at more than 60 percent.
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Veterans in New York face high housing costs, including property taxes, which have increased almost everywhere in the country since the pandemic homebuying frenzy and consequent surge in home prices.
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Six New York counties, including Manhattan, are among the 16 U.S. counties with the highest median property tax payments in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation think tank, with the typical homeowner paying more than $10,000 per year in property taxes.
What To Know
In early February, Kingston Mayor Steven Noble, a Democrat, recommended an amendment to the Alternative Veterans Exemption to give an exemption from property taxes for 100 percent disabled veterans to the Common Council for local adoption. But earlier this week, Hochul removed the local opt-in provision from the veterans’ exemption law, making it mandatory for all municipalities across New York State, as announced by the City of Kingston.
Under what is now statewide law, veterans with a 100 percent disability will have an exemption from property taxes at their primary residence. Among the qualifying factors, veterans must have proof that they were discharged or released from service under honorable conditions.
Property taxes are currently at the center of a heated debate in New York City, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed a 9.5 percent hike as part of this year’s budget unless Albany introduces higher taxes on the rich . The proposal has pitted him against Hochul, who fears the higher taxes would drive people out of the state.
What People Are Saying
Noble said in a press release: “I am so pleased to see that the Legislature passed and Governor Hochul has signed this tax exemption into law for veterans who are 100 percent disabled from local taxes. I had recommended to the Kingston Common Council that we pass the law locally, but having the law be enacted statewide means more disabled service men and women will receive well-deserved tax relief.”
What Happens Next
The new law will go into effect on October 1, 2026, with the exemption for eligible veterans being applicable to the 2027 assessment roll.
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