About the Homestead Exemption
Understanding the Missouri Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption, the two ways it could become law, and why it matters.
This exemption has not passed and is not yet law in Missouri. It has been introduced every year since 2019 and, most recently, died when the 2026 legislative session adjourned.
What is the Homestead Exemption?
The Missouri Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption would expand property tax relief for disabled veterans, allowing eligible veterans to exempt up to $250,000 of home value from property tax.
It would ensure veterans with disabilities receive fair tax relief and align Missouri with neighboring states that already offer similar protections. It recognizes that those who served our country deserve to stay in their homes without being burdened by rising property taxes. The exemption has not yet become law.
See Its Legislative HistoryQuick Facts
Key Provisions
Expanded Homestead Exemption
Increases the homestead exemption cap to $250,000 for eligible disabled veterans, up from current levels.
Surviving Spouse Protection
Surviving spouses of veterans whose death was service-connected receive a 100% property tax exemption, portable to a new primary residence.
Cost-of-Living Adjustment
Proposed increase accounts for rising housing costs, ensuring the exemption remains meaningful over time.
Disability Rating Eligibility
Available to veterans with qualifying VA disability ratings, ensuring aid reaches those with service-connected conditions.
State Alignment
Brings Missouri in line with neighboring states like Kansas and Illinois that already offer similar or greater exemptions.
Family Stability
Helps veteran families maintain housing stability, reducing the risk of displacement due to rising property taxes.
Two Paths to Relief
Missouri lawmakers have pursued the exemption two different ways. They are not the same, and they clear different hurdles.
The Statutory Exemption (Tiered)
A change to Missouri statute that provides tiered property tax relief scaled to a veteran's VA disability rating:
- 30–49% disability: $2,500 reduction in assessed value
- 50–69% disability: $5,000 reduction in assessed value
- 70%+ disability: 100% property tax exemption
This version becomes law with the governor's signature — no statewide vote required. It was carried in the 2026 session as HCS HBs 2306, 2276 & 2089.
The Constitutional Amendment (HJR 115)
A proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would grant a 100% property tax exemption to qualifying disabled veterans, written directly into the state's founding document so it cannot be easily undone.
Because it changes the constitution, it faces a higher bar: it must pass both the House and Senate and then be approved by a statewide vote of the people on the ballot. It does not use the tiered structure — it is a 100%-only exemption.
Legislative History & Status
For the 8th consecutive year, the Missouri Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption failed to become law. When the 2026 session adjourned on May 15, 2026, the House-passed constitutional amendment (HJR 115, 152-2) had received no Senate hearing.
Statutory exemption — 2026
The tiered statutory version passed committee 18-2 on April 1, 2026, but died without a House floor vote.
Constitutional amendment (HJR 115) — 2026
The constitutional-amendment version passed the Missouri House 152-2 on April 20, 2026, but received no Senate hearing and died at adjournment.
What's next
Advocates, including the VFW, are urging Missouri leaders to take up the exemption in a special session and to commit to refiling it for the 2027 session. Pre-filing for 2027 opens December 1, 2026.
Full vote counts and source links are on the Data & Sources page.
Proposed Revisions to the Exemption
We support the exemption and recommend these amendments to make it even stronger for Missouri veterans when it is refiled.
Periodic Review of the Assessed Value Cap
The exemption sets the eligibility cap at $250,000. As property values change over time, a fixed cap risks excluding veterans whose homes appreciate beyond the threshold through no action of their own.
Recommendation: The assessed value cap should be reviewed and adjusted every 10 years to reflect current market conditions. The bill should also explicitly clarify that the cap is based on the assessed value shown on the homeowner's property tax statement, not the market or sales value of the home. This ensures the exemption remains meaningful over time and that eligibility is determined by the same figure veterans see on their tax bill.
Clarify and Broaden Disability Eligibility
Recommendation: Explicitly define "veteran with a disability" as any veteran who has received a disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This ensures all service-connected disabilities are recognized while preserving the tiered benefit structure.
Maintain and Codify Tiered Exemptions
The tiered structure is strong and should be retained, with clarification that exemptions apply as reductions to assessed value:
- 30%–49% disability: $2,500 reduction
- 50%–69% disability: $5,000 reduction
- 70%+ disability: 100% property tax exemption
Expand Surviving Spouse Protections
Surviving spouses of veterans killed in the line of duty or whose death is service-connected should receive a full (100%) property tax exemption, portable to a new primary residence provided eligibility conditions are maintained.
Add Personal Property Tax Relief (Vehicle Exemption)
Exempt one primary vehicle owned by the qualifying veteran or surviving spouse from personal property tax. This provides everyday financial relief and supports mobility and independence for disabled veterans.
Preserve Administrative Efficiency
We support the bill's provision allowing veterans rated 100% permanent and total to avoid annual reapplication. This reduces burden for both veterans and county offices.
Align Missouri with Neighboring States
Illinois offers full exemptions at 70%+ disability with no value cap. Arkansas provides full exemptions for 100% disabled veterans. These amendments bring Missouri in line. See comparison table.
Those who served our nation deserve the security of knowing they can remain in their homes. The Homestead Exemption is about honoring that commitment.