Disabled veterans can save thousands before and after closing
If you receive VA disability compensation, your VA funding fee may be waived. If you are 100% disabled or paid at 100% through individual unemployability, Texas may wipe out property taxes on your homestead. This is the benefit stack I check for every veteran buyer I help.
The funding fee is usually the first benefit to verify
The VA funding fee is a one-time VA loan cost. Many buyers finance it into the loan without thinking about it. If you are exempt, that fee should be removed before closing - and if your rating is awarded later with the right effective date, a refund may be possible.
100% service-disabled Air Force and Army veteran, Texas REALTOR, Military Relocation Professional, TREC #724566. Updated July 8, 2026.
What the funding-fee exemption can save
Current VA purchase/construction fee rates: 2.15% for first use under 5% down; 3.3% for subsequent use under 5% down.
| Loan amount | First use | Subsequent use |
|---|---|---|
| $300,000 | $6,450 | $9,900 |
| $400,000 | $8,600 | $13,200 |
| $500,000 | $10,750 | $16,500 |
Four checks before you sign
The goal is simple: catch every benefit while the file is still easy to fix.
Verify funding-fee exemption before closing
If you receive VA disability compensation, are eligible for it but receive retirement or active-duty pay instead, have a qualifying pre-discharge rating, receive DIC as a surviving spouse, or are an active-duty Purple Heart recipient, the VA funding fee may be waived.
Confirm the fee is not accidentally financed
The VA funding fee can be rolled into a purchase loan when owed. If you are exempt, I want the lender and closing disclosure to reflect that before you sign.
Budget around Texas property taxes
Texas disabled-veteran exemptions are property-tax benefits, not loan benefits. They can change your real monthly cost, especially for 100% disabled or IU veterans.
File the homestead and veteran exemptions
These benefits are not magic. After closing, you file with the county appraisal district. For San Antonio buyers, that usually means Bexar Appraisal District unless the home is in a surrounding county.
The Texas exemption can change your real monthly cost
Texas gives disabled veterans a property-tax benefit based on rating. The partial exemption can apply to one property. The 100% or individual-unemployability exemption is different: it applies to the residence homestead and can remove the entire appraised value from property taxation.
Texas disabled-veteran exemptions
| VA rating | Texas exemption |
|---|---|
| 10% to 29% | $5,000 off one property's value |
| 30% to 49% | $7,500 off one property's value |
| 50% to 69% | $10,000 off one property's value |
| 70% to 100% | $12,000 off one property's value |
| 100% or individual unemployability | Total exemption on the residence homestead |
Official pages to verify before you close
Benefits are too valuable to trust to hearsay. These are the pages I would keep open.
The questions I want answered before closing
Disabled veteran buying in Texas? Let's protect the benefits.
Free, no pressure, and built around your rating, your VA loan, your Texas exemption filing, and your real monthly payment.