Saratoga County approves full county tax break for disabled vets

Saratoga County will stop charging county property taxes on the homes of veterans the federal government rates as fully and permanently disabled. The county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at its September meeting to adopt the exemption, which first shows up on 2028 county tax bills, NEWS10 reported.

The break covers only the county’s share of the bill. City, town, village, school district and special district taxes are not touched by the county vote, and each of those governments has to decide on its own whether to offer the same exemption. That second step is where things stand now for most homeowners in the county, including in Saratoga Springs.

What the county approved

The new county law opts Saratoga County into a state change that lets local governments fully exempt the primary residence of qualifying disabled veterans. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the state legislation in May, and the law took effect October 1, according to The Daily Gazette. The state law does nothing on its own. Each taxing jurisdiction has to opt in before its residents see a dollar of savings.

Saratoga County held a public hearing on its local law on September 9 at 4:30 p.m., according to the Gazette, ahead of the September board vote. Albany County moved on a similar measure a week before Saratoga took its first step, and Schenectady County was reviewing the idea, the Gazette reported.

Here are the main points of the county’s version, based on the county’s description as reported by NEWS10:

• The exemption is a full exemption from county property taxes, not a partial discount.
• It applies to the veteran’s home, under Section 458-a of the state Real Property Tax Law.
• It takes effect with 2028 county taxes, so nothing changes on bills already issued.
• It does not cover city, town, village, school or special district taxes.

Who qualifies

Eligibility hinges on a rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not a local determination. Based on the county’s requirements as reported by NEWS10 and the state rules described by the Gazette, a homeowner needs to meet all three of these tests:

1. Be a qualified owner of the property under Section 458-a of the state Real Property Tax Law.
2. Hold either a 100% permanent and total disability compensation rating from the VA, or a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, often called TDIU, with a permanent and total designation.
3. Live in the home as a primary residence.

Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Ian Murray, who chairs the county’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called the exemption “a tangible way to show our appreciation” in the county’s statement to NEWS10.

How to apply

The county is using the same paperwork that local assessors already handle for the alternative veterans exemption. That means forms RP-458-a or RP-458-a-Dis, filed with the assessor in the city or town where the home sits, not with the county.

The county’s advice to veterans, as reported by NEWS10, comes down to a few steps:

• Call your local assessor’s office to make sure the right documents are on file, even if you already filed an RP-458-a form in a past year.
• Expect that some assessors may ask you to file again with updated VA paperwork.
• Call the Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency at 518-884-4115 if you need help getting your VA rating or benefits letter.

Because the first exempt bill is the 2028 county bill, there is time. Still, assessors work on fixed taxable status dates each year, so getting the paperwork in early is the safer move. Your assessor can tell you the deadline that applies to your town.

What it means for other taxpayers

The exemption does not shrink the county budget. It shifts the share of the levy that qualifying veterans would have paid onto every other taxable property, the Gazette reported. Albany County Legislature Chair Joanne Cunningham told the Gazette that the effect on other owners would be so small that most people would not notice it.

Saratoga County has a larger share of veterans than its neighbors. The county had 12,878 veterans as of July 1, 2025, or about 6.7% of the population, according to Census Bureau figures cited by the Gazette. That compares with 4.8% in Albany County and 5.3% in Schenectady County. Nationally, nearly 3 in 10 veterans who receive service-connected disability pay are rated at 100%, the Gazette reported, citing the VA’s annual benefits report. The county has not published an estimate of how many local homeowners will qualify.

What happens next in towns, the city and schools

For most veterans, the county’s share is only one slice of the tax picture. Our read: school taxes tend to be the bigger bill for most homeowners, and those are decided by each school board.

In Saratoga Springs, Commissioner of Accounts Jessica Troisi told the Gazette the city was waiting for the county to finish its review before taking up the exemption. With the county vote now done, the question moves to the City Council. We have not seen the item on a council agenda yet and will report when it appears.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District had planned to discuss the exemption at its August 26 board meeting, according to the Gazette, and a district spokesperson said any adopted exemption would apply starting with the 2027-28 school year. We could not confirm whether that board has voted. Veterans in other districts and towns should ask their town board or school board directly whether an opt-in is on the calendar.

The Board of Supervisors meets in Ballston Spa, the county seat. For more on the county seat, see our Ballston Spa town page.

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