Nassau County, N.Y.Good GrievesSources reviewed September 20, 2026
Veterans’ property tax exemptions in Nassau County
New York offers three veterans’ exemptions, and a veteran can hold only one. Which one fits depends on when and where you served, how you bought the home, and whether you have a service-connected disability.
A veterans’ exemption is not automatic. You must apply to Nassau County’s Department of Assessment, and the benefit usually applies to county and town taxes, with school taxes reduced only where the district has opted in. Details below are from the County’s veterans brochure and New York State’s veterans exemptions page, reviewed for the 2027–28 applications. The County’s exemption forms call this the “2027–28 property tax year”; its veterans brochure sets a January 2, 2027 deadline, two days before the tentative roll you can appeal in the January 4–March 1, 2027 ARC window is published.
The three exemptions
- Alternative veterans’ exemption (Real Property Tax Law §458-a). For veterans who served during a designated period of war, or who received an expeditionary medal.
- Cold War veterans’ exemption (§458-b). For veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces between September 2, 1945 and December 26, 1991.
- Eligible funds exemption (§458). For property bought with military pension, bonus, or insurance money, mustering-out pay, NSLI dividends, and similar funds. The County’s comprehensive brochure describes it as applying to homes bought before 1985.
The State says a veteran can receive only one of the three. The alternative and Cold War exemptions apply only to the veteran’s owner-occupied primary residence.
Periods of war for the alternative exemption
Nassau County’s brochure lists these periods of active duty:
- Persian Gulf conflict: on or after August 2, 1990
- Panama: December 20, 1989 – January 31, 1990
- Lebanon: June 1, 1983 – December 1, 1987
- Grenada: October 23, 1983 – November 21, 1983
- Vietnam War: November 1, 1955 – May 7, 1975
- Korean War: June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955
- World War II: December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946
The County also notes a recent change: veterans called to active duty during Operation Graphic Hand (March 23, 1970) are eligible for the alternative exemption. Separately, the brochure cites a State opinion that reservists on active duty for training may not be eligible.
How the benefit is calculated
The alternative and Cold War exemptions reduce the assessed value of your home before tax rates are applied.
- Alternative: 15% of assessed value for veterans who served during a period of war; an additional 10% for service in a combat zone (the State includes expeditionary medal recipients); and an additional amount for a service-connected disability equal to one-half of the VA combined disability rating.
- Cold War: the State allows 10% or 15%, as the jurisdiction adopts. Nassau County’s brochure gives 15% of assessed value or a County cap of $135 of assessed value, whichever is lower, plus the same disability benefit of one-half the rating.
- Eligible funds: the exemption equals the amount of eligible funds used to buy the property, and can increase if further eligible funds are put into it.
The State notes that the percentage benefits are subject to maximum dollar limits set by each taxing jurisdiction. We do not list those caps here; ask the Department of Assessment which apply to your county, town, and school district.
Who can hold title
The County’s brochure says the property must be titled to the veteran, the veteran’s spouse, or both; to an unremarried surviving spouse; or to a Gold Star parent (the parent of a child who died in the line of duty while serving during a period of war). The ownership requirement is also met where one of those people holds a life estate or is the life tenant. The State adds that municipalities may extend the alternative exemption to cooperative apartments; see our co-op and condo guide for how co-op assessments work.
What to include with the application
Nassau County posts separate applications for the alternative and Cold War exemptions on its exemption forms page (the State’s forms are RP-458-a and RP-458-b). The County’s brochure asks for:
- Proof of service showing an honorable character of service: typically Form DD-214 (member copy 4), or WD-AGO-53-55, DD-217, or NA-13038. A DD-256 may also be required.
- Proof of ownership: the deed or certificate of shares, and all pages of any trust.
- Proof of residence: such as a driver’s license, car registration, recent New York State return, voter registration card, or SSA-1099.
- For the disability portion: the VA combined service-connected disability rating letter.
- For surviving spouses or Gold Star parents: the veteran’s death certificate or certificate of demise.
The State adds that a veteran whose discharge was not honorable may qualify with a letter from the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services under the Restoration of Honor Act. If you need copies of service records, the State points to the Department of Veterans’ Services, your county veterans’ service agency, and the National Archives.
Common questions
Do veterans’ exemptions reduce school taxes in Nassau County?
Only where the school district has opted to offer the reduction. Nassau County’s veterans brochure says qualifying applicants will generally see the county and town portion of the bill reduced, and that school taxes may be reduced only in districts that have opted in. None of the veterans’ exemptions apply to special district taxes or special assessments.
The County adds that eligible funds recipients must file for the alternative veterans’ exemption to receive a partial school tax reduction. Ask the Department of Assessment whether your school district participates. The source is the County’s veterans brochure.
Can I receive more than one veterans’ exemption?
No. New York State says you can receive only one of the three: alternative, Cold War, or eligible funds. Nassau County adds that if you co-own the property with another qualified veteran, each veteran’s exemption can be combined, but the total cannot exceed the property’s assessed value.
See the State’s veterans exemptions page and the County’s brochure. Veterans can also qualify for exemptions that are not veteran-specific, such as STAR or the senior citizens’ exemption, if they meet those programs’ rules.
Do I need to reapply every year?
Generally not. New York State says there is no time limit on the alternative or Cold War exemptions once granted, but you must file again if you move or if your service-connected disability rating changes. The Cold War exemption’s basic benefit is limited to 10 years unless the taxing jurisdiction has made it indefinite; the disability portion has no time limit.
Nassau County posts separate forms for a change in service-connected disability for both exemptions on its exemption forms page. The duration rules are on the State’s alternative and Cold War pages. Ask the County how the 10-year limit applies to your Cold War exemption.
When is the deadline to apply in Nassau County?
The County’s veterans brochure says applications for the 2027–28 property tax year must be received by January 2, 2027. Its comprehensive exemptions brochure gives January 4, 2027 for exemption applications generally. File by the earlier date and confirm with the Department of Assessment.
The State notes that the deadline in most of New York is March 1, but Nassau’s is earlier, so do not rely on statewide guidance. Compare the veterans brochure and the comprehensive brochure.
Villages, cities, and a new exemption
If you live in an incorporated village or in the City of Glen Cove or Long Beach, the County’s brochure asks you to contact your municipal clerk or local assessor about a reduction on village or city taxes. That is a separate application from the County’s; our village tax guide explains why villages run on their own track.
New York State also reports new legislation creating an exemption for veterans the VA considers permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service, applying to assessment rolls with taxable status dates on or after October 1, 2026. At the time of our review, the State said the application and instructions were still in preparation. Ask the Department of Assessment whether and how it applies in Nassau before assuming it covers you.
If an application is denied
You can ask the Assessment Review Commission to review a denied veterans’ exemption on form AR3 during its annual filing window. Its forms page says the review rests on the application and documents the Department of Assessment already had, so a DD-214 or rating letter left out at the start cannot be supplied later.
Your service and your assessment are separate questions
A veterans’ exemption says nothing about whether the County values your home correctly. Look up your property to review that value, read the Department of Assessment’s exemptions information, and see our exemptions and STAR overview for programs you may also qualify for. Good Grieves does not file exemption applications, and this page is general information rather than tax advice.
Keep reading
Property tax exemptions and STAR
How STAR, Enhanced STAR, and other partial exemptions differ from an assessment appeal, and where to apply.
The senior citizens’ exemption
Nassau County’s income-based senior exemption: who qualifies, the 2027–28 sliding scale, how it differs from Enhanced STAR, and renewal.
See how it applies to your home
Review your available County record alongside what you’ve learned.
Check my property