NEW Washington State law streamlines the Senior and/or Disabled Property Tax Exemption Qualified Expenses requirement...

In March 2026, Washington enacted updated requirements for the Senior and/or Disabled Property Tax Exemption. 

There are quite a few changes, but I believe the most convenient one is the way they require you to report qualified expenses to reduce your "gross income" to qualify for an exemption level based on your gross income.

You now get a choice between itemizing each and every qualified expense OR taking a $7,500 deductible.  One but not the other.

If there are 2 "co-tenants" living in the house, each gets $7,500 for a total $15,000 deductible.  Screenshot of relevant line in the law below.

IF your actual expenses are GREATER than the deductible, you can take the greater of the two.

If you don't have many expenses, this is great. If you hate to keep track of expenses, this is great too.

Washington State property tax relief for disabled veterans just got more generous for more veterans...

Washington State has overhauled its property tax exemption requirements, effective in the 2026 tax year (for property taxes due in 2027).   

Many/most of the changes provide POSITIVE outcomes for recipients.  

One group I will focus on today is "disabled Veterans".  Before this new law was enacted in March 2026, the disability rating to qualify for the exemption was 80%.  Going forward, it will be 40%. 

This will allow more veterans to meet the first qualification for the exemption.  But there is more...

A qualified veteran must still meet the "Gross Income" requirements.  This gets a bit more complicated, and I won't go into the details in this posting.  Each county in Washington State has different income requirements based on that county's "median household income." HERE is the link that shows preliminary income requirements for each county in Washington.

So for now, if you are a veteran with a 40% or higher disability rating AND meet at least the "Tier 3" income requirement in your county, you will get at least a 50% reduction in your property tax rate (depends on your county) and maybe MORE depending on your income bracket (link cited above).

It won't make you rich, but it will provide some financial relief!