The Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran Real Estate Tax Exemption Application is issued by the Newport News Commissioner of the Revenue, and it is one of the Newport News property tax forms. A surviving spouse uses it to ask that the home the veteran occupied before death be exempted from local real estate tax. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original form and the city's explanation of the exemption are published by the City of Newport News at nnva.gov.
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What is Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran Real Estate Tax Exemption Application – Newport News, VA?
The Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran Real Estate Tax Exemption Application is the Newport News form on which the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran asks the Commissioner of the Revenue to exempt the principal residence from local real estate tax.
The exemption itself comes from a constitutional amendment Virginia voters approved on November 2, 2010, and from sections 58.1-3219.5 and 58.1-3219.6 of the Code of Virginia, which the 2011 General Assembly added. Under section 58.1-3219.5, the real property of a veteran rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as 100% service-connected, permanent and total disabled, who occupies it as a principal residence, is exempt. The city's page adds that, under a July 15, 2011 Attorney General opinion, veterans paid at the 100% rate because of individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities are covered too.
A surviving spouse also qualifies when the veteran's death occurred on or after January 1, 2011, the spouse has not remarried and the spouse continues to occupy the property as a principal residence. This form is the spouse's side of that process: it records the veteran, the spouse, the residence and a signed declaration under penalty of law. The city lists it on its page Real Estate Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans.
Who needs to file Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran Real Estate Tax Exemption Application – Newport News, VA?
The main group is the surviving spouse of a veteran who was eligible for the Newport News disabled veteran real estate tax exemption and who wants that exemption continued on the home they occupy.
Conditions printed on the form and stated on the city's page:
- The veteran's death must have occurred on or after January 1, 2011, shown by a certified copy of the death certificate.
- You must be the surviving spouse of the named qualified veteran and be able to present certified documentation of the marriage.
- You must not have remarried. The form asks whether you have remarried and, if so, the date.
- You must continue to occupy, as your principal residence, the property the veteran occupied immediately before death.
The form also asks whether you own the residence, whether you occupy it, and whether you own other residential property that already has a veteran exemption.
If your principal residence changes, the declaration says you must reapply. If you remarry and continue to live at the residence, you must notify the office. The form prints no rule on signing for another person.
When to file Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran Real Estate Tax Exemption Application – Newport News, VA
File this application after the qualifying veteran's death, once you can present the certified death certificate (death on or after January 1, 2011) and the certified marriage documentation. The form prints no separate due date.
Two later events carry timing duties. If your principal residence changes, you must reapply for the exemption. If you remarry and continue to live at the residence, you must notify the Commissioner of the Revenue's office.
The city assesses real estate tax for a fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year; the city's page explains the exemption's start by reference to that cycle. For questions about timing on your own bill, call the office at (757) 926-8653.
Documents you need
- Certified copy of the veteran's death certificate confirming a date of death on or after January 1, 2011; the form's declaration says you have presented it to the office.
- Certified documentation of your marriage to the qualified veteran; the declaration says you have presented it.
- The veteran's original, designated letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs attesting to 100% service-connected, permanent and total disability, which the city's page says the veteran must provide for the exemption.
- The VA disability certification form, only if you need to obtain certification of disability; the city's page offers it as a PDF download.
How to fill out Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran Real Estate Tax Exemption Application – Newport News, VA
Enter the veteran's details
Under Name of Veteran, write last name, first name and middle initial, then the Date of Birth in MM/DD/YYYY format and the Social Security Number.
Enter your own details
Under Name of Spouse, write your last name, first name and middle initial, your Date of Birth (MM/DD/YYYY) and your Social Security Number.
Give the residence and mailing address
Enter the Address of Principal Residence to be Exempted from Local Real Estate Tax and its Zip Code. Add a Mailing Address only if it differs from the residence.
Add your phone numbers
Fill in the Home Phone Number and the Alternate Phone Number.
Answer the ownership and occupancy questions
Mark YES or NO for whether you own the principal residence, whether you occupy it, and whether it is the same residence the veteran occupied immediately prior to death.
Report any other residential property
Mark YES or NO for Do you own other residential property? If YES, write its address and mark whether the other property has the Veteran exemption.
Answer the remarriage question
Mark YES or NO for Have you remarried? If YES, write the date of remarriage.
Read the declaration carefully
The declaration states, under penalty of law, that you are the surviving spouse, that you have presented the certified death certificate (date on or after January 1, 2011) and certified marriage documentation, and that you continue to occupy the property and have not remarried. It also notes you must notify the office if you remarry and reapply if your residence changes.
Sign and date the application
Sign on Signature of Surviving Spouse and enter the Date. The form has no other signature block.
Review, download and gather documents
Check every entry against your records, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF. Assemble the certified documents described under How to submit.
How to submit Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran Real Estate Tax Exemption Application – Newport News, VA
The application is presented to the Newport News Commissioner of the Revenue. The declaration on the form says the death certificate and marriage documentation are presented to "this office", so plan to deliver the package in person or through a dropbox.
- Offices: City Hall, 2400 Washington Avenue, Newport News, Virginia 23607, and the Satellite Office, 12912 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, Virginia 23608. The city's page lists lobby hours of 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM.
- Dropboxes: the city's page lists a 24-hour dropbox at each office. At City Hall it is at the front of the building, to the left of the entry doors. At the Denbigh Satellite Office it is on the side of the building. A third location, City Center, 700 Town Center Dr., is dropbox only.
- Phone and fax: the form prints Telephone (757) 926-8653 and Fax (757) 247-2628.
Neither the form nor the city's page gives a mailing address for this application, so call (757) 926-8653 before mailing anything. The page also says documents can be requested by contacting the Commissioner of the Revenue. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Applying when the veteran's death occurred before January 1, 2011; the declaration and the city's page require a date of death on or after that date.
- Submitting the application without a certified copy of the death certificate or certified documentation of the marriage.
- Leaving the remarriage question unanswered or omitting the date of remarriage when you answer YES to Have you remarried?
- Applying for a residence other than the one the veteran occupied immediately prior to death; the form asks you to confirm it is the same residence.
- Not reapplying after your principal residence changes; the declaration says you must reapply.
- Remarrying and continuing to live at the residence without notifying the Commissioner of the Revenue's office.
- Answering YES to owning other residential property without giving its address and whether it already has the veteran exemption.
- Leaving the declaration unsigned or undated; you certify the statements under penalty of law.
Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for the Newport News surviving spouse veteran tax exemption?
The surviving spouse of a veteran eligible for the exemption qualifies if the veteran died on or after January 1, 2011, the spouse has not remarried, and the spouse continues to occupy the property as a principal residence. The form also asks that it be the home the veteran occupied just before death.
What do I need to attach to this application?
Present a certified copy of the veteran's death certificate showing a date of death on or after January 1, 2011, and certified documentation of your marriage. The city's page also says the veteran must provide the original VA letter attesting to the 100% permanent and total disability.
What happens if I remarry?
The declaration on the form says you must notify the Commissioner of the Revenue's office if you remarry and continue to reside at the residence. The exemption for a surviving spouse applies only while the spouse does not remarry, so report the date of remarriage.
What if I move to a different home?
You must reapply. The declaration states that you understand you must reapply for the exemption if your principal place of residence changes, and the exemption is tied to the property the veteran occupied immediately before death.
Where do I turn in the surviving spouse exemption application?
Deliver it to the Commissioner of the Revenue at City Hall, 2400 Washington Avenue, or the Satellite Office, 12912 Jefferson Avenue, or use a dropbox listed on the city's page. No mailing address is printed, so call (757) 926-8653 first.
Can I fill out the Newport News surviving spouse form online?
You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is independent, is not connected to the City of Newport News and does not file or send the application; you deliver it to the Commissioner of the Revenue yourself.
Does the exemption cover veterans rated 100% for unemployability?
Yes. The city's page says a July 15, 2011 Virginia Attorney General opinion clarified that the exemption also applies to veterans paid at the 100% rate because of individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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