Travis Bunn
Founder, AppealDesk · Published March 3, 2026 · Updated September 10, 2026
An exemption lowers your bill only after the assessed value is set. If that value is wrong in the first place, you are paying too much. Nobody checks it unless you do.
Free to check. No account needed.
Updated September 2026
Important upfront: Delaware has no state property tax and no flat homestead exemption reducing assessed value for the general homeowner. Relief comes through two separate credit programs, one for seniors and one for 100% disabled veterans, plus an older, narrower county-level veteran program. They have different eligibility rules and, contrary to what an earlier version of this page implied, neither of the two main programs is income-tested.
This guide covers what Delaware actually offers in 2026: the Senior School Property Tax Credit, the Disabled Veterans School Tax Credit, and a county-specific veteran exemption, who qualifies for each, and the real deadlines.
A credit against your school district property tax equal to the lesser of 50% of that tax or $500 a year. There is no income limit on this program.
You qualify if:
A 2025 bill (HB73) would have raised the cap from $500 to $1,000 starting with tax year 2026, but it was defeated in the House on August 13, 2025. The cap remains $500.
This is a separate program from the senior credit, and you cannot claim both. It covers 100% of your non-vocational school district property tax, plus a full exemption of your property's assessed value for county tax purposes (this does not cover local light, ditch, or stormwater fees). There is no income limit.
You qualify if:
This program was created by the state legislature in 2022 (HB214/SB241) and is administered by Delaware's Department of Finance, not the county assessment offices.
A narrower, income-tested county program, separate from the statewide 100%-disabled-veteran program above, and only confirmed available in New Castle County. It exempts a base $37,000 of assessed value, plus up to an additional $42,000 depending on disability severity, but requires household income of $50,000 or less. If you qualify for the statewide 100%-disabled program, that one covers more and has no income test; this county program exists for veterans whose disability rating and income fall in this narrower band. Confirm with your county assessment office whether an equivalent program exists in Kent or Sussex County.
A credit lowers your bill only after the assessed value is set. If that value is too high, the credit is shaving dollars off an inflated number, and you are overpaying on everything above it. Nobody checks the underlying value unless you do.
The value your credit subtracts from, pulled free in seconds. No account needed.
If you're under 65 and not a disabled veteran, Delaware doesn't currently offer a broad-access relief program the way some states do. Your strongest path to a lower bill is appealing an over-assessed value:
An assessment appeal is open to every property owner regardless of age, income, or service history.
"Delaware's property tax relief is all income-tested."
No. The Senior School Property Tax Credit and the 100%-disabled-veteran Disabled Veterans School Tax Credit both have no income limit. Income testing only applies to New Castle County's narrower, older partial veteran exemption.
"The senior credit and the disabled veteran credit can be combined."
No, they are separate programs and you claim one or the other, not both.
This page was rewritten in September 2026 after our prior version generically described unnamed relief programs without real figures, deadlines, or the distinction between Delaware's two main credit programs. If anything here is unclear or you find it out of date, email us at hello@appealdesk.com and we'll fix it.
Most Delaware homeowners claim whatever credit they qualify for and never question the assessed value underneath it, especially in counties that haven't reassessed in years. It is worth checking once.
Enter your address to pull your county record free. If it looks too high, your $49 packet gives you everything to challenge it.