State veteran benefits

Veteran Benefits in New Hampshire

New Hampshire offers property tax relief for disabled veterans and surviving spouses, tuition benefits, and state hiring preferences. Municipal adoption affects property tax credit amounts, and several current statutes differ from older benefits guides.

Checked against official state sources on October 3, 2026.

Free help in New Hampshire

New Hampshire Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services

Coordinates military and veterans services and directs veterans to benefits and support.

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Free help with VA claims

The state veterans services system helps veterans and families with benefits eligibility, claims and appeals. Contact the office to confirm appointments.

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Not sure what applies to you?

Answer seven questions and the Benefits Finder builds a checklist of federal and state benefits, deadlines and free help.

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Property tax relief

Tax credit for service-connected total disability

Who qualifies
Owners with total and permanent service-connected disability, or service-connected double amputation or paraplegia, and qualifying surviving spouses. The home must be their principal residence and eligibility must exist April 1. The veteran needs an honorable, general under honorable conditions, or qualifying service-connected uncharacterized discharge; honorably separated officers also qualify.
What you get
A $700 annual property tax credit, or a locally adopted credit of $701 to $5,000 for 2026. The optional credit replaces the listed veteran credits and adapted-home exemption rather than adding to them.
How to apply
File a permanent application with the municipal selectmen or assessors by April 15. Provide VA certification of total and permanent service-connected disability.

Official page (opens in a new tab) RSA 72:35; 72:29; 72:33; 21:50

Sources (4)

Specially adapted homestead exemption

Who qualifies
Veterans under RSA 21:50, or qualifying surviving spouses, who own a home specially adapted with a VA SAH or SHA grant or a replacement adapted home bought with its sale proceeds. The veteran must be permanently and totally disabled at 100%, have qualifying service-connected double amputation or paraplegia, or service-connected blindness in both eyes at 5/200 or less.
What you get
Exempts the qualifying homestead from all property taxation.
How to apply
Apply to municipal selectmen or assessors by April 15 and supply satisfactory proof of the service-connected disability.

Official page (opens in a new tab) RSA 72:36-a; 72:29; 72:33; 21:50

Sources (3)

Surviving spouse tax credit

Who qualifies
Qualifying surviving spouses of people killed or who died on active duty in a war, conflict, or combat zone listed in RSA 72:28. Property must be in the municipality where the surviving spouse resides. Remarriage generally ends eligibility, with the divorce exception in RSA 72:29.
What you get
For 2026, a $700 credit on real and personal property, whether residential or not. A municipality may adopt $701 to $2,000 instead.
How to apply
File a permanent application with the municipal selectmen or assessors by April 15.

Official page (opens in a new tab) RSA 72:29-a; 72:29; 72:33

Sources (3)

State income tax

Military retirement pay: No income tax

We could not confirm this from an official source yet. Ask New Hampshire Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services or a free veterans service officer what applies to you.

Education and tuition

Tuition waiver for children of totally disabled veterans

Who qualifies
Biological, adopted, or qualifying stepchildren meeting university-system residency requirements. The parent must have a discharge other than dishonorable and a 100% total, permanent service-connected disability; must have been domiciled in New Hampshire at service entry or disability determination; and must reside in New Hampshire now or have resided there at death. Stepchild parents must remain married during enrollment.
What you get
University-system tuition is waived through the semester in which the child turns 27.
How to apply
Apply to the university-system trustees with the VA disability determination, relationship and residency evidence. Complete the FAFSA and cooperate with grant applications; loans are not required.

Official page (opens in a new tab) RSA 187-A:20, II

Sources (1)

National Guard tuition waiver

Who qualifies
Sworn-in active New Hampshire National Guard members, whether in-state or out-of-state, enrolled in a degree-enhancing curriculum in the state community college or university system and meeting ordinary admissions standards. Federal military tuition aid and Post-9/11 tuition benefits must be used first.
What you get
Tuition-free courses at state-supported postsecondary institutions. Protected non-tuition benefits, including Montgomery GI Bill benefits and Post-9/11 housing allowance, are excluded when determining waiver eligibility.
How to apply
The adjutant general determines eligibility and establishes the procedures. Obtain the current procedure through the Guard education office.

Official page (opens in a new tab) RSA 110-B:63-c and 63-d

Sources (2)

State jobs and hiring preference

Veterans preference in state employment

Who qualifies
Otherwise qualified veterans and disabled veterans who complete the required screening and pass any qualifying examination. RSA 99-F:2 defines qualifying service and disability, and includes eligible active-duty members' military spouses.
What you get
Initial screening adds 5 points for veterans or 10 for disabled veterans. Scored examinations receive the same preference; unscored examinations require special consideration.
How to apply
Submit qualifying service documentation with the job application. Disabled veterans must provide a VA benefits-summary letter unless the discharge documents already contain the information.

Official page (opens in a new tab) RSA 99-F

Sources (1)

Licenses, plates and parks

Perpetual hunting and fishing licenses for disabled veterans

Who qualifies
New Hampshire residents with discharge other than dishonorable and total, permanent service-connected disability.
What you get
A perpetual fishing, hunting, or bow-and-arrow license, with a one-time $10 administrative fee.
How to apply
Apply to the Fish and Game executive director and establish eligibility.

Official page (opens in a new tab) RSA 214:13, I

Sources (1)

Disabled veteran state park day-use admission

Who qualifies
New Hampshire disabled veterans with proof of service-connected disability.
What you get
No day-use admission fee. Enterprise activities, including campgrounds and ski lifts, still charge their usual fees.
How to apply
Show disabled-veteran plates issued under RSA 261:86 or a VA letter certifying service-connected disability.

Official page (opens in a new tab) RSA 216-A:3-g, II and IV

Sources (1)

Emergency financial help

We could not confirm this from an official source yet. Ask New Hampshire Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services or a free veterans service officer what applies to you.

State veterans homes

Changes on the way

  • Takes effect April 1, 2027: The locally adopted surviving-spouse property tax credit cap rises from $2,000 to $2,500.
    Sources (1)
  • Takes effect July 1, 2027: The Guard tuition-waiver spouse-transfer paragraph is scheduled for repeal. Confirm any transfer plan before relying on it beyond this date.
    Sources (1)

Before you apply

This page summarizes state law and agency guidance as checked on October 3, 2026. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Eligibility depends on your records, and laws change, so confirm the details on the official page linked with each benefit, or ask a free accredited representative. This page covers the main state programs. Your county veterans service officer can tell you about smaller or local benefits.

Federal VA benefits apply in every state. See the Veteran Resource Directory and the Benefits Finder.