KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Nevada has no state income tax, so military retired pay, active-duty pay, SBP annuities, TSP withdrawals and VA disability pay are all free of state tax.
- For fiscal 2026–27, wartime veterans can deduct $3,640 of assessed value from their property tax or vehicle registration tax.
- Veterans rated 60% or higher get a larger exemption that reaches $36,400 of assessed value at 100%, worth about $1,300 a year on a home.
- Every honorably discharged resident veteran can get a free annual state parks entrance permit, and veterans with a service-connected rating can add camping and boating for $30 a year.
- Nevada runs two state veterans homes and two veterans cemeteries; burial is free for veterans and $450 for an eligible spouse or dependent.
- Nevada Veteran Benefits by Disability Rating
- Nevada Taxes for Veterans and Military Retirees
- Veteran Property and Vehicle Tax Exemptions
- Education Benefits
- Employment Benefits
- Driver Licenses and License Plates
- Hunting, Fishing and State Parks
- Nevada State Veterans Homes
- Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemeteries
- Surviving Spouse and Family Benefits
- VA Health Care in Nevada
- How to Claim Nevada Veteran Benefits, Step by Step
- Frequently Asked Questions
Nevada is one of the simplest states to retire in after the military: there’s no state income tax at all, so your retired pay and VA compensation arrive untouched. The state benefits that do exist are worth knowing in detail, though, because most of them aren’t automatic. The property tax exemptions rise every July and have to be claimed through your county assessor, the parks permits require an application, and some numbers you’ll find online, such as a $15 hunting and fishing license for every veteran, only apply to certain groups. Here’s each Nevada benefit for 2026, who qualifies and how to claim it.
Nevada Veteran Benefits by Disability Rating
Several Nevada benefits are tied to your VA rating. This is what each level unlocks, using the rules covered below:
| Your status | What you get in Nevada |
|---|---|
| Any honorably discharged resident veteran | No state income tax, free State Parks Veteran Annual Entrance Permit, veteran designation on your license, state hiring preference, burial in a state veterans cemetery |
| Wartime veteran with 90 days of active duty | $3,640 assessed-value exemption on property or vehicle tax (fiscal 2026–27) |
| Any service-connected rating | Annual Disabled Veteran Permit for state parks: entry, camping and boating for $30 a year |
| 50% or higher | $15 specialty combination hunting and fishing license |
| 60% to 79% | $18,200 assessed-value exemption |
| 80% to 99% | $27,300 assessed-value exemption |
| 100% | $36,400 assessed-value exemption and a Disabled Veteran license plate with free parking at meters and in accessible spaces |
The jump from 59% to 60% is the most valuable line on the chart for a homeowner. If you’re close, our VA disability ratings guide explains how VA combines ratings, and the VA disability compensation calculator shows what each level pays.
Nevada Taxes for Veterans and Military Retirees
No State Income Tax
Nevada doesn’t tax personal income, so there’s no state return to file. Military retired pay, active-duty and drill pay, Survivor Benefit Plan annuities, TSP withdrawals and a spouse’s wages are all free of state income tax. Our military pension calculator shows what your federal retired pay will be, and none of it goes to Carson City.
Nevada makes up the difference elsewhere. Sales tax is high in most counties, and vehicle registration includes a governmental services tax based on the vehicle’s value, which is why the veteran exemptions below can be applied to registration as well as to a home.
Vehicle Tax Break for Service Members Stationed in Nevada
Nonresident service members stationed in Nevada, and their spouses, who choose to register a vehicle in Nevada are exempt from the governmental services tax on it. File the DMV’s nonresident active-duty or military spouse exemption affidavit when you register or renew. The DMV also waives late registration fees for service members assigned to combat or combat support operations.
Veteran Property and Vehicle Tax Exemptions
Nevada has two veteran exemptions under NRS 361.090 and 361.091. Each one subtracts a fixed amount from the assessed value of your home, or it can be applied to the governmental services tax when you register a vehicle. The amounts rise each fiscal year, which starts July 1. These are the fiscal 2026–27 amounts published by the Carson City Assessor:
| Exemption | Assessed value deducted | About on a home | Up to on a vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wartime veteran | $3,640 | $126 | $145 |
| Disabled veteran, 60% to 79% | $18,200 | $649 | $728 |
| Disabled veteran, 80% to 99% | $27,300 | $974 | $1,092 |
| Disabled veteran, 100% | $36,400 | $1,299 | $1,456 |
| Surviving spouse | $1,820 | $64 | $72 |
The dollar savings depend on your local tax rate, so treat them as estimates. Nevada assesses property at 35% of taxable value, which is why a $36,400 deduction is worth more than it looks.
Wartime Veteran Exemption
You qualify if you’re a Nevada resident, served at least 90 continuous days of active duty and received an honorable discharge, and at least one day of your service fell in one of these periods:
- December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946
- June 25, 1950, to May 7, 1975
- September 26, 1982, to December 1, 1987
- December 20, 1989, to January 31, 1990
- August 2, 1990, to April 11, 1991
- December 5, 1992, to March 31, 1994
- November 20, 1995, to December 20, 1996
- Any period when a campaign or expeditionary medal was authorized
The last line covers most service in Iraq, Afghanistan and other operations since 2001 through the campaign medals awarded for them.
Disabled Veteran Exemption (60% and Up)
Nevada residents with an honorable discharge and a permanent service-connected disability of at least 60% get the larger exemption, sized to the rating. You don’t need wartime service for this one. A surviving spouse who was married to and living with the veteran for the five years before death can keep the disabled veteran exemption if the veteran qualified for it, according to the Air Force state benefits summary. A surviving spouse who doesn’t meet that test may still get the $1,820 surviving spouse exemption if they haven’t remarried.
How to Apply
- Apply in person at the county assessor’s office in the county where you live, with your DD-214, a Nevada driver license or ID, and, for the disabled exemption, a VA letter showing your rating is permanent.
- For a home, apply by June 15 to have the exemption on the next fiscal year’s bill. For a vehicle or personal property, apply any time before the tax is due.
- You can claim the exemption in only one Nevada county per fiscal year.
- If you don’t need the savings, Nevada lets you pay the exempted amount to the gift fund for the Northern or Southern Nevada State Veterans Home instead.
The Nevada Department of Veterans Services links to every county assessor. Clark County residents apply through the Clark County Assessor.
Education Benefits
- Purple Heart and Medal of Honor recipients and their children: tuition, lab and associated fees waived at Nevada public colleges and universities for certificates through professional degrees. Children must have graduated from a Nevada high school and the parent must be (or have been at death) a Nevada resident; children have 10 years from age 18 or from enrollment. You must use available federal tuition aid first.
- Nevada National Guard members: resident tuition and certain lab fees waived at state schools while you’re a member in good standing for the whole semester, with at least a 2.0 GPA. The waiver doesn’t apply at the UNLV and UNR law, medical and dental schools.
- Families of Guard members killed in the line of duty and of service members stationed in Nevada who are declared POW or MIA: tuition and lab fees waived, for 10 years.
- Families of service members killed while stationed in Nevada: NSHE grants-in-aid toward tuition, based on available funding.
- In-state tuition: nonresident veterans honorably discharged within five years before enrolling pay resident rates, as do veterans discharged while stationed in Nevada and active-duty members stationed in Nevada and their families, who keep the rate if they stay continuously enrolled after a transfer.
- High school diplomas: veterans who left a Nevada high school to serve between 1940 and 1975 can receive a diploma through Operation Recognition.
The state waivers work best alongside federal benefits; see our guide to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Employment Benefits
Nevada’s state hiring preference works through interviews rather than points. Under NRS 284.260 and 284.265, state agencies must give preference to veterans, to surviving spouses of veterans and of those killed on active duty, and to Nevada Guard members with a commander’s recommendation. More concretely:
- Every qualified veteran with a service-connected disability who applies for a classified state job must be interviewed.
- Other veterans must make up at least 22% of the qualified applicants interviewed, or all of them if there are fewer.
- Military leave: state employees in the Guard or Reserve get 15 working days of paid leave a year for training or deployment.
- Job help: the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation gives veterans and spouses priority service, career coaching and resume help at EmployNV Career Hubs.
- Free legal help: the Attorney General’s Office of Military Legal Assistance helps active-duty, Guard and Reserve members with civil legal problems, wills and powers of attorney (775-687-2140).
Driver Licenses and License Plates
- Veteran designation: free when added during a renewal or other license transaction, or $8.25 on its own ($12.25 for a commercial license). Bring your DD-214 to any DMV office.
- Disabled Veteran plate: for veterans rated 100%, or whose combined ratings reach 100%, or whose service-connected disability qualifies for regular disabled plates. It costs $8.50 with no annual plate fee, allows parking in accessible spaces and exempts the vehicle from state and local parking fees.
- Purple Heart and Medal of Honor plates: $8.50 with no annual plate fee.
- Gold Star Family plate: for the surviving spouse, parents, grandparents, children and dependent siblings of a service member killed on active duty; $8.50 and exempt from parking fees.
- Veteran plates: branch plates and decals for veterans and their spouses, parents and children.
Veteran plates must be ordered in person at a DMV office.
Hunting, Fishing and State Parks
- Veteran Annual Entrance Permit (free): honorably discharged Nevada resident veterans get free entry to all state parks. Apply online, by email to stparks@parks.nv.gov or by mail with your ID and discharge papers.
- Annual Disabled Veteran Permit ($30): resident veterans with any service-connected rating get free entry plus free camping and boating at state parks. Call 775-684-2770 with questions.
- $15 specialty combination license: hunting and fishing for honorably discharged resident veterans rated 50% or higher, and for Nevada residents serving on active duty stationed outside the state.
- Stationed in Nevada: nonresident active-duty members and their families stationed in the state buy licenses at resident prices.
- Deployed with a big game tag: active-duty hunters who draw a tag and then deploy can ask for a deferral of up to two years or a refund.
Nevada State Veterans Homes
| Home | Beds | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Nevada State Veterans Home | 180 | 100 Veterans Memorial Drive, Boulder City | 702-668-5806 |
| Northern Nevada State Veterans Home | 96 | 36 Battle Born Way, Sparks | 775-827-2955 |
Both homes provide skilled nursing and memory care; the northern home also offers short-term care and private rooms grouped around shared living spaces. Honorably discharged veterans, their spouses and surviving spouses, and Gold Star parents can apply directly to the home.
Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemeteries
- Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery: 14 Veterans Way, Fernley; 775-575-4441
- Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery: 1900 Veterans Memorial Drive, Boulder City; 702-486-5920
Burial is free for an eligible veteran, including the plot, vault, opening and closing and headstone. Burial of an eligible spouse or dependent costs $450. Eligibility follows VA national cemetery rules, and you can preregister online to settle eligibility ahead of time. VA doesn’t yet operate a national cemetery in Nevada; one is under construction in Elko.
Surviving Spouse and Family Benefits
Surviving spouses can keep the disabled veteran exemption or claim the $1,820 surviving spouse exemption, families of those killed in service have tuition waivers and the Gold Star plate, and Nevada doesn’t tax SBP or DIC. Federal survivor benefits are usually worth far more; see our guide to VA benefits for surviving spouses. Nevada also provides certified copies of recorded documents free when they’re needed for a VA claim.
VA Health Care in Nevada
Nevada is served by the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, based at the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, and the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System in Reno, with community clinics around the state. If you haven’t enrolled, apply for VA health care online; our VA health care enrollment guide explains priority groups and costs. Buying near Nellis or NAS Fallon? A VA loan lets eligible veterans buy with no down payment.
How to Claim Nevada Veteran Benefits, Step by Step
- Get your documents: your DD-214 and, for rating-based benefits, a current VA benefit summary letter that says whether the rating is permanent.
- Talk to a veterans service officer: the Nevada Department of Veterans Services has free VSOs statewide who help with state and federal claims. Intake appointments can take weeks to schedule, so ask early.
- Apply where the benefit is run: your county assessor for the tax exemptions (by June 15 for a home), the DMV for plates and the vehicle tax, State Parks for the permits, NDOW for licenses and your school for tuition waivers.
- Recheck after a rating change: reaching 50%, 60%, 80% or 100% opens new benefits, and none of them start on their own.
RELATED READING
Washington State Veteran Benefits: Complete State Guide →
Another no-income-tax state, with an income-based property tax exemption for veterans rated 80% or higher.
100% VA Disability: Pay, Benefits and How to Qualify →
The rating that unlocks Nevada’s largest exemption and the Disabled Veteran plate.
Compare Nevada with every other state’s taxes, tuition and property tax benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Nevada has no personal income tax, so military retired pay, active-duty pay, Survivor Benefit Plan annuities, TSP withdrawals and VA disability compensation are all free of state income tax.
For fiscal 2026–27, which began July 1, 2026, a veteran with a permanent service-connected rating of 60% to 79% can deduct $18,200 of assessed value, 80% to 99% $27,300, and 100% $36,400. At typical tax rates the 100% exemption is worth about $1,300 a year on a home, or up to $1,456 against vehicle registration tax.
Apply in person at the county assessor’s office where you live, with your DD-214, a Nevada driver license or ID, and a VA letter showing a permanent rating if you are claiming the disabled veteran exemption. Apply by June 15 for the exemption to appear on the next year’s property tax bill, or any time before your vehicle registration is due.
Yes. Both the wartime veteran exemption and the disabled veteran exemption can be applied to the governmental services tax on vehicle registration instead of property tax, which helps veterans who rent. The 2026–27 wartime exemption is worth up to $145 on a vehicle and the 100% disabled exemption up to $1,456.
A Nevada resident veteran rated 100% gets the largest property or vehicle tax exemption ($36,400 of assessed value for 2026–27), a Disabled Veteran license plate that allows accessible parking and exempts the vehicle from parking fees, the $15 combination hunting and fishing license, the $30 state parks permit with free camping, and no state income tax on any income.
Yes. Honorably discharged Nevada resident veterans can get a free Veteran Annual Entrance Permit for entry to all state parks. Veterans with a service-connected disability rating can instead get the Annual Disabled Veteran Permit for $30 a year, which adds free camping and boating.
Yes, two: the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley and the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City. Burial is free for eligible veterans and costs $450 for an eligible spouse or dependent.
This article is provided by USMilitary.org, an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with the State of Nevada, the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, VA or any government agency. Exemption amounts change each July; confirm current details with your county assessor, the Nevada Department of Veterans Services or the official Nevada state benefits summary before you apply.
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