Updated August 2026
North Dakota Veteran Benefits 2026
The Roughrider State rides for its veterans — quietly and well.
North Dakota’s benefits punch above its size: vehicle tax exemptions, ten-dollar licenses, and a dependent tuition waiver. Every claim below is verified against the North Dakota Century Code and agencies.
North Dakota Highlights
- Full military retirement pay tax exemption
- Property tax credits for disabled veterans
- No vehicle excise tax or registration fees for 100% disabled veterans (up to two vehicles)
- Free lifetime state park pass at 50%+ disability; reduced-fee ($10) hunting & fishing licenses at 50%+
- Free tuition & fees for dependents of 100% disabled, fallen, POW, or MIA veterans
- North Dakota Veterans Bonus
Income Tax Treatment
North Dakota has a state income tax.
Military Retirement Pay: North Dakota has fully exempted military retirement pay from state income tax since 2019.
Active Duty Pay: Active duty pay earned outside the state may qualify for exemption.
VA Disability Compensation: VA disability compensation is tax-free at both the federal and state level in all 50 states. North Dakota does not tax VA disability payments.
Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in North Dakota
Type: Income-tax credit (refund)
North Dakota gives a disabled-veteran property tax CREDIT that scales directly with the VA disability rating. Veterans rated 50% or higher (service-connected) get a credit equal to their disability-rating percentage applied to the first $9,000 of the taxable valuation of their homestead (taxable value, not market value). A veteran with an extra-schedular/individual-unemployability rating that results in a 100% rating qualifies at the 100% level. There is no income limit and no age requirement.
| VA disability rating / category | What you get |
|---|---|
| 100% (including TDIU/individual unemployability resulting in 100%) | Credit on 100% of the first $9,000 of taxable valuation of the homestead.Service-connected; owns and resides on the homestead; honorable discharge or retired. |
| 90% | Credit on $8,100 of taxable valuation.Same; credit = rating percentage x $9,000. |
| 80% | Credit on $7,200 of taxable valuation.Same. |
| 70% | Credit on $6,300 of taxable valuation.Same. |
| 60% | Credit on $5,400 of taxable valuation.Same. |
| 50% (minimum to qualify) | Credit on $4,500 of taxable valuation.Same; below 50% does not qualify. |
- Income limit: None.
- Age requirement: None.
- Surviving spouse: Eligible. On the applicant's death the surviving spouse may continue the credit; a surviving spouse receiving VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is treated as eligible for the full ($9,000) credit. If two married disabled veterans live together, combined credits cannot exceed 100% / $9,000 of taxable value.
- Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Yes — being paid at the 100% rate via Individual Unemployability (TDIU) qualifies
Source: N.D.C.C. sec. 57-02-08.8 (Disabled Veteran's Property Tax Credit). and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.
To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. You will typically need your VA disability rating letter (and often your DD‑214) and proof that the home is your primary residence.
Real estate vs. personal property: this benefit applies to real-estate (home/homestead) property tax. Personal-property taxes — such as the annual tax some states levy on vehicles — are separate and generally still apply, even at a 100% rating, unless your state specifically exempts them.
Vehicle & Registration Benefits
Motor vehicle excise tax exemption (100% disabled): A North Dakota resident veteran with a 100% service-connected disability — or an extra-schedular rating, including individual unemployability (TDIU), that brings the total disability rating to 100% — is exempt from the state motor vehicle excise (sales) tax on up to two vehicles under N.D.C.C. § 57-40.3-04(1). An un-remarried surviving spouse who is receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) retains the exemption for one vehicle. Claim it with exemption code 14 on the title application (SFN 2872) — see the NDDVA vehicle excise tax exemption page. Separately, a vehicle acquired with a VA automobile grant under Public Law 79-663 [38 U.S.C. 3901] is exempt from state sales or use tax (refundable if already paid) under N.D.C.C. § 39-04-18(3), also capped at two vehicles at a time.
No registration fees — free DAV or standard plates: Under N.D.C.C. § 39-04-18(2)(j), a motor vehicle up to 26,000 lbs registered gross weight owned and operated by a veteran with a 100% service-connected disability, a veteran paid at the 100% rate through an extra-schedular rating including individual unemployability, or a Public Law 79-663 auto-grant veteran is exempt from registration fees — the veteran may display either the distinctive DAV plate or a standard plate that does not identify them as a veteran, issued “at no cost.” The exemption covers up to two vehicles at a time, and a surviving spouse receiving DIC qualifies for one vehicle. The NDDVA DAV plates page confirms there is no annual license fee and notes that vehicles displaying the DAV plate may park in designated handicap parking spots in North Dakota (N.D.C.C. 39-01-15) without a separate placard. Apply through NDDOT with form SFN 2872 plus your VA certification letter.
Military & veteran license plates: The NDDVA license plates page lists North Dakota Veteran plates (available to anyone eligible for interment in the North Dakota Veterans’ Cemetery), Prisoner of War plates (for honorably discharged veterans held as POWs), Purple Heart plates (award shown on your DD-214 or certificate), Gold Star plates (surviving family members of service members who died on active duty during a time of military conflict), and National Guard plates, plus veteran-charity plates open to the public. Under N.D.C.C. § 39-04-10.10, the Veteran plate costs normal registration plus a $15 initial fee and a $10 annual surcharge that help fund the North Dakota veterans’ cemetery — both the initial fee and the annual surcharge are waived for Purple Heart recipients.
Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing
Free lifetime state park pass — 50%+ disability or former POW: Any North Dakota resident who is a U.S. military veteran with a 50% or greater service-connected disability rating, a former prisoner of war, or the spouse of a deceased qualifying disabled veteran or POW may apply for a free lifetime park entrance permit valid at every North Dakota state park and recreation area — submit application SFN 61591 with a VA Summary of Benefits letter (POWs: DD-214) and proof of North Dakota residency. All other ND veterans with service-related disabilities can buy the annual permit for $28 instead of the regular $35 — see ND Parks & Recreation permits.
Reduced-fee hunting license — 50%+ disability: North Dakota Game and Fish sells resident veterans with a 50% or higher service-related disability the Veteran Combined Hunting license for $10 (plus the $2 fishing/hunting/furbearer certificate, and the $5 waterfowl stamp if hunting waterfowl). It bundles the general game and habitat, small game, and fur-bearer licenses — the pieces that cost most residents $62 as part of the regular combination license. Licenses are reduced-fee, not free. Source: ND Game and Fish resident licenses.
Reduced-fee fishing license — 50%+ disability: The same page lists a resident fishing license for a “veteran with a 50 percent service-related disability” at $10 (plus the $2 certificate), versus $27 for the regular resident fishing license.
Active military: North Dakota residents home on leave from active duty can fish without a license, per the same Game and Fish licensing page.
Education & Other North Dakota Benefits
ND Dependent Tuition Waiver: Under N.D.C.C. §§ 15-10-18.2 and 15-10-18.3, eligible dependents — children, stepchildren, spouses, widows, or widowers — of a North Dakota veteran who was killed in action or died from wounds or other service-connected causes, is totally (100%) disabled from service-connected causes, or was declared a prisoner of war or missing in action may attend a North Dakota state institution of higher education without paying tuition and fee charges, for any undergraduate certificate, diploma, associate, or bachelor’s program (aviation flight charges are excluded). A widow or widower receiving VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation also qualifies. Residency conditions apply — for example, the veteran was a North Dakota resident veteran, or a parent maintained five years of ND residency before enrollment. Details and current eligibility guidance: NDDVA Dependent Tuition Waiver page; apply through the financial aid or veterans services office at the campus you plan to attend.
VA Healthcare in North Dakota
North Dakota has approximately 1 VA medical center along with community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) throughout the state. Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare can receive care at any VA facility nationwide.
To find the nearest VA facility, visit VA.gov Facility Locator.
Official North Dakota Veterans Resources
- North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
- NDDVA — Vehicle Excise Tax Exemption
- NDDVA — DAV License Plates
- NDDVA — ND Dependent Tuition Waiver
- ND Game and Fish — Resident Licenses & Fees
- ND Parks & Recreation — Permits (Disabled Veteran & POW Passes)
- VA Facility Locator
- 2026 VA Disability Compensation Rates