New Jersey
New Jersey fully exempts 100 percent permanent and total disabled veterans (and their surviving spouses) from all property taxes on the primary residence, gives a $250 Veterans Property Tax Deduction for honorably discharged veterans, free hunting and fishing licenses for resident veterans rated 100 percent, in state tuition at New Jersey public colleges, and reduced state park fees.
New Jersey Department of Veterans AffairsProperty tax exemption
Full property tax exemption on the primary residence for honorably discharged veterans with a 100 percent permanent and total disability resulting from active duty service (NJ Division of Taxation disabled veteran exemption). Separately, honorably discharged veterans with active duty service receive the $250 annual Veterans Property Tax Deduction - file Form V.S.S. with the local assessor or collector (see nj.gov/treasury/taxation/lpt/lpt-veterans.shtml).
| Rating tier | Exemption |
|---|---|
| Honorably discharged | $250 deduction |
| 100 percent permanent and total | Full exemption |
State income tax
New Jersey does not tax VA disability compensation, and military pensions and survivor's-benefit payments are fully exempt from New Jersey income tax.
Disabled veteran plates & registration
New Jersey's Disabled Veteran license plate costs $15. Free vehicle registration is a separate benefit limited to veterans blinded through wartime service and veterans with a service-connected disability who qualified for a free automobile from the VA (apply through the MVC Government Unit with VA certification).
Public employment preference
New Jersey places veterans who pass a civil-service exam at the top of open-competitive hiring lists; disabled veterans (10%+) get the highest 'absolute' preference, ahead of non-disabled veterans.
In state tuition
Under 38 USC 3679(c) (originally Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act), every public college that accepts Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill students must charge in state tuition to covered students using their GI Bill, regardless of state residency. The old requirement to enroll within 3 years of separation was removed by the Isakson and Roe Act effective August 1, 2021, so there is no longer a time limit after discharge. State specific extensions to this rule are noted below where applicable.
Dependent / survivor education
New Jersey provides $500 a year for four years to the children of service members who died on duty, from a service-connected disability, or are MIA/POW, plus free National Guard enrollment for Guard members' surviving spouses and children.
Hunting and fishing license
Free hunting and fishing licenses for qualifying resident veterans.
State park entrance
Reduced state park admission and camping fees.
Camping & recreation
Honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected disability get free entry to New Jersey state parks and forests, plus free hunting and fishing licenses and stamps.
State veterans cemetery
The Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery (Wrightstown) provides free interment and perpetual care to New Jersey resident veterans, their spouses, and dependent children.
New Jersey ranks 41 of 51 for rural veterans' access to accredited help: 8.85 accredited representatives per 10,000 veterans, with 8.0 percent of its veterans living rural.
Email me the New Jersey benefit checklist
A clean, printable checklist of every New Jersey benefit on this page - with the eligibility threshold and official source for each - sent straight to your inbox.
State legislatures revise thresholds and dollar amounts every session. The figures above are sourced from the state agency that administers each program, but the latest year is the state's word, not ours. Before you file an application, click the source link in each section and verify the current threshold.
Writing about New Jersey veteran benefits? You are welcome to reference this guide. Copy the citation below and link back so your readers can verify each program against the state source, or download the benefits table.
Developers: this record is available as structured data VBD:STATE:NJ