New Mexico
New Mexico exempts 100 percent service connected disabled veterans from all property taxes on the primary residence, gives free hunting and fishing licenses for veterans rated 50 percent or higher, in state tuition at all New Mexico public colleges, and a free lifetime state parks pass (day use and camping) for resident veterans.
New Mexico Department of Veterans AffairsProperty tax exemption
Disabled veteran exemption is proportional to the federal disability rating, with a full exemption at 100 percent, applying from the 2026 property tax year. Honorably discharged veterans also receive a $10,000 reduction in assessed value, raised from $4,000 by a 2024 constitutional amendment and indexed for inflation from the 2025 property tax year.
| Rating tier | Exemption |
|---|---|
| Honorably discharged | $10,000 reduction in assessed value (2025 and later tax years, indexed for inflation) |
| Below 100 percent service connected | Exemption proportional to the disability rating (2026 and later tax years) |
| 100 percent service connected | Full exemption on the primary residence |
State income tax
New Mexico does not tax VA disability compensation. Military retirement pay is partially exempt - New Mexico excludes up to $30,000 of military retirement income for tax years 2024-2026; the rest is taxed.
Disabled veteran plates & registration
New Mexico issues the first Disabled Veteran plate free to veterans rated 50%+ and exempts registration fees and excise tax on one vehicle; up to two free DV plates are allowed.
Public employment preference
New Mexico adds 5 points to a veteran's passing state-employment exam score and 10 points for veterans with a service-connected disability.
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. New Mexico Veterans Tuition Waiver covers tuition at any public New Mexico university or community college for honorably discharged Vietnam-era veterans.
Dependent / survivor education
New Mexico's Children of Deceased Veterans Scholarship gives free tuition (plus up to $300 per year toward fees/books) at state-funded postsecondary schools to children ages 16-26 whose veteran parent was a New Mexico resident at entry into service and was killed in action or died of battle-related causes. The separate Wartime Veterans Scholarship Fund covers tuition and fees for qualifying wartime veterans themselves.
Hunting and fishing license
Free or reduced fee Disabled Veteran Hunting and Fishing License.
State park entrance
New Mexico issues a free lifetime Veterans Pass giving unlimited day-use entry and camping (including available water and electrical hookups) at all New Mexico State Parks for any New Mexico resident veteran; apply through the Department of Veterans Services. The older annual passes for veterans rated 50 percent or higher are honored until they expire, then holders exchange them for the lifetime pass.
Camping & recreation
As of July 1, 2025, all New Mexico resident veterans qualify for the free Lifetime Veteran State Parks pass - free day-use and camping access at all New Mexico State Parks.
State veterans cemetery
New Mexico operates three state veterans cemeteries (Angel Fire, Fort Stanton, and Gallup) providing a grave, headstone, and perpetual care for honorably discharged veterans and their spouses.
New Mexico ranks 9 of 51 for rural veterans' access to accredited help: 6.00 accredited representatives per 10,000 veterans, with 24.9 percent of its veterans living rural.
Email me the New Mexico benefit checklist
A clean, printable checklist of every New Mexico 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 Mexico 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:NM