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North Carolina benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official North Carolina source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NCDMVA) can help you apply for them at no cost.
13 benefits from official sources2 not yet finalized1 where sources disagreeLast verified
North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NCDMVA)
How to read the labels:In effect confirmed on an official page. Not yet finalized announced or passed but not in force yet. Unverified — confirm with the agency we couldn't confirm it on an official page, so ask the agency.
Help from your state veterans office
NCDMVA Veterans Service Centers
In effect
State Veterans Service Officers at 12 Veterans Service Centers in four regions help with federal and state benefit claims. Most counties also have their own veterans service offices.
Who qualifies
Veterans and families.
Amount or details
Free.
How to apply
Call 844-624-8387 or find a center on the DMVA map.
Disabled veteran homestead exclusion: first $45,000 of appraised value (G.S. 105-277.1C)
In effect
Excludes the first $45,000 of appraised value of the permanent residence of an honorably discharged veteran with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability or a specially adapted housing grant, or of a qualifying never-remarried surviving spouse. You can't combine it with other property tax relief.
Who qualifies
Veteran with a P&T 100% service-connected disability or 38 U.S.C. 2101 specially adapted housing, or an unremarried surviving spouse of such a veteran or of a veteran who died of a service-connected condition.
Amount or details
First $45,000 of appraised value.
How to apply
Have a VSO certify Form NCDVA-9, then file it with Form AV-9 at the county tax office by June 1.
Military retirement pay deduction (20+ years or medical retirement) and Bailey exclusion
In effect
For tax years starting 1/1/2022 and later, retirees who served at least 20 years or were medically retired under 10 U.S.C. Ch. 61 can deduct their military retirement pay. Survivor Benefit Plan payments to their beneficiaries are also deductible. Benefits already excluded under the Bailey decision can't be deducted twice.
Who qualifies
20+ years of service or Chapter 61 medical retirement; SBP beneficiaries.
Amount or details
Full deduction of qualifying retirement pay included in federal AGI.
Free veteran license plates (Disabled Veteran, Ex-POW, Medal of Honor, Purple Heart-type decorations)
In effect
Several plates are free with the plate fee waived, including Disabled Veteran, Ex-POW, Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross and Bronze Star with V. The Disabled Veteran plate requires a 100% combined rating or IU paid at 100%. Other ratings get a 'partially disabled veteran' certification. A DMVA-accredited service officer must certify Section 3 of the MVR-33A.
Who qualifies
See summary. You need a DD-214 and, if applicable, a VA rating letter dated within the past year.
Amount or details
The listed plates are free. Personalization is charged yearly.
How to apply
Have an accredited county or state VSO certify Form MVR-33A, then submit it to NCDMV.
“the following License Plates are free, and the license plate fee waived. Bronze Star with Combat (V Device) Congressional Medal Of Honor Recipients Disabled Veterans”
“The Disabled Veterans License Plate is reserved for those who have a combined rating of 100% or receive Individual Unemployability (I.U.) and are paid at the 100% rate.”
A state scholarship at NC schools for up to eight semesters, to be used within eight years with a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Classes run from IA (parent killed in action or died of a wartime service-connected cause) and IB (100% wartime service-connected) through the competitive Classes II and III (up to 200 awards each per year) and Class IV (POW or MIA). Applicants must be under 25 and meet NC residency rules.
Who qualifies
Child of a qualifying wartime veteran, under 25, NC domiciliary and resident, meeting one residency pathway.
Amount or details
Benefits vary by class (set by statute).
How to apply
Apply through the NCDMVA Scholarship Portal. As of 10/20/2026 the page said the portal would open soon.
State and local government employment preference (G.S. 126-80); spouse expansion via SB 1041 (S.L. 2026-40)
In effect
Veterans, disabled veterans, their spouses and National Guard members get preference for state, county and local government jobs. DMVA says SB 1041, the Public Workforce Modernization Act (S.L. 2026-40, signed 7/6/2026), extended the preference to spouses of active-duty service members. NCWorks Online shows veterans job postings 24 hours early.
Who qualifies
Veterans, disabled veterans, spouses and Guard members.
Amount or details
Hiring preference; 24-hour early access to NCWorks postings.
How to apply
Claim the preference on government job applications.
“Veterans, disabled Veterans, their spouses, and National Guard members receive preference when applying for state, county and local government jobs in North Carolina.”
DMVA lists transitional housing programs for veterans across NC and points to the NC4VETS Resource Guide. For immediate homelessness help, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-4AID-VET. No state cash grant or bonus program was found.
Lifetime hunting and fishing licenses for 50%+ disabled veterans
In effect
NC residents with a VA rating of 50% or higher can buy discounted lifetime licenses that stay valid as long as the rating remains 50% or higher. On the current NCWRC application: inland or coastal fishing $15, hunting/inland fishing combo $15, Sportsman $131, Sportsman/Coastal $144, plus a $5 transaction fee. The statute lists the combo at $10.
Who qualifies
NC resident with a VA rating of 50% or higher.
Amount or details
$15 combo or fishing; $131 or $144 sportsman (per the application). Plus $5 transaction fee.
How to apply
Submit the NCWRC disabled veteran lifetime license application with VA certification.
Note
The statute (G.S. 113-270.1C(b)(5)) says $10.00 for the combo, but the current NCWRC application lists $15. The application price is what you'll actually pay.
DMVA homes are located in Black Mountain, Fayetteville, Kernersville, Kinston and Salisbury. The DMVA page text says '4 full-service' homes with 449 skilled care beds but lists five locations. The director of home operations can be reached at (984) 204-8366.
Who qualifies
Veterans needing skilled care. Contact the home for admission criteria.
Amount or details
449 skilled care beds (per DMVA, possibly outdated).
“Black Mountain State Veterans Home Fayetteville State Veterans Home Kernersville State Veterans Home Kinston State Veterans Home Salisbury State Veterans Home”
Free burial plots for veterans at the Coastal Carolina, Eastern Carolina, Sandhills and Western Carolina State Veterans Cemeteries. The cemeteries director can be reached at 919-664-1110.
Who qualifies
Per the DMVA cemetery eligibility rules.
Amount or details
Free plot for veterans.
How to apply
Contact the cemetery or the director at 919-664-1110.
Pending: HB 118 would raise the DV homestead exclusion from $45,000 to $61,000
Not yet finalized
Not final yet: In committee (House Rules) since 9/23/2025. Not enacted.
The Disabled Veterans Tax Relief Bill would add $16,000 to the exclusion. The fiscal note estimates about $9M a year in lost local revenue. It was re-referred to House Rules on 9/23/2025.
HB 1122, Expand Disabled Veteran Prop. Tax Exclusion, was filed 4/30/2026 and referred to House Rules. SB 660 was referred to Senate Rules on 3/26/2025. Neither has been enacted.
This state page was last reviewed against official sources on November 1, 2026. Our watcher re-checks those pages automatically and flags any item whose quoted wording disappears.