Kansas does not offer a disabled veteran vehicle tax exemption in the way most searchers hope. There is no property tax exemption on vehicles for disabled veterans who have separated from service, and the sales tax exemption that takes effect July 1, 2026, specifically excludes motor vehicle purchases. What Kansas does offer is narrower: free registration on one vehicle through the Disabled Veteran license plate, and, starting in 2026, a sales tax exemption that covers vehicle repairs and modifications for veterans rated 100% disabled.
Free Registration Through the Disabled Veteran Plate
The Disabled Veteran license plate waives the registration fee on one vehicle. You qualify with a service-connected disability rating of at least 50% from the VA, or with loss of use of one or both hands or feet, or permanent visual impairment in both eyes meeting a prescribed degree.1Kansas Department of Revenue. Kansas Department of Revenue Division of Vehicles – Kansas Disabled Veteran Plate
The plate can go on a car, motorcycle, or truck registered for 20,000 pounds or less. The vehicle must be titled in Kansas in the veteran’s name or leased by the veteran. You apply on Form TR-103, which requires signatures from the veteran and the regional VA director. Adding the international symbol of access requires a medical professional’s signature as well.1Kansas Department of Revenue. Kansas Department of Revenue Division of Vehicles – Kansas Disabled Veteran Plate
Two limits matter. The registration fee waiver applies only to the first Disabled Veteran plate; additional plates on other vehicles carry standard registration fees and property taxes. And even on the plated vehicle, property tax must still be paid.1Kansas Department of Revenue. Kansas Department of Revenue Division of Vehicles – Kansas Disabled Veteran Plate The benefit clears the registration line, not the property tax line.
The 2026 Sales Tax Exemption and What It Means for Vehicles
Kansas passed K.S.A. 79-3606h in 2024, creating a sales tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans that takes effect July 1, 2026. It covers most goods and services for personal use, capped at $24,000 per year. Motor vehicle purchases are specifically excluded.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 79-3606h – Exempt Sales for Purchases Made by 100% Disabled Residents Who Have Been Honorably Discharged From the Armed Forces Buying a car, truck, or motorcycle will still be taxed at the standard rate.
What Vehicle Costs Qualify
Vehicle repairs, maintenance, modifications, and related labor charges do qualify. Parts you buy yourself and work you hire out both count.3Kansas Department of Revenue. Disabled Veteran Tax Exemption Adaptive equipment like hand controls, wheelchair lifts, and pedal extensions falls in this category, and those installations can consume a meaningful share of the $24,000 annual cap. Grouping larger service or modification work into one year helps you use the cap efficiently.
Fuel does not qualify. Gas is taxed under the motor fuel excise tax rather than the state sales tax, so the exemption does nothing at the pump.3Kansas Department of Revenue. Disabled Veteran Tax Exemption
Who Qualifies
Eligibility for the sales tax exemption is stricter than for the license plate. Under K.S.A. 79-3606h you must:
- Be a Kansas resident at the time of purchase.
- Have been honorably discharged from any branch of the U.S. armed forces.
- Have a VA certification of 100% service-connected disability, or be deemed totally disabled or unemployable.
- Have a disability that is permanent and resulted from military action, an accident during service, or disease contracted during active duty.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 79-3606h – Exempt Sales for Purchases Made by 100% Disabled Residents Who Have Been Honorably Discharged From the Armed Forces
A 100% rating alone is not enough if the VA considers the condition likely to improve. The rating must carry a permanent designation.
How to Claim It
Before using the exemption at any retailer, apply for a veteran exemption identification number from the Kansas Secretary of Revenue. Once approved, you receive an exemption certificate card about the size of a driver’s license. Present the card, or enter the identification number on an exemption certificate, at the point of sale.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 79-3606h – Exempt Sales for Purchases Made by 100% Disabled Residents Who Have Been Honorably Discharged From the Armed Forces Application forms are available through the Kansas Department of Revenue.3Kansas Department of Revenue. Disabled Veteran Tax Exemption Keep receipts to track your $24,000 annual cap.
Surviving Spouses
A surviving spouse can continue the sales tax exemption, including the $24,000 annual cap, but only if the veteran was already receiving the exemption at the time of death and the death occurs on or after July 1, 2026. Remarriage ends the benefit.3Kansas Department of Revenue. Disabled Veteran Tax Exemption A spouse or household member can also make exempt purchases on the veteran’s behalf while the veteran is living, as long as the items are for the veteran’s personal use.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 79-3606h – Exempt Sales for Purchases Made by 100% Disabled Residents Who Have Been Honorably Discharged From the Armed Forces
The Active-Military Exemption Is Not a Veterans Benefit
Searchers often land on K.S.A. 79-5107(e), which exempts up to two motor vehicles from personal property tax. That provision applies to people currently serving, not to veterans who have separated. It covers full-time active-duty members stationed in or outside Kansas, personnel who are mobilized or deployed, and current members of the Kansas National Guard or U.S. reserve forces.4Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 79-5107 – Taxation of Motor Vehicles; Computation of Tax; Due Date; Refunds; Exemption of Military Personnel Vehicles
If you are still in an active or reserve component, the vehicle must be titled in your name and cannot be used in a trade or business. File Form TR-601, the Military Personnel Affidavit for Motor Vehicle Property Tax Exemption, at your county treasurer’s office.5Kansas Department of Revenue. Military Personnel Affidavit for Motor Vehicle Property Tax Exemption Once you leave service, eligibility ends regardless of any disability rating.
What Kansas Does Not Cover
Kansas does not exempt disabled veterans from vehicle property tax. The property tax line on your annual registration bill is owed in full, Disabled Veteran plate or not. Kansas also does not exempt the purchase price of a motor vehicle from sales tax for disabled veterans. House Bill 2438, which would have exempted up to two vehicles owned by disabled veterans from state sales tax, died in committee in 2022.
The 2024 exemption that did pass carves motor vehicles out of an otherwise broad benefit. If you were planning to buy a vehicle assuming the exemption would apply, budget for full sales tax. The savings on repairs, modifications, and general retail purchases are real, but the two biggest vehicle costs, purchase and annual property tax, are not reduced.