Nebraska Disabled Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax & Fee Exemption

Beginning January 1, 2026, the Nebraska disabled veteran motor vehicle tax exemption removes both the motor vehicle tax and the motor vehicle fee on one personally owned vehicle for qualifying veterans, blind veterans, and unremarried surviving spouses. The savings can run into the hundreds of dollars a year, especially on newer vehicles, and once approved the exemption carries forward automatically to future renewals.1Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax, Fee Exemption Goes into Effect Jan. 1

Who Qualifies

Three groups are eligible under the amended statute:

  • Veterans with any service-connected disability recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, discharged with a characterization of honorable.
  • Veterans whose vision is so impaired that it seriously limits ordinary daily activities, with the condition recognized by the VA, and who received an honorable discharge.
  • The unremarried surviving spouse of a disabled or blind veteran who would have qualified at the time of the veteran’s death.

Your disability or blindness has to be recognized by the VA, and you must be listed in the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs (NDVA) Military and Veterans’ Registry so the DMV can verify eligibility.2Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Disabled/Blind Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax and Fee Exemption

If You Receive Individual Unemployability

Individual Unemployability (IU) pays you at the 100% disability compensation rate when a service-connected condition prevents substantially gainful employment, even if your underlying rating is lower.3Veterans Affairs. Individual Unemployability if You Can’t Work The NDVA registry verifies eligibility through VA documentation showing you receive compensation, so if you are on IU, make sure your VA benefit summary reflects your current status when you enroll.

What the Exemption Covers, and What It Doesn’t

Two separate charges disappear: the motor vehicle tax and the motor vehicle fee. Both are calculated from your vehicle’s original MSRP and its age on a depreciation schedule, so a newer, more expensive vehicle is where the exemption saves the most. The motor vehicle tax drops to zero after the fourteenth registration year on its own.1Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax, Fee Exemption Goes into Effect Jan. 1

Everything else on the registration bill still applies: the plate fee, sales tax, any local wheel tax, and other standard charges.4Hall County, NE. Disabled Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax and Fee Exemption

The benefit is limited to one vehicle. If you own more than one, you pick which vehicle gets the exemption, and it has to be registered in your name and used for your personal transportation.2Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Disabled/Blind Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax and Fee Exemption

How to Claim It

There are two stages: get into the NDVA registry, then tell the county treasurer.

Enroll in the NDVA Military and Veterans’ Registry. Apply at veterans.nebraska.gov/registry and upload a VA benefit summary showing your service-connected disability rating, or documentation that you receive VA compensation, disability retirement benefits, or a VA pension. If you are already on the registry, contact an NDVA state service officer at 402-420-4021 or ndva.sso@nebraska.gov, or reach your county veteran service officer, to update your record. Allow up to 48 hours after approval for the DMV to see your status.2Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Disabled/Blind Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax and Fee Exemption

Request the exemption when you register or renew. Once the registry shows you as approved, you can claim it three ways:

  • In person at the county treasurer’s office, by telling staff you qualify for the disabled veteran tax exemption.
  • By mail, including a note requesting the exemption along with your Social Security number.
  • Online, by checking the box marked “I am eligible for the disabled veteran motor vehicle tax and fee exemption” on the second step of the renewal.

You may need to provide your Social Security number if it is not already linked to your registration record.2Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Disabled/Blind Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax and Fee Exemption

Deadlines

For a newly purchased vehicle, you have to request the exemption within 30 days of the purchase date. For a renewal, request it before the final day of your registration’s expiration month. Miss either window and you will not qualify until your next annual renewal.1Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax, Fee Exemption Goes into Effect Jan. 1

Registry approval can take up to 48 hours, and anything submitted after 5 p.m. Central on Friday sits until Monday. Start the registry step early if a renewal deadline is close.2Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Disabled/Blind Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax and Fee Exemption

Does It Renew Every Year?

No. Once approved, the exemption carries forward automatically to future renewals on the same vehicle. You do not have to reapply or resubmit documentation each year. If you later want the exemption on a different vehicle, you can request that transfer.2Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Disabled/Blind Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax and Fee Exemption

Surviving Spouses

An unremarried surviving spouse of a disabled or blind veteran qualifies for the same exemption, provided the veteran would have been eligible at the time of death.5Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Legislative Bill 756 The application path is the same: enroll in the NDVA registry, then request the exemption from the county treasurer. Eligibility ends if the surviving spouse remarries.