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The Surviving Spouse Credit — $700 by Statute, up to $2,000 If the Town Votes It

RSA 72:29-a gives a surviving spouse a credit of $700 a year against real and personal property taxes, and a municipality may adopt any amount from $701 up to $2,000 under RSA 72:27-a. The credit applies to property in the municipality where the surviving spouse RESIDES, so a move to a more generous town changes what you get. The statutory conditions on which deaths qualify are in the statute itself — confirm them with your town rather than assuming, because they are narrower than the credit's name suggests.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

RSA 72:29-a gives a surviving spouse a credit of $700 a year against real and personal property taxes, and a municipality may adopt any amount from $701 up to $2,000 under RSA 72:27-a. The credit applies to property in the municipality where the surviving spouse RESIDES, so a move to a more generous town changes what you get. The statutory conditions on which deaths qualify are in the statute itself — confirm them with your town rather than assuming, because they are narrower than the credit's name suggests.

What it's worth: $700 a year, or up to $2,000 where the town has voted a higher amount

  • $700 a year is the statutory amount.
  • A MUNICIPALITY MAY ADOPT $701 TO $2,000 under RSA 72:27-a. Nearly a threefold spread depending on the town.
  • The credit is against REAL AND PERSONAL property taxes.
  • It applies to property in the municipality WHERE THE SURVIVING SPOUSE RESIDES.
  • THE STATUTE'S CONDITIONS ON WHICH DEATHS QUALIFY ARE NARROWER THAN THE NAME SUGGESTS. Confirm with your town — we have not restated them here because the source reviewed did not set them out.
  • Remarriage may affect entitlement; ask the town.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are a surviving spouse.
  • This is where you live.
  • New Hampshire municipalities.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: By your town's filing deadline
  1. 1Ask your town what amount it has adopted. The statutory floor is $700 but the town may pay up to $2,000.
  2. 2Ask which deaths the credit covers. The statute's conditions are specific and worth hearing from the assessor rather than guessing.
  3. 3Apply in the municipality where you live — that is where the credit attaches.
  4. 4If you are considering a move within New Hampshire, ask what the new town has adopted.
  5. 5Ask what happens on remarriage before it becomes a live question.
Form
Application to your town assessing office
File with
Your town assessing office
Documents you will need
dd214
Annual
Claimed once a year.
Worth knowingWe have not restated which deaths qualify, because the source reviewed did not set them out and getting that wrong would send a grieving spouse to an assessor's counter for nothing. Ask the town first.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.