Montana tax relief
Montana's disabled-Veteran assistance program reduces a qualifying home's property-tax rate for a Veteran with a 100% service-connected disability, with the reduction based on income and household status.
Official sources reviewed 2026-08-29
Montana Veteran Benefits
Review 41 source-backed Montana veteran benefit records, eligibility considerations, and program source links.
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Reviewed Montana benefit records
Open any record for source dates, caveats, application steps, and official links.
Casualty-Based Grant
The Montana Military Family Relief Fund offers a $2,000 casualty-based grant, subject to available funds, to a Montana-resident National Guard or Reserve member who served at least 30 consecutive days under federal contingency-operation orders and sustained a nonfatal combat-related injury from hostile action. The application requires Purple Heart documentation. This payment is for the qualifying injured member, not an automatic dependent benefit.
Discounted Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Licenses for Combat Disabled Veterans
Veterans and service members with a medically certified permanent, substantial combat-connected impairment may apply for half-price Montana deer and antelope licenses. Resident and nonresident routes exist. The 2026 application requires a VA service-connected disability letter and, for a first application, certification by an accepted Montana-licensed health professional. Conservation and base hunting licenses are still required; this is not a general fishing or camping discount.
Donated Montana Hunting Licenses for Disabled Service Members and Veterans
Donated Montana hunting licenses are available for nonprofit-organized rehabilitation hunts to qualifying Purple Heart recipients whose combat-zone wounds or injuries led to medical retirement, a VA or DoD rating of at least 70%, or qualifying active-duty status. Recipients need not be Montana residents, pay a license fee or first buy a conservation license, but cannot have received a donated license or related permit in the previous calendar year. Sponsorship and supporting documents are required.
Montana Army Veteran License Plate
Qualifying Army Veterans may apply for Montana Army Veteran plates through a county treasurer with accepted service and discharge documentation. An eligible unmarried surviving spouse may also apply. The plate must match the person’s service status; ordinary registration and applicable plate charges remain unless a separate exemption applies.
Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education Tuition Waivers for Service Members, Veterans and War Orphans
Montana University System campuses offer designated tuition waivers for qualifying honorably discharged Veterans, Montana National Guard members and certain surviving children or spouses. Each waiver has separate residence, service, benefit-exhaustion or survivor rules. Waivers cover tuition, not required fees, and combined waivers cannot exceed tuition charged. Apply through the university system’s current program process.
Montana Department of Labor, Veteran Services
Montana Job Service offices assist transitioning service members, Veterans and eligible spouses with employment, training and placement resources. Veteran-focused staff provide outreach and individualized help for eligible job seekers. This is employment assistance and referral—not an automatic tuition award or a guarantee of a job.
Montana Disabled Veteran Assistance Program (MDV), Property Tax Reduction
Montana’s MDV program reduces the property-tax rate on a qualifying primary residence by 100%, 80%, 70% or 50%, depending on income and filing circumstances. Eligible Veterans must be honorably discharged and rated or paid at 100% for service-connected disability. Certain unmarried surviving spouses also qualify. Ownership, occupation for at least seven months, annual income limits and application rules apply; agricultural/forest property relief is limited to the home and one-acre homesite.
Montana Disabled Veteran License Plate
Montana Disabled Veteran plates provide disabled-parking privileges to qualifying Veterans with a Purple Heart and at least 50% service-connected disability, or a 100% service-connected rating, or VA payment at the 100% rate. The plate cannot transfer to a surviving spouse. MVD lists a $12 production charge, no renewal fee, no vehicle cemetery-support fee and a $10 motorcycle cemetery-support fee. Separate registration rules still apply.
Montana Fishing Benefits for Veterans in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospitals
Free Montana fishing permits are available on site for patients residing in VA hospitals and residents of qualifying state institutions, excluding the state penitentiary. Ask the hospital or institution about the permit before fishing. This is a permit program, not a blanket exemption for all Veterans or all VA outpatients.
Montana Gold Star Family License Plate
Montana Gold Star Family plates recognize eligible relatives of service members who died in qualifying armed conflict. The application identifies eligible spouses, parents, children and siblings, including specified step, adoptive and foster relationships. Submit casualty/death and relationship evidence to Montana Veterans Affairs for an eligibility letter, then present it to the county treasurer. Applicable registration and special-plate fees remain.
Montana Hilton Honors Military Program
Montana participates in the NASWA–Hilton Honors military employment-travel program. Eligible transitioning service members and Veterans may receive donated hotel points for approved job interviews, required training or pre-employment testing. Awards are not guaranteed; relocation, vacation and ordinary job-search travel are excluded. Contact a participating job-center Veteran representative for state eligibility rules. This is a partner program, not a state or VA cash entitlement.
Montana Honor and Remember Medallion
Montana’s Honor and Remember Medallion recognizes eligible family members of Montana service members who died from specified enemy-action or armed-conflict circumstances while on federal active duty. The application requires casualty/death and family-relationship proof. One medallion is provided free per family; additional medallions cost $20. This is commemorative recognition, not a cash benefit.
Montana Honorably Discharged Veteran Tuition Waiver
Eligible Montana-resident undergraduate or graduate Veterans may receive a last-dollar tuition waiver at qualifying MUS campuses after their elected Title 38 or Title 10 education benefits expire or are exhausted. An Honorable discharge for active service other than training is required; General discharges do not qualify. Apply by the third week of the first requested semester and maintain satisfactory progress. Other grants/scholarships apply first; fees and flat-fee courses are not covered.
Montana Hunting and Fishing Benefits for Purple Heart Recipients and Legion of Valor Members
Legion of Valor members, resident or nonresident, may fish in Montana with a conservation license and proof of membership. Purple Heart recipients may fish and hunt game birds other than wild turkey with the required conservation license and aquatic-invasive-species pass. Nonresident Purple Heart use is limited to nonprofit-arranged rehabilitation expeditions. Obtain the special qualification through FWP with award/service proof; seasons and other applicable rules still apply.
Montana Income Exemption for Nonresident Military Spouses
A qualifying nonresident military spouse may exclude Montana-earned service income under federal military-spouse residence protections. The exemption depends on the service member’s and spouse’s legal-residence elections and the military-related presence in Montana; it is not a blanket exemption for every spouse or every type of Montana income. Review DOR’s military tax instructions before claiming exempt withholding or filing.
Montana Income Tax Exemption for Qualifying Military Survivor Benefits
Eligible Montana residents receiving Defense Department Survivor Benefit Plan annuities may exclude up to 50% of qualifying survivor benefits. The residence and timing rules cover those becoming residents after June 30, 2023, or already resident before benefits began and remaining resident. Relief is limited to five consecutive years; leaving Montana ends eligibility. Death benefits are excluded from this program. Use DOR’s current WMRE instructions.
Montana License Expiration Exemption for Active Duty Service Members
Active-duty service members may apply for Montana military-exempt driver-license status, which can keep the license valid until 90 days after honorable discharge. Submit the military-exempt form and identity/military documentation to MVD. Family members do not receive this expiration exemption, although separate mail-renewal options may be available.
Montana Military and Veteran License Plates
Montana offers military, service-branch, Veteran and qualifying-survivor plates through county treasurers. Select the plate matching your current qualifying status and provide MVD-accepted service, discharge, award or relationship evidence. Fees and exemptions depend on the design and applicant. A Veteran mark on a driver license is not by itself acceptable plate-eligibility proof.
Montana Military Pay Exemption for Active Duty Service Members
Montana allows subtraction of qualifying active-duty regular armed-forces pay, certain Guard/Reserve contingency-operation or homeland-defense pay, and qualifying combat-zone amounts. Ordinary Reserve pay, training outside those qualifying operations and Title 32 Active Guard/Reserve pay do not automatically qualify. Keep military-status documentation and check resident filing requirements even when qualifying pay is exempt.
Montana Military Retired Pay Income Taxes
Eligible working Montana military retirees may exclude the lesser of 50% of qualifying military retirement income or their Montana-source wages, business and farm income. Residence and timing rules apply, and the exemption lasts at most five consecutive years. Moving away ends eligibility. This is not a permanent 50% exemption for every retiree; use DOR’s current WMRE calculation and documentation rules.
Montana Military Waiver for a Commercial Driver License (CDL)
Montana’s military CDL Even Exchange program can waive skills testing for qualified service members with commanding-officer certification. Knowledge tests may also be waived; school-bus, passenger and hazardous-material endorsements do not transfer. MVD’s current instructions require a current license and qualifying full-time military commercial-vehicle work now or within the preceding 12 months. Confirm any temporary federal extension with MVD before relying on it.
Montana Purple Heart License Plate
Qualifying Purple Heart Veterans may obtain Montana Purple Heart plates with required award and service proof. MVD lists a $12 production charge and $10 renewal charge. The vehicle cemetery-support fee is $10, waived when the recipient has a 100% disability rating; the listed motorcycle cemetery-support fee is $10. These fees support cemeteries but do not establish cemetery burial eligibility.
Montana State Parks and Camping Discount for Veterans
Montana-resident Veterans receive 50% off the base camping fee at state parks for the campsite they occupy. Electrical fees are not discounted. Show a DD214, VA identification card or Montana driver license with a Veteran designation. Other reservation and park rules still apply.
Montana State Taxes on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation is tax-free survivor compensation, not a military-retirement annuity. Montana begins its income-tax calculation with federal taxable income; VA DIC excluded federally is not an ordinary taxable retirement payment. Eligible spouses, children or parents apply to VA under the applicable survivor rules. Do not confuse DIC with taxable military Survivor Benefit Plan income.
Montana State Veterans Cemeteries
Montana’s state Veterans cemetery program lists four locations: Fort Harrison, Missoula, Miles City and Columbia Falls. Contact the selected cemetery about eligibility, supporting documents, interment options and current fees for Veterans and eligible family members.
Montana State Veterans Cemetery Locations
Montana’s state Veterans cemeteries are in Fort Harrison, Missoula, Miles City and Columbia Falls. Use the agency directory to contact the correct office. The interment request requires death and service documents; contact the cemetery for spouse/dependent eligibility, current forms, fees and scheduling.
Montana State Veterans’ Homes
Montana’s Veterans’ homes in Columbia Falls, Glendive and Butte provide long-term care for eligible Veterans and qualifying spouses or survivors. Admission depends on service/discharge evidence, care needs, the facility’s ability to serve the applicant and available space. Services and charges differ by home; Veteran subsidies do not automatically cover a spouse. Contact the selected home for an individual assessment.
Montana State Veterans’ Homes Locations
Montana Veterans’ homes are in Columbia Falls, Glendive and Butte. Columbia Falls lists 105 nursing-care and 12 domiciliary beds; Glendive lists 80 beds; Butte has five 12-bedroom skilled-nursing cottages. These capacities are not a promise of an available place. Use each home’s current contact and admission information to ask about care, eligibility and waiting lists.
Montana Tax Treatment of Military Disability Retirement Pay
Military disability retirement is paid through the military retirement system, not as VA disability compensation. Its federal tax exclusion is conditional—for example, qualifying combat-related or protected disability-retirement cases—and amounts based on years of service may remain taxable. Montana generally starts with federal taxable income, so the actual federal treatment matters. A separate Montana working-retiree exemption may apply if its requirements are met.
Montana Vehicle Registration Fee and Cemetery Fee Waivers for Veterans and Surviving Spouses
Montana offers reduced registration charges for qualifying disabled Veterans and some unremarried surviving spouses. Eligibility can include VA-rated or paid-at-100% disability, specified Purple Heart/disability or former-POW routes, and qualifying active-duty or service-connected deaths for survivors. Required VA/DoD proof and design-specific cemetery-support fees apply. A survivor’s fee eligibility does not mean a Disabled Veteran parking plate transfers to that survivor.
Montana Veteran Hiring Preference for Private Employers
Montana private employers, including for-profit and nonprofit employers, may voluntarily adopt a hiring preference for Veterans. The law authorizes a policy; it does not require every private employer to offer preference or guarantee a Veteran a job. Ask the employer whether and how its policy applies.
Montana Veterans Affairs Division, Veteran Service Offices
Montana Veterans Affairs operates nine Veteran Service Offices offering no-cost accredited assistance with benefit claims, records, appeals and referrals for Veterans and eligible family members. Use the current directory to locate an office and arrange help. Service-officer assistance is not itself a cash benefit or a guarantee that a claim will be approved.
Montana Veterans’ Employment Preference Policy
For qualifying initial public hiring, Montana adds five percentage points for eligible Veterans or ten for disabled Veterans and eligible relatives when a scored selection procedure is used. Applicants generally must be U.S. citizens, meet job qualifications and claim preference on time. Unscored hiring uses statutory preference among substantially equally qualified applicants. A guaranteed interview exists only when the employer adopts it by rule or ordinance; it is not universal.
Montana Veterans’ Organization and Guardian-Held Property Tax Exemptions
Montana exempts qualifying Veterans’ organization clubhouse, building and land used mainly for educational, fraternal, benevolent or public-charitable purposes rather than profit. Rented or leased property can qualify when the tax savings reach the organization. Separately, certain federally derived Veteran/dependent funds held by legal guardians are exempt while held in that capacity. These are organizational or protected-property rules—not an ordinary personal-home or college-tuition benefit.
Montana War Orphans Tuition Waiver
Montana-resident children age 25 or younger may qualify for an undergraduate tuition waiver when their parent entered service as a Montana resident, served during a listed World War II, Korean, Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan conflict, and was killed in action or died from combat-related injury, disease or disability. Commissioner approval, a third-week application deadline and satisfactory academic progress apply. Required fees are not waived.
Nonresident Service Members and Dependents Stationed in Montana may Purchase Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Licenses at Resident Rates
Qualifying nonresident active-duty service members stationed in Montana for at least 30 days, and their household spouses and dependents, may buy hunting, fishing and trapping licenses at resident rates. Military orders and other eligibility/hunter-education evidence may be required. The 30-day period is waived in wartime; reassignment can change eligibility. This is a military licensing exception, not automatic permanent Montana residency.
Status-Based Grant
A Montana Military Family Relief Fund status-based grant provides $250 per eligible DEERS-enrolled dependent of a Montana-resident Guard or Reserve member serving at least 30 consecutive days under federal contingency-operation orders. The member’s pay grade must be no higher than O-3 or W-3. Each dependent needs a signed application and tax form with required military/dependency proof. Awards depend on available funds.
Surviving Dependents of Montana National Guard Service Member Tuition Waiver
A qualifying surviving spouse or child of a Montana National Guard member who died from an injury, disease or other disability incurred in line of duty on state active duty may receive a Montana University System tuition waiver. The waiver is limited when another government or private program supplies comparable education benefits. MUS admission, applicable residency and waiver rules remain; tuition relief does not cover required fees.
Veteran Designation on Montana Driver Licenses and ID Cards
Montana can add a Veteran designation to a driver license or ID using accepted proof: a certified DD214 showing Honorable discharge, VA healthcare card or retired military ID. Request it during an in-person licensing transaction or through the applicable MVD replacement process. No extra designation fee applies, but normal license, renewal or replacement charges may. The mark is not universal proof of eligibility for other programs.
Veterans’ Homes Amenities
Montana Veterans’ homes offer nursing care and rehabilitation; available services differ by location. Columbia Falls also lists domiciliary care and a dedicated memory-care unit. Butte lists skilled-nursing cottages, physical/occupational/speech therapy and memory care subject to availability. Admission and the amount a resident pays depend on clinical eligibility, space and applicable coverage—not simply Veteran status.
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