Updated August 2026

Maryland Veteran Benefits 2026

The Old Line State earned its name from its soldiers — and still honors the line.

Maryland’s nickname comes from its Revolutionary War regulars, and its benefits carry the tradition — free park entry for every veteran and strong support at 100%. Verified against Maryland statutes and agencies.

Maryland Highlights

Partial military retirement tax exemption
Full property tax exemption for 100% disabled
Registration fees waived & free Disabled Veteran plates at 100% (no vehicle excise-tax exemption, though)
Free state park day-use entry for all veterans; free lifetime hunting & fishing licenses at 100%
Conroy Scholarship — up to $13,689/year for qualifying veterans & families
Maryland Veterans Trust Fund

The 15-star flag flying over the brick ramparts of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland — Fort McHenry National Monument, Baltimore. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress (public domain)

Income Tax Treatment

Maryland has a state income tax.

Military Retirement Pay: Maryland excludes $12,500 of military retirement income for retirees under 55 and $20,000 for those 55 and older.

Active Duty Pay: Active duty pay earned outside Maryland is exempt.

VA Disability Compensation: VA disability compensation is tax-free at both the federal and state level in all 50 states. Maryland does not tax VA disability payments.

Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in Maryland

Type: Full exemption at 100%

Maryland fully exempts the dwelling of a veteran with a VA-rated 100% permanent & total (or 100% unemployable/TDIU) service-connected disability under Tax-Property §7-208. A separate statewide-OPTIONAL local credit (§9-265) gives a graduated county/municipal tax credit for veterans rated 50–99% — but only where the locality has adopted it.

VA disability rating / category	What you get
100% permanent & total (or 100% unemployable/TDIU)	Complete exemption from real property tax on the dwelling, lot, and necessary structures; statewide and mandatory under §7-208.VA must declare disability 100% service-connected permanent & total (or 100% unemployable). Principal residence; file SDAT Application with rating decision + DD-214.
75%–99% service-connected	LOCAL-OPTION ONLY: credit equal to 50% of county/municipal property tax (not state tax, not full exemption); only in jurisdictions that adopted §9-265.Must not qualify for §7-208; prior-year federal AGI ≤ $100,000; locality must have enacted the credit.
50%–74% service-connected	LOCAL-OPTION ONLY: credit equal to 25% of county/municipal property tax in jurisdictions that adopted §9-265.Prior-year federal AGI ≤ $100,000; locality must have enacted it.
Below 50%	No state exemption and no statewide-optional credit.Some counties may offer separate local programs.

Income limit: None for the §7-208 full exemption; $100,000 prior-year federal AGI cap for the §9-265 local-option graduated credit.
Age requirement: None.
Surviving spouse: Under §7-208, the unremarried surviving spouse (or spouse of a line-of-duty death, or DIC recipient) keeps the full exemption, transferable to a later dwelling. §9-265 credit may continue to the spouse where the locality provides.
Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Yes — being paid at the 100% rate via Individual Unemployability (TDIU) qualifies

Recent change: 2023 legislation created the statewide-optional graduated credit (§9-265): 50%-of-tax credit (75–99%) or 25% (50–74%), $100k AGI cap, generally FY/AY2024+ where adopted. §7-208 surviving-spouse eligibility expanded (line-of-duty, DIC) and pre-purchase applications allowed. §7-208 itself remains 100%-P&T-only.

Source: Md. Code, Tax-Property §7-208 (full exemption); §9-265 (optional graduated local credit) and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.

To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs. You will typically need your VA disability rating letter (and often your DD‑214) and proof that the home is your primary residence.

Real estate vs. personal property: this benefit applies to real-estate (home/homestead) property tax. Personal-property taxes — such as the annual tax some states levy on vehicles — are separate and generally still apply, even at a 100% rating, unless your state specifically exempts them.

Check your exemption by rating & state →

Vehicle & Registration Benefits

No excise (titling) tax exemption — know this before you buy: Maryland charges a vehicle excise tax of 6.5% of the vehicle’s fair market value (minimum $100) when you title a vehicle under Md. Code, Transp. §13-809, and — unlike some states — the exemption list in Transp. §13-810 contains no disabled-veteran category: even a 100% permanent & total rating does not remove the titling tax. (Several aggregator sites claim a “100% disabled veteran excise exemption” in Maryland — the statute has none.) What does exist: the Maryland Department of Veterans & Military Families motor-vehicles page lists an excise-tax credit for vehicles titled by active-duty members or their immediate family who move to Maryland (new residents must title the vehicle within 60 days of moving, with proof of military status) or who return to Maryland (vehicle titled within one year of return, with proof of active-duty status), plus a one-year exemption from the 5% vessel excise tax for boats already registered elsewhere and brought in because of the duty transfer — new boat purchases are not exempt.

Registration fees waived for totally disabled veterans: Under Md. Code, Transp. §13-903(a)(8), a vehicle owned by, or leased to, and personally used by a veteran whom the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has designated as having lost the use of a hand, arm, or leg, or as totally disabled (or who meets the statute’s legal-blindness criteria) is exempt from registration fees, and §13-903(d) extends that fee exemption to the special registration plates. The exemption also covers a vehicle owned and personally used by the surviving spouse of a deceased disabled veteran as defined under Tax-Property §7-208 (§13-903(a)(9)). MDOT MVA implements this with permanent registration cards and plate stickers for veterans who qualify as 100 percent disabled — no renewal trips — per the MVA Services for Veterans & Active Duty Military brochure (DL-401).

Disabled Veteran license plates: Veterans rated 100% disabled, or compensated at the 100% rate for individual unemployability, permanent and total in nature, receive Disabled Veteran plates free of charge — MVA accepts a VA letter stating a total disability, and the plate (available for passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, and trucks of one-ton capacity or less) displays the universal wheelchair symbol. Since October 1, 2024 (SB 55 / HB 178 of 2024, per the MVA legislative-changes bulletin), veterans with a service-connected disability rating or unemployability rating of 50–99% can also receive Disabled Veteran plates (an “SC”-series plate with “Disabled Veteran” text and no disability symbol) free of charge for a Class A, D, E, or M vehicle — but at 50–99% you still pay the annual registration fee and surcharge. Details: MVA Military & Veteran License Plates.

Other military plates & the license designation: MDOT MVA offers more than 100 military specialty plate types — branch-of-service designs, commendation and award plates (including the Combat Wounded – Purple Heart plate), and the Gold Star Next of Kin plate. Apply with form VR-120 and a DD-214, medal certification, military ID, or National Personnel Records Center documentation; standard military-related plates carry a $25 fee, but since October 1, 2024 the Gold Star plate is issued at no charge (SB 275 / HB 231 of 2024). Veterans can also add a free “VETERAN” designation to the front of a Maryland driver’s license or ID card with a DD-214, VA letter, or other accepted proof.

Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing

Free state park day-use entry — every veteran, any rating: Maryland DNR waives all applicable day-use entrance charges, year-round, for all veterans at Maryland State Parks — resident and out-of-state veterans alike. The waiver applies to the veteran only, not others in the vehicle, unless a per-vehicle charge is in effect that day, in which case the per-vehicle fee is waived. Active-duty personnel and Maryland National Guard members also enter free by showing an active-duty military ID to the gate attendant (card holder only). Source: Maryland DNR Military One-stop Shop.

Free lifetime hunting license — 100%, unemployability, or former POW: Maryland residents who are 100% service-connected disabled veterans, are deemed unemployable by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or are former prisoners of war qualify for a complimentary lifetime hunting license, issued only at DNR Licensing and Registration Service Centers with a VA letter of disability or certification plus the hunting-license application. It includes the bow stamp, muzzleloader stamp, sika deer stamp, and furbearer permit. The Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp is not included — that stamp, the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, and the Big Game Harvest Record are still required each year.

Free lifetime fishing license — same eligibility: The complimentary lifetime fishing license for Maryland residents who are 100% service-connected disabled veterans, deemed unemployable by the VA, or former POWs incorporates the non-tidal angler’s license, trout stamp, Chesapeake Bay sport fishing license, and recreational oyster license. Submit a VA disability or certification letter with the fishing-license application to a DNR Licensing & Registration Service Center.

Purple Heart discount & active duty on leave: Any Maryland veteran who has received a Purple Heart qualifies for a 50 percent discount on Maryland hunting and fishing licenses. Maryland residents on active duty who are on leave with official leave orders may fish without a fishing license. Active-duty members stationed in Maryland are treated as Maryland residents for hunting and normally must buy a resident license — but while hunting during official leave with a copy of their leave orders they need no hunting license, deer stamps, or Managed Hunt Permit (the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp, federal stamp, and Furbearer Permit must still be purchased to pursue those species). Nonresident service members on leave in Maryland but not stationed there need a nonresident license. Full details on the state recreation-benefits page and the DNR one-stop shop above.

Education & Other Maryland Benefits

Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship: Maryland’s flagship tuition scholarship for veterans and military families, administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission — worth up to $13,689 for the 2025–2026 award year toward undergraduate, graduate, professional, or career-school study. Eligible Maryland residents include: a veteran with a service-connected disability of 25% or greater who has exhausted federal veterans’ educational benefits; the son, daughter, or stepchild of an armed-forces member who died as a result of military service or suffered a service-connected 100% permanent disability; Vietnam-conflict POW/MIA personnel or their dependents; children and surviving spouses of September 11 victims; and certain public-safety and school-employee families killed or 100% disabled in the line of duty. Awards run up to 5 years full-time or 8 years part-time; apply through your institution’s financial aid office by July 15 each year — see the MHEC Conroy Scholarship page.

VA Healthcare in Maryland

Maryland has approximately 2 VA medical centers along with community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) throughout the state. Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare can receive care at any VA facility nationwide.

To find the nearest VA facility, visit VA.gov Facility Locator.

Official Maryland Veterans Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Maryland tax military retirement pay?

Maryland excludes $12,500 of military retirement income for retirees under 55 and $20,000 for those 55 and older.

Does Maryland offer property tax exemptions for disabled veterans?

Does Maryland have a state income tax?

Maryland has a state income tax. Maryland excludes $12,500 of military retirement income for retirees under 55 and $20,000 for those 55 and older.

Is a disabled veteran exempt from Maryland's vehicle excise (titling) tax?

No. Maryland's vehicle excise tax is 6.5% of fair market value (minimum $100) under Transportation 13-809, and the exemption list in 13-810 contains no disabled-veteran category, so even a 100% permanent and total rating does not remove the titling tax. Maryland's vehicle benefit is instead a registration-fee waiver: under Transportation 13-903, a vehicle owned by or leased to and personally used by a veteran the VA designates as totally disabled, or as having lost the use of a hand, arm, or leg, is exempt from registration fees. Active-duty members or immediate family who are new or returning Maryland residents may claim an excise-tax credit.

Do disabled veterans get free license plates and registration in Maryland?

Veterans rated 100% disabled, or compensated at the 100% rate for individual unemployability, permanent and total in nature, receive Disabled Veteran plates free of charge with registration fees waived and a permanent registration card and sticker. Since October 1, 2024, veterans with a 50-99% service-connected disability or unemployability rating can also receive Disabled Veteran plates free of charge but still pay the annual registration fee and surcharge.

Do veterans get free Maryland state park admission and hunting or fishing licenses?

Maryland DNR waives all applicable day-use entrance charges at Maryland State Parks year-round for all veterans, resident and out-of-state, at any disability rating. Maryland residents who are 100% service-connected disabled veterans, are deemed unemployable by the VA, or are former prisoners of war qualify for complimentary lifetime hunting and fishing licenses from DNR. Purple Heart recipients get a 50 percent discount on hunting and fishing licenses, and resident service members on leave with official leave orders may fish without a license.