Massachusetts Veteran Benefits 2026

Income Tax Treatment

Massachusetts has a state income tax.

Military Retirement Pay: Massachusetts fully exempts military retirement pay, treating it like other exempt contributory government pensions.

Active Duty Pay: Active duty pay is fully exempt from Massachusetts income tax.

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

Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in Massachusetts

Type: Fixed-dollar reduction

Massachusetts grants fixed-dollar tax reductions (not value exclusions) to disabled veterans under graduated 'Clause 22' subcategories of M.G.L. c. 59, sec. 5. Amounts range from $400 (10%+ disability) up to a full exemption for paraplegic/blind veterans. These are statewide statutory minimums; under the 2024 HERO Act (Clause 22J) municipalities may locally vote to DOUBLE the amounts, and (Clause 22I) tie them to CPI. Eligibility is generally set as of July 1 of the tax year; applies to the domiciliary homestead.

• Income limit: None for the disability-based veteran clauses (Clauses 22-22F have no income/asset test). Income/asset limits apply only to certain non-disability clauses (e.g., WWI/surviving-spouse Clause 22 estate limits), not to the disabled-veteran tiers.
• Age requirement: None for disability clauses.
• Surviving spouse: Yes. Un-remarried surviving spouses generally inherit the veteran's clause exemption; Clause 22D (service-death) and Clause 22F (paraplegic/blind) provide full exemption to the surviving spouse. Eligibility ends upon remarriage.
• Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Yes — being paid at the 100% rate via Individual Unemployability (TDIU) qualifies

Source: M.G.L. c. 59, sec. 5, Clauses 22, 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F (plus 22I/22J local options added by 2024 HERO Act) and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.

To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the Massachusetts 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

Motor vehicle sales tax exemption: Under M.G.L. c. 64H, § 6(u), Massachusetts exempts from sales tax one motor vehicle owned and registered only for the personal, noncommercial use of a person who has suffered loss, or permanent loss of use, of both legs, both arms, or one leg and one arm, or of a veteran determined permanently disabled by the RMV medical advisory board and issued a Disabled Veteran plate (a previously issued Purple Heart plate also preserves eligibility). The RMV applies the exemption to one passenger vehicle or pick-up truck registered with DV plates — buy an additional vehicle and sales tax is due on it. Under the 2024 HERO Act, Purple Heart recipients who qualify for and have been approved for Disabled Veteran plates with a minimum 60% service-connected rating are also exempt (the Purple Heart or DV plate must be registered to the exempt vehicle).

Motor vehicle excise tax exemption: Under M.G.L. c. 60A, § 1, a qualifying disabled veteran pays no annual excise on one motor vehicle owned and registered (or leased) for personal, noncommercial use. The 2024 HERO Act expanded who qualifies: a VA combined service-connected rating of 100% or a VA finding of individual unemployability now brings the exemption, based on VA records rather than certification by the RMV medical advisory board. The statute’s specific-disability routes also still qualify: loss (or permanent loss of use) of one or both feet or one or both hands, loss of sight of one eye, or permanent vision impairment of both eyes to the statutory standard. Per the RMV’s November 2024 HERO Act announcement, present your VA letter to the city or town where the vehicle is garaged — the excise is a local tax, so the assessor’s office processes the exemption.

RMV fee waivers (HERO Act): Since the HERO Act was signed in August 2024, veterans the VA rates 100% disabled or individually unemployable pay no registration fee on any and all vehicles registered in their name (previously limited to one) and no driver’s-license transaction fees for any license class, including renewals. The disabled veteran must be listed as an owner of the vehicle. Still charged: special-plate fees, title and sales-tax fees (unless separately exempt), reinstatement fees, permit and road-test fees, and Mass ID fees — see the RMV disabled veteran fee & tax exemptions page.

Disabled Veteran plates: The RMV issues DV plates only to Massachusetts resident veterans who are the primary owner of a registered passenger vehicle and meet all three conditions: (1) qualify for permanent disabled-parking privileges; (2) have a minimum 60% service-connected disability rating as shown on the VA disability breakdown letter; and (3) the conditions making up that 60% must affect ambulation. Special-plate fees still apply even for veterans who qualify for the HERO Act fee waivers. DV plates are the key that unlocks the vehicle sales-tax exemption above and free day-use parking at DCR state parks below.

Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing

Free day-use parking at DCR state parks: The Department of Conservation & Recreation waives daily parking fees — no annual pass needed — for vehicles bearing a Disabled Veteran plate, a Purple Heart Recipient plate, or a disability plate or placard, per DCR’s annual parking pass page and the Visiting Massachusetts State Parks guide. DCR manages a system of 150+ state parks, and the waiver applies at every DCR day-use lot that charges a parking fee — where other Massachusetts residents pay per visit or buy the $60 annual pass.

Free hunting & fishing licenses — paraplegic and blind residents: MassWildlife issues free hunting, freshwater fishing, and sporting licenses to Massachusetts residents with paraplegia — certified by a physician as total paralysis of the lower half of the body or a condition preventing any use of the lower limbs — which covers paraplegic veterans. Residents who are blind get a free fishing license with a Certificate of Blindness from the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. First-time applicants mail the free license application with the certification to MassWildlife’s Boston licensing office; after that, renewals are online through MassFishHunt. Note that Massachusetts ties these free licenses to the specific disability, not to a VA rating percentage — there is no general rating-based license discount.

Education & Other Massachusetts Benefits

Welcome Home Bonus (post-9/11 service): The State Treasurer’s Veterans’ Bonus Division pays a one-time bonus to Massachusetts veterans who have served since September 11, 2001: $1,000 for service in Iraq, Afghanistan, or another DoD-designated imminent-danger location, or $500 for six months of continuous active service elsewhere (stateside or overseas). Heirs-at-law of a member who died on active service may claim $1,000. Subsequent deployments earn additional bonuses: $500 per later imminent-danger deployment or $250 for a further six months of continuous active service in direct support of a GWOT operation. See the Treasury’s eligibility and payment amounts page.

Who qualifies: You must have been domiciled in Massachusetts for at least six months before entering the armed forces, and — unless still on active duty — discharged under honorable conditions. Out-of-state students or service members stationed here don’t count as domiciled. If the veteran is deceased, heirs-at-law (spouse, then children, then parents) may apply. Proof of service (DD-214 for discharged members) and proof of pre-service residency are required — details on the Veterans’ Bonus eligibility and documentation page.

VA Healthcare in Massachusetts

Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts Veterans Resources

• Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services
• Massachusetts RMV — Disabled Veteran Fee & Tax Exemptions
• Massachusetts DCR — State Park Parking Passes & Fee Waivers
• MassWildlife — Free Licenses for People with Disabilities
• Massachusetts Treasury — Welcome Home Bonus
• VA Facility Locator
• 2026 VA Disability Compensation Rates