Do disabled veterans pay vehicle registration fees in Montana?

Montana has no state sales tax, so there is no vehicle sales tax to exempt. Under MCA 61-3-460, former prisoners of war, veterans rated 100% disabled (or paid at the 100% disabled rate) for a service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients rated 50% or more disabled are exempt from all motor vehicle registration fees on up to two non-commercial vehicles; the Purple Heart group still pays the veterans' cemetery fee. Unremarried surviving spouses can also qualify. Apply at the County Treasurer's office with official VA or DoD documentation - the veteran designation on a driver's license is not accepted as proof.

Do veterans get discounts at Montana state parks?

Montana resident veterans receive 50% off camping fees at Montana state parks (the discount does not apply to electrical hookup fees). Proof is a DD-214, VA ID card, or the veteran designation on a Montana driver's license. Day use is already covered for residents who keep the optional $9 state parks fee on their vehicle registration; residents who opt out pay the $8-per-vehicle nonresident day-use rate.

Updated August 2026

Montana Veteran Benefits 2026

Q: Does Montana have a state income tax?

Montana has a state income tax. Montana taxes military retirement pay but, since 2024, lets retirees who newly move to the state or begin receiving retired pay as residents exempt the lesser of 50% of that pay or their Montana wage income for five consecutive years.

Q: Do disabled veterans get free hunting and fishing licenses in Montana?

Not free, but reduced. Montana residents certified as permanently and substantially disabled can buy Class A fishing, upland game bird, deer A, and elk licenses at half price under MCA 87-2-803 (FWP lists an $8 conservation license, $2 AIS pass, and $10.50 fishing license for disabled residents). Resident Purple Heart recipients may fish and hunt game birds (except wild turkey) with only a conservation license under MCA 87-2-816, and combat-disabled veterans meeting MCA 87-2-817 criteria get half-price deer tags and a special antelope license. Montana National Guard and reserve members returning from a contingency operation of two or more months outside the state are entitled to free conservation and fishing licenses for a five-year window.

Big Sky Country — where the land itself is part of the thank-you.

Montana’s benefits are built for people who live outside: half-price camping, discounted licenses, and registration relief. Verified against Montana code and agencies, claim by claim.

Montana Highlights

Partial military retirement tax exemption
Property tax reduction for disabled veterans
No state sales tax; registration fees waived on two vehicles for 100% disabled veterans, ex-POWs & 50%+ Purple Heart recipients
Free-renewal DV plate with disabled parking privileges
Half-price hunting & fishing licenses for disabled residents; Purple Heart holders fish & hunt game birds with a conservation license only
50% off state-park camping for resident veterans
MUS tuition waiver for honorably discharged veterans with exhausted GI Bill benefits
Montana Veterans Affairs Division assistance

Sunset over Saint Mary Lake and the peaks of Glacier National Park, Montana — Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park. NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Income Tax Treatment

Montana has a state income tax.

Military Retirement Pay: Montana taxes military retirement pay but, since 2024, lets retirees who newly move to the state or begin receiving retired pay as residents exempt the lesser of 50% of that pay or their Montana wage income for five consecutive years.

Active Duty Pay: Active duty pay earned outside Montana may be exempt.

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

Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in Montana

Type: Graduated by disability rating

The Montana Disabled Veteran (MDV) Assistance Program reduces the residential property tax RATE (not assessed value) for veterans rated 100% service-connected disabled. The reduction is income-tiered: 100%, 80%, 70%, or 50% off the normal tax rate, with the bracket depending on filing status (single, married/head of household, or unmarried surviving spouse). It is an income-tiered relief on the home and up to one acre of appurtenant land.

VA disability rating / category	What you get
100% service-connected disabled (single filer)	Tax-rate reduction: 100% if income $0-$48,152; 80% if $48,153-$52,968; 70% if $52,969-$57,781; 50% if $57,782-$62,598Tax year 2026 income brackets (inflation-adjusted annually). Above the top bracket = no benefit.
100% service-connected disabled (married / head of household)	Tax-rate reduction: 100% if income $0-$57,781; 80% if $57,782-$62,598; 70% if $62,599-$67,412; 50% if $67,413-$72,229Tax year 2026 income brackets (inflation-adjusted annually).
Unmarried surviving spouse of qualifying veteran	Tax-rate reduction: 100% if income $0-$40,127; 80% if $40,128-$44,942; 70% if $44,943-$49,758; 50% if $49,759-$54,573Tax year 2026 income brackets. Veteran must have died on active duty, died from a service-related disability, or been rated 100% disabled at death.

Income limit: Yes — income-tiered. For TY2026 the cutoff (above which no benefit) is $62,598 (single), $72,229 (married/HoH), $54,573 (surviving spouse). Brackets are adjusted annually for inflation.
Age requirement: None for the disabled-veteran track (there is a separate age-based Property Tax Assistance Program / PTAP, not this program).
Surviving spouse: Yes — unmarried surviving spouse qualifies with separate (lower) income brackets if the veteran died on active duty, died of a service-connected disability, or was rated 100% disabled at death.
Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Varies / not explicitly addressed — confirm with the assessor or state VA

Recent change: Income brackets are re-indexed for inflation each year; TY2026 figures shown. No structural change to the 100%/80%/70%/50% rate-reduction design noted for 2023-2026. A 2025-2026 Revenue Interim Committee study of veteran tax benefits was underway as of late 2025 (no enacted change yet).

Source: Mont. Code Ann. (MCA) 15-6-302, 15-6-311, 15-6-312; ARM 42.19.401, 42.19.402 and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.

To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the Montana 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 vehicle sales tax in Montana: Montana has no state sales tax, so there is no motor-vehicle sales tax for anyone — veteran or not — to be exempted from. Montana’s vehicle benefit for disabled veterans is instead a full registration-fee waiver.

Registration fees waived on two vehicles: Under MCA 61-3-460, an eligible veteran is exempt from all motor vehicle registration fees on up to two vehicles not used for commercial purposes, plus the veterans’ cemetery fee for two sets of special veteran plates. Who qualifies: former prisoners of war; veterans currently rated 100% disabled or paid at the 100% disabled rate by the VA for a service-connected disability; and Purple Heart recipients rated 50% or more disabled (this last group still pays the veterans’ cemetery fee). Unremarried surviving spouses also qualify — including spouses of service members killed on active duty and of veterans who died of a service-connected injury or disability. Apply at your County Treasurer’s office with your official VA rating letter (plus a DD-214 showing the Purple Heart, if applicable); the MVD warns that the veteran designation on a driver’s license is not accepted as proof — see the MVD military & veteran license plates page.

Disabled Veteran (DV) plate: per the Montana MVD, veterans may be issued the “DV” plate — which also carries disabled parking privileges — if they were awarded the Purple Heart and are rated 50% or more disabled from a service-connected injury, or are rated 100% disabled (or paid at the 100% rate). The plate has a $12 production cost, no renewal fee, and no veterans’-cemetery fee for vehicle plates (the motorcycle version carries a $10 cemetery fee). Unlike other military plates, DV plates cannot be transferred to a surviving spouse.

Other military & veteran plates: Montana issues Active Duty, Reserve, and Veteran plates for each branch, plus Gold Star Family plates, under MCA 61-3-458. Bring proper ID and a DD-214 (or documents showing an other-than-dishonorable discharge) to the County Treasurer’s office and pay normal registration and special-plate fees — unless you qualify for the 61-3-460 waiver above, which the statute lets eligible veterans apply to any special veteran plate they otherwise qualify for.

Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing

State parks — how access works: Montana residents who keep the optional $9 state parks fee on their vehicle registration get day-use access to Montana state parks at no further charge; residents who opt out pay the nonresident day-use rate ($8 per vehicle). The veteran-specific benefit is camping: Montana resident veterans get 50% off camping fees at state parks — the discount does not apply to electrical hookup fees — with proof by DD-214, VA ID card, or the veteran designation on a Montana driver’s license. Residents with a disability receive the same 50% camping discount. Source: FWP state parks fees & general information.

Half-price licenses for disabled residents: Under MCA 87-2-803, Montana residents certified as having a permanent and substantial disability may buy a Class A fishing license, upland game bird license, deer A tag, and elk tag at one-half cost. FWP’s license page lists disabled-resident pricing of an $8 conservation license, $2 AIS Prevention Pass, and $10.50 fishing license (versus $21 for a regular resident season fishing license). Note this program is certification-based, not VA-rating-based — a VA percentage alone is not the test; the disability must be certified as permanent and substantial under FWP’s rules.

Purple Heart recipients: Under MCA 87-2-816, Montana residents awarded the Purple Heart may fish and hunt game birds (except wild turkey) with only a conservation license and AIS prevention pass — no separate fishing or bird license required. Nonresident Purple Heart recipients get the same privilege during expeditions arranged by a nonprofit organization that uses hunting and fishing in disabled-veteran rehabilitation.

Combat-disabled veterans: Under MCA 87-2-817, a veteran or disabled service member whose combat-connected injury meets the mobility criteria of 87-2-803(9) (nonambulatory or substantially impaired mobility) may buy deer A and deer B tags and a special antelope license at one-half the license fee; these licenses do not count against the antelope licenses reserved for people with permanent disabilities.

Guard & reserve members back from deployment: Montana residents (National Guard, federal reserve, or other active duty) who served at least 2 months outside the state in a contingency operation are entitled to a free resident conservation license and Class A fishing license — or a Class AAA combination sports license on payment of the base hunting fee and AIS pass — starting the year of (or year after) their return and for 4 years after their election, with the entitlement resetting on each qualifying deployment (MCA 87-2-817(2)). A drawing license or permit forfeited because of such a deployment is guaranteed back without an additional fee (subsection (3)).

Education & Other Montana Benefits

MUS Honorably Discharged Veteran Tuition Waiver: the Montana University System waives in-state tuition (tuition only — no mandatory fees, and not flat-fee or self-supporting courses) for honorably discharged veterans who: are Montana residents for tuition purposes; received an honorable discharge (“Honorable Under General Conditions” is not accepted) for active-duty service other than training; and elected federal VA education benefits under Title 38 or Title 10 that have since expired or been exhausted. It is a last-dollar award applied after all federal, state, and private grants and scholarships, so individual amounts vary; the MUS fact sheet covers undergraduate and graduate students at MUS campuses. Apply through AwardMontana no later than the third week of the first semester — no retroactive awards. Sources: Board of Regents Policy 940.13 and the MUS veteran tuition waiver fact sheet; overview at MUS tuition waivers.

VA Healthcare in Montana

Montana 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.