KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Missouri lets you subtract all of your taxable military retired pay from income, and active-duty and Guard or Reserve pay are deductible too.
- Combat veterans pay no more than $50 per credit hour for certificate, associate and bachelor’s programs at Missouri public colleges under the Returning Heroes Education Act.
- Veterans rated 100% can get a property tax credit of up to $1,100 ($750 for renters) and leave VA payments out of the income test. A full homestead exemption still applies only to 100% disabled former POWs.
- Missouri runs seven veterans homes for veterans who need skilled nursing care. Veterans rated 70% or more are not charged; the 2026 rate for others is up to $2,773 a month.
- Veterans rated 60% or more and former POWs can fish and hunt most game without a permit, and burial in Missouri’s five state veterans cemeteries is free.
- Missouri Income Tax for Veterans and Military Retirees
- Missouri Property Tax Relief for Veterans
- Education Benefits: Returning Heroes and Guard Tuition
- State Hiring Preference and Legal Help
- License Plates and the Veteran Designation
- Hunting, Fishing and State Parks
- Missouri State Veterans Homes
- Missouri State Veterans Cemeteries
- Benefits for Surviving Spouses and Families
- How to Apply for Missouri Veteran Benefits
- Frequently Asked Questions
Missouri is one of the better states to retire in after military service: retired pay is not taxed, combat veterans can finish a degree for $50 a credit hour, and the state runs seven veterans homes and five free veterans cemeteries. Where Missouri lags is property tax. Unless you are a 100% disabled former prisoner of war, the main help is a credit of up to $1,100 for lower-income households, and a 2026 attempt to extend the full exemption to all 100% disabled veterans did not reach the ballot. This guide covers what Missouri offers in 2026, who qualifies and where to apply.
Missouri Income Tax for Veterans and Military Retirees
Missouri taxes most income, but it carves out almost all military pay. The Department of Revenue lets you subtract the taxable portion of your military pension on Form MO-A, Part 1, Line 10, so military retired pay is not taxed by Missouri.
| Income | Missouri treatment |
|---|---|
| Military retired pay | Fully subtracted on Form MO-A |
| Active-duty pay | Deductible under RSMo 143.174, including Guard members on federal active duty |
| National Guard and Reserve drill pay | Deductible under RSMo 143.175; 100% since tax year 2024 |
| Combat zone pay | Excluded from federal income, so it never reaches your Missouri return |
| Survivor Benefit Plan annuity | Not covered by the military subtraction, but qualifies for the public pension exemption, up to $47,633 for 2025 |
| VA disability compensation and DIC | Tax-free under federal law |
The active-duty and Guard deductions apply only to military income that is included in your federal adjusted gross income. Questions go to the Department of Revenue’s military liaison at military@dor.mo.gov.
Military spouses who live in Missouri only because of the service member’s orders can keep their home state for tax purposes under the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act. Our Survivor Benefit Plan guide covers the annuity, and the military retirement pay calculator estimates what you will receive.
Missouri Property Tax Relief for Veterans
Property Tax Credit for 100% disabled veterans
Missouri’s main help is the Property Tax Credit, a refundable credit for part of the real estate tax or rent you paid. It is open to seniors and to people who are 100% disabled, including veterans rated 100% for a service-connected disability. For the 2025 tax year, the qualification chart sets these limits:
| Filer | Household income limit, single | Married filing combined | Maximum credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-year homeowner | $30,000 | $34,000 | $1,100 |
| Renter or part-year owner | $27,200 | $29,200 | $750 |
If you are 100% service-connected disabled, leave your VA payments out of household income. That rule alone qualifies many disabled veterans who would otherwise be over the limit. File Form MO-PTS with Form MO-1040, or Form MO-PTC on its own if you do not otherwise need to file.
Full exemption for 100% disabled former POWs
The Missouri Constitution exempts the homestead of a former prisoner of war who is rated 100% for a service-connected disability. A 100% rating alone does not qualify.
2026 proposal stalled
HJR 115 would have extended the full homestead exemption to every veteran rated 100% and to unremarried surviving spouses. The House passed it in April 2026, but it did not clear the Senate before the session ended, and it is not on the November 2026 ballot. For now, the credit above is the main relief.
Veterans who are close to 100% should look at the gap: moving from 90% to 100% unlocks the credit’s VA-income rule and much larger federal benefits. Our 100% VA disability guide covers what the rating requires.
Education Benefits: Returning Heroes and Guard Tuition
Returning Heroes Education Act
Under the Returning Heroes Education Act, Missouri public colleges must cap tuition for combat veterans at $50 per credit hour for certificate, associate and bachelor’s programs. For master’s and doctoral programs, tuition and fees are capped at 30%; professional degrees such as law and medicine are excluded.
- Served in a combat zone, documented on your DD-214, and were honorably discharged
- A registered or eligible Missouri voter, or a current Missouri resident
- Reserve and Guard members qualify after more than 30 consecutive days of full-time combat service under federal orders
- Achieve and keep a 2.5 cumulative GPA for undergraduate study
- Use it within 10 years of your last discharge for undergraduate study, or 20 years for graduate study
The rate applies before other aid, so the Post-9/11 GI Bill can cover the reduced tuition and still pay your housing allowance. That can leave room to save GI Bill months or transfer them to a dependent.
National Guard education benefits
- State Tuition Assistance: up to 39 credit hours per state fiscal year and 150 hours lifetime, paying 50% to 100% of the University of Missouri-Columbia credit rate. You must use federal Tuition Assistance first, keep a 2.5 GPA and be working on your first undergraduate degree.
- Tuition and fee waiver: SB 912 (2024) added a waiver of undergraduate tuition and fees at public colleges for Missouri Guard members, subject to conditions and funding. Ask the Guard education office whether it applies to your term.
In-state tuition
Veterans and dependents using the GI Bill, VR&E or the Fry Scholarship pay resident tuition at Missouri public colleges under federal law. Active-duty members stationed in Missouri and their dependents are also charged in-state rates.
State Hiring Preference and Legal Help
Missouri law gives veterans, their family members and survivors of veterans a hiring preference for state jobs when they are similarly qualified to other applicants.
Federal jobs carry their own point system; see our guide to federal jobs for veterans. Veterans starting a business can use the federal programs in our guide to benefits for veteran-owned businesses.
Free legal help: the DEFENDERS program
The Missouri Attorney General’s DEFENDERS program connects service members and veterans with pro bono Missouri attorneys for Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and USERRA claims, fights predatory businesses that target military communities, and represents Guard members in some State Emergency Duty employment claims. Eligible: service members stationed in Missouri, Missouri residents stationed elsewhere, and Missouri veterans with at least a general discharge. Our SCRA and MLA guide explains those protections.
License Plates and the Veteran Designation
- Disabled Veteran plates: honorably discharged Missouri residents with a service-connected disability get one free set, with no specialty, transfer, processing or replacement fees, and no extra charge to personalize. Apply with Form 4601 and a VA letter dated within the last year. DV plates do not allow parking in accessible spaces unless they carry the wheelchair symbol, which needs a physician’s statement on Form DOR-1776.
- VETERAN on your license: any veteran can add the VETERAN designation to a Missouri driver or nondriver license at no extra charge beyond normal fees. Bring a DD-214 showing honorable or general under honorable conditions, a retired DD Form 2 or a VA photo ID. No document? A Veterans Service Officer can issue an equivalency letter.
Other ways to prove service are in our guide to veteran IDs and proof of service.
Hunting, Fishing and State Parks
Hunting and fishing
The Missouri Department of Conservation gives these benefits:
| Who | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Honorably discharged veterans rated 60% or more, former POWs, Warrior Transition patients | Fish and hunt without a permit, except deer, turkey, black bear and elk; no trapping. Carry your VA eligibility statement or orders |
| The same group | Buy any permit at resident prices, residents and nonresidents alike |
| Active-duty members and families stationed in Missouri | Resident permit prices |
| Missouri residents on federal active duty in the Guard or Reserve, now or in the last 12 months | Low-cost permit to hunt small game, fish and trap |
| Anyone called to duty out of state before using a permit | Free reinstatement on return |
Some permits have no exemption: trout permits and trout park tags, the migratory bird permit, the federal duck stamp and the light goose conservation order permit. Trout parks at Bennett Spring, Roaring River, Montauk and Maramec Spring each hold a free fishing day for veterans.
State parks
Missouri State Parks takes $2 a night off camping, year-round, for veterans, retirees, active-duty members and families of active-duty members; show a CAC, DD Form 1173 or DD-214. The parks and the Missouri Veterans Commission also run two all-inclusive managed deer hunts for veterans, the Hero Hunt at Mark Twain State Park and the General Crowder Hunt at Crowder State Park. Every veteran also gets a free lifetime national parks pass; see our national park pass guide.
Missouri State Veterans Homes
The Missouri Veterans Commission runs seven veterans homes, in Cameron, Cape Girardeau, Mexico, Mount Vernon, St. James, St. Louis and Warrensburg, with 1,238 skilled nursing beds between them. One waitlist application covers all seven.
- Veteran with prior active duty, discharged under conditions other than dishonorable
- Current Missouri resident with proof of 180 days of residency
- Needs 24-hour skilled nursing care
The 2026 monthly rate is $2,773, covering food, laundry, housekeeping, pharmacy medications and physician fees. Veterans with a service-connected rating of 70% or more are not charged, because VA pays the home directly. Our guide to VA pension with Aid and Attendance explains a benefit that can help other veterans cover the rate.
Want updates when benefit rates change?
Join thousands of service members who get our free weekly briefing.
By subscribing you agree to receive email from USMilitary.org and Military.net. Unsubscribe anytime. We don't sell your email address or give it to anyone for their marketing. Privacy Policy.
Missouri State Veterans Cemeteries
Missouri runs five state veterans cemeteries, in Bloomfield, Fort Leonard Wood, Higginsville, Jacksonville and Springfield. The cemetery at the St. James veterans home is closed to new interments.
Burial is free for veterans, spouses and eligible dependent children: opening and closing the grave, a concrete liner, an upright granite headstone or niche cover, military honors for the veteran, and perpetual care. There is no Missouri residency requirement; eligibility follows VA national cemetery rules. Our VA burial allowance guide covers what VA pays toward other costs.
Benefits for Surviving Spouses and Families
- Income tax: up to $47,633 of SBP annuity payments qualify for the public pension exemption for 2025.
- Burial: spouses and eligible dependent children are buried free in state veterans cemeteries.
- Hiring: survivors of veterans share the state hiring preference.
Federal survivor benefits usually matter more. See our guides to VA benefits for a veteran’s widow, DIC and CHAMPVA.
How to Apply for Missouri Veteran Benefits
- Gather documents: your DD-214 and a current VA benefit summary letter showing your combined rating and service-connected status.
- Find a Veterans Service Officer through the Missouri Veterans Commission. VSOs file VA claims for free and issue equivalency letters for the license designation.
- Claim the tax subtractions on Form MO-A with your Missouri return, and the Property Tax Credit on MO-PTS or MO-PTC.
- Ask your college’s veterans office about Returning Heroes before the term starts; Guard members apply for State TA before each class.
- Apply for DV plates with Form 4601 at a license office.
Comparing states? Our guides to Kansas, Illinois and Oklahoma cover Missouri’s neighbors, and the veteran benefits by state guide compares all 50.
RELATED READING
Property tax relief, state programs and tuition benefits just across the state line.
Eligibility, entitlement, funding fees, and how the $0-down program works.
Property tax breaks, income tax exemptions and state programs in all 50 states.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Missouri lets you subtract the taxable portion of your military pension from federal adjusted gross income on Form MO-A, Part 1, Line 10, so retired pay is not taxed. Active-duty pay and Guard and Reserve drill pay are deductible too. Survivor Benefit Plan payments do not count as military retirement, but they qualify for the public pension exemption, up to $47,633 for 2025.
Yes, unless you are also a former prisoner of war. A 100% rating alone qualifies you for the Property Tax Credit, up to $1,100 for homeowners or $750 for renters, if household income is $30,000 or less ($34,000 married) for owners. You can leave your VA payments out of that income. A 2026 proposal to give all 100% disabled veterans a full exemption did not reach the ballot.
Missouri public colleges cap tuition at $50 per credit hour for combat veterans in certificate, associate and bachelor’s programs, and at 30% of tuition and fees for master’s and doctoral programs. You need combat zone service on your DD-214, an honorable discharge, Missouri residency or voter registration, and a 2.5 GPA for undergraduate study. Use it within 10 years of discharge for undergraduate study, or 20 for graduate study.
Veterans rated 60% or more, former POWs and Warrior Transition patients can fish and hunt without a permit, except for deer, turkey, black bear and elk, and cannot trap. Trout permits, the migratory bird permit and the federal duck stamp are still required. Carry your VA eligibility statement. Nonresident veterans who qualify also pay resident prices for permits.
The 2026 monthly rate is $2,773, which covers meals, laundry, housekeeping, pharmacy medications and physician fees. Veterans rated 70% or more for service-connected disabilities are not charged. To be admitted, you need a discharge other than dishonorable, 180 days of Missouri residency and a need for 24-hour skilled nursing care.
Yes. Missouri’s five state veterans cemeteries charge nothing for veterans, spouses or eligible dependent children, including the grave, liner, headstone, military honors and perpetual care. There is no Missouri residency requirement, and eligibility follows VA national cemetery rules.
This article is provided by USMilitary.org, an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with the Missouri Veterans Commission, the Missouri Department of Revenue, the Department of Defense, VA, or any government agency. Amounts and program rules change; confirm current terms with the Missouri Veterans Commission or your Veterans Service Officer.