KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Washington has no state income tax, so military retired pay, active-duty pay, SBP annuities and TSP withdrawals are all free of state tax.
- Veterans rated 80% or higher, or paid at the 100% rate, can get a property tax exemption on their home if their income is under the county limit — and VA disability pay doesn’t count as income.
- Veterans rated 70% or higher are exempt from the WA Cares long-term care payroll premium, but only if they apply.
- A 30% rating earns a free lifetime pass for state park camping and day use, and it now also replaces the Discover Pass on Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources lands.
- Children and spouses of veterans rated 100% or who died in service get all undergraduate tuition and fees waived at state schools, for up to 200 quarter credits.
- Washington Veteran Benefits by Disability Rating
- Washington Taxes for Veterans and Military Retirees
- Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans
- Education Benefits
- Employment and Business Benefits
- State Parks, Hunting and Fishing
- Licenses, Plates and Vehicles
- Washington State Veterans Homes
- Washington State Veterans Cemetery
- Financial Help, Counseling and VA Care
- How to Claim Washington Veteran Benefits, Step by Step
- Frequently Asked Questions
Washington doesn’t have a state income tax, which already makes it one of the friendliest states in the country for military retirees. The real differences come from the disability rating you hold: 30% opens up free state parks and half-price hunting and fishing licenses, 70% gets you out of the WA Cares payroll premium, 80% can cut your property tax, and 100% adds free plates and tuition for your family. Several of these have changed recently, including the property tax income limits for 2027 and what the parks pass covers. Here’s each Washington benefit, who qualifies and how to apply.
Washington Veteran Benefits by Disability Rating
Most of Washington’s veteran benefits depend on a specific VA rating. This is what each level unlocks, using the rules covered below:
| Your status | What you get in Washington |
|---|---|
| Any honorably discharged veteran | No state income tax, veteran designation on your license, state hiring preference, WDVA claims help, state veterans homes and cemetery |
| 30% or higher | Free Lifetime Disabled Veteran Pass for state parks, DNR and WDFW lands; half-price hunting and fishing licenses |
| 40% or higher | Regional Reduced Fare Permit for Puget Sound transit |
| 70% or higher | Exemption from the WA Cares long-term care payroll premium |
| 80% or higher, or paid at the 100% rate | Property tax exemption on your home, if household income is under the county threshold |
| 100% for at least one year | Disabled Veteran license plate, exempt from license fees on one vehicle |
| 100% (or died in service) | Full undergraduate tuition and fee waiver for spouse and children |
The 70% and 80% lines are easy to miss because neither benefit starts on its own. If you’re close to a threshold, our VA disability ratings guide explains how VA combines conditions.
Washington Taxes for Veterans and Military Retirees
No State Income Tax
Washington doesn’t tax personal income, so there’s nothing to file. Military retired pay, active-duty and drill pay, SBP payments, TSP withdrawals and a spouse’s wages are all free of state income tax. That makes the state easy to plan around after retirement — our military pension calculator shows what your federal retired pay will be, and none of it goes to Olympia.
Washington raises its money elsewhere. Combined state and local sales tax is high in many areas, there’s a business and occupation (B&O) tax if you run a business, and there’s a separate state tax on large long-term capital gains. None of those has a veteran exemption.
WA Cares Exemption for Veterans Rated 70%+
Most Washington workers pay a payroll premium into WA Cares, the state’s long-term care fund. Veterans with a 70% or higher service-connected rating can be exempted, and so can active-duty members with an off-duty civilian job and spouses or registered domestic partners of active-duty members. The exemption isn’t automatic. You apply through WA Cares, the Employment Security Department mails an approval letter, and you give that letter to every current and future employer. It takes effect the first day of the quarter after approval.
Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans
Washington doesn’t have a standalone veterans’ property tax exemption. Instead, disabled veterans qualify for the state’s income-based exemption alongside seniors and people retired because of disability. You’re eligible if you own and live in your home in Washington, your household income is under your county’s limit, and you meet one of these by December 31 of the assessment year:
- You have a service-connected disability rating of at least 80%, or VA pays you at the 100% rate (which includes individual unemployability)
- You’re at least 61
- You can’t work because of a disability, at any age
- You’re at least 57 and the surviving spouse or domestic partner of someone who had the exemption when they died
VA Disability Pay Doesn’t Count as Income
Eligibility turns on “combined disposable income,” which is your household’s adjusted gross income plus items such as pensions, military retired pay, Social Security and dividends. The rule that helps veterans most: VA disability compensation and DIC are left out, along with VA attendant-care and medical-aid payments and Combat-Related Special Compensation. A veteran with $48,000 a year in VA disability and a spouse earning $40,000 has a combined disposable income of about $40,000, not $88,000.
Income Limits for 2027 to 2029
Each county has three income thresholds, now set at 60%, 70% and 80% of the county’s median household income. The lower your income, the more of your tax is exempt. The Department of Revenue has published the limits for tax years 2027 through 2029. Here they are for the counties around Washington’s major bases:
| County (nearby base) | Threshold 1 | Threshold 2 | Threshold 3 (upper limit) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce (JBLM) | $64,000 | $74,000 | $85,000 |
| Kitsap (Naval Base Kitsap) | $70,000 | $81,000 | $93,000 |
| Island (NAS Whidbey Island) | $56,000 | $66,000 | $75,000 |
| Spokane (Fairchild AFB) | $56,000 | $65,000 | $74,000 |
| Snohomish (Naval Station Everett) | $68,000 | $79,000 | $91,000 |
| King | $76,000 | $89,000 | $101,000 |
| Thurston | $62,000 | $72,000 | $83,000 |
The lower your income bracket, the larger the share of your home’s value that’s exempt; your assessor works out the exact amount. Above Threshold 3 you don’t qualify for the exemption, though you may still qualify for the property tax deferral program, which pays your taxes as a lien against the home.
How to Apply
Apply through your county assessor with the Senior Citizen and People with Disabilities Exemption application, a Combined Disposable Income worksheet and your VA benefit summary letter (or the state’s Proof of Disability statement). The Department of Revenue exemption page links every county’s application.
Property Tax Grant for Surviving Spouses of Veterans
A separate program pays a grant toward property taxes for an unremarried surviving spouse or domestic partner who is at least 62 (or retired because of disability) and owns and lives in the home. The veteran must have died of a service-connected disability, been rated 100% for 10 years before death, been a former POW rated 100% for one year before death, or died on active duty or in training. Household income must be at or under the county’s Threshold 3. You don’t have to repay the grant as long as you live in the home through December 15 of the year you receive it. Apply through the county assessor.
Education Benefits
Tuition Waiver for Veterans and Guard Members
Washington authorizes its community colleges, colleges and universities to waive “all or a portion” of tuition and fees for resident veterans and Guard and Reserve members who served on active duty in a war or conflict on foreign soil or in international waters, or in support of those who did, and received an honorable discharge. Each school sets its own waiver, so the amount varies widely; ask the veterans office at your school before you enroll. The waiver usually works best alongside the GI Bill rather than instead of it — see our guide to the {L(“post-9-11-gi-bill”, “Post-9/11 GI Bill”)}.
Free Tuition for Dependents of 100% Disabled or Fallen Veterans
State schools must waive all undergraduate tuition and fees, up to 200 quarter credits or the semester equivalent, for the spouse, domestic partner or children of a veteran or Guard member who:
- Has a 100% service-connected disability from active service
- Died while on active duty, or as a result of military service
- Was declared missing in action or a prisoner of war
Children qualify between ages 17 and 26. Spouses have 10 years from the date of the rating, POW/MIA determination or death, and surviving spouses lose eligibility if they remarry. Graduate waivers are encouraged but not required. A $500-a-year book stipend is paid when the legislature funds it.
National Guard Post-Secondary Education Grant
The Washington National Guard Grant helps drilling Guard members in good standing, and their dependents with a DoD ID, cover costs left after other aid. Awards range from $2,500 at community and technical colleges to $6,500 at four-year research universities and private schools, plus up to $500 one time for books. You file the FAFSA or WASFA each year and owe one year of Guard service for each year of funding.
Diplomas and Military Kids
Through Operation Recognition, veterans who left high school to serve in World War II, Korea or Vietnam can receive a diploma, even posthumously. Washington belongs to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children and awards Purple Star designations to military-friendly schools.
Employment and Business Benefits
Public employers in Washington give hiring preference to honorably discharged veterans, the surviving spouse of an eligible veteran, and the spouse of a veteran with a total and permanent service-connected disability. On a scored exam, the points added are:
- 10% for veterans who served in a wartime period or when a campaign or expeditionary medal was authorized and don’t receive military retired pay
- 5% for veterans who receive military retired pay
- 5% for veterans who didn’t serve in a wartime period
- 5% on a first promotional exam for a Guard or Reserve member called to active duty while working in public employment
The preference applies to initial hiring only. If the job has no exam, eligible veterans must be referred to the hiring official.
- Military leave: state employees in the Guard or Reserve get up to 21 working days of paid military leave each fiscal year.
- Retirement credit: state retirement system members called to active duty can receive up to 10 years of service credit, five of them free for wartime or campaign-medal service.
- Veteran-owned business certification: businesses at least 51% owned and run by veterans or service members can certify free with WDVA, which counts toward the state’s purchasing goal and makes them eligible for the Veterans Linked Deposit Program’s reduced loan rates.
- Licensing: military spouses can get expedited professional licenses, and deployed service members can put a license in military status with no renewal fee.
- CDL waivers: qualifying military drivers can skip the CDL skills test, and some MOSs can skip the knowledge test too.
State Parks, Hunting and Fishing
Lifetime Disabled Veteran Pass
Washington residents with a combined service-connected rating of 30% or more can get a free Lifetime Disabled Veteran Pass. At state parks it covers day-use parking, camping, moorage, boat launches and trailer dumps. It also gives you the Discover Pass privileges on Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Natural Resources lands, so you don’t need to buy a Discover Pass. It doesn’t cover cabins, yurts, group camps, extra vehicles or Sno-Parks.
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Apply by email, mail or fax with proof of Washington residency and a VA award letter showing your rating. Call 360-902-8844 with questions.
Reduced-Fee Hunting and Fishing Licenses
- Disabled veterans: honorably discharged veterans rated 30% or higher, or 65 and older with any service-connected rating, pay about half price as residents. Nonresidents who qualify pay resident prices. Send the Veterans Reduced Fee application and your VA benefit summary letter to WDFW.
- Guard members: resident Washington National Guard members get a free annual hunting package that includes big-game and small-game licenses and a migratory bird permit.
- Stationed in Washington: nonresident service members at a Washington installation buy licenses at resident prices.
- Hunter education: active-duty members stationed in the state and honorably discharged resident veterans can skip the field skills evaluation, but still need the online course.
Reduced Transit Fares
Veterans rated 40% or higher can get a Regional Reduced Fare Permit for reduced fares on Puget Sound transit systems, including King County Metro and Sound Transit.
Licenses, Plates and Vehicles
- Veteran designation: honorably discharged veterans can add a veteran designation to their Washington driver license or ID. There’s no fee if that’s the only change.
- License extension: active-duty members, reservists called up for 180 days or more, and family members living with them keep valid licenses until 90 days after discharge if they carry a DOL authorization card.
- Disabled Veteran plate: for veterans rated 100% for at least one year, or who lost the use of both hands or one foot, or are blind in both eyes from service. It’s exempt from license fees for one vehicle but doesn’t give disabled parking privileges.
- Other plates: Purple Heart (first set free, also for an unremarried surviving spouse), Medal of Honor (free), Gold Star (first set free for eligible family) and 13 military designs, plus service-award emblems you can add to any plate.
Washington State Veterans Homes
WDVA runs four homes providing long-term nursing and assisted-living care. All are Medicare and Medicaid certified.
| Home | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Soldiers Home, Orting | 1301 Kapowsin Highway, Orting | 360-893-4515 |
| Washington Veterans Home, Port Orchard | 1141 Beach Drive E., Port Orchard | 360-895-4700 |
| Spokane Veterans Home | 222 E. 5th Avenue, Spokane | 509-344-5770 |
| Walla Walla Veterans Home | 92 Wainwright Drive, Walla Walla | 509-394-6800 |
Veterans who served at any time in an active or reserve component with an honorable discharge and live in Washington can apply, as can their spouses and surviving spouses and Gold Star parents. WDVA also runs transitional housing in Port Orchard (360-764-0727) and Orting (360-982-4830) for homeless veterans working toward independent living.
Washington State Veterans Cemetery
The state veterans cemetery in Medical Lake, near Fairchild Air Force Base, offers casket burial with a liner and upright granite marker, columbarium niches, in-ground cremation plots and a scattering garden. Burial is free for eligible veterans; eligible dependents pay $311. Eligibility follows VA national cemetery rules, and there’s no Washington residency requirement.
- Address: 21702 W. Espanola Road, Medical Lake, WA 99022
- Phone: 509-299-6280
Western Washington families also use Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, run by VA.
Financial Help, Counseling and VA Care
- Veterans Innovations Program: one-time financial help for honorably discharged Washington veterans who served on or after September 11, 2001 and face a hardship. Call 800-562-2308.
- County veterans assistance funds: every county can run an emergency fund for local veterans and families; ask your county veterans office.
- Counseling: WDVA’s counseling and wellness program provides free, confidential counseling for veterans, service members and families dealing with PTSD and war trauma.
Washington’s VA medical centers are in Seattle and Tacoma (VA Puget Sound), Spokane, Walla Walla and Vancouver, with clinics statewide. If you haven’t enrolled, apply for VA health care online; our VA health care enrollment guide explains priority groups. Surviving spouses should also read our guide to VA benefits for surviving spouses. If you’re buying near JBLM or Kitsap, a VA loan lets you buy with no down payment.
How to Claim Washington Veteran Benefits, Step by Step
- Get your documents: your DD-214 and, for rating-based benefits, a current VA benefit summary letter. Your county auditor can record your DD-214 so you can always get a certified copy.
- Talk to a veterans service officer: WDVA’s service officers help with state and federal claims for free (800-562-2308).
- Apply where the benefit is run: your county assessor for property tax, WA Cares for the premium exemption, State Parks for the lifetime pass, WDFW for licenses, DOL for plates and your school for tuition waivers.
- Recheck after a rating change: moving to 30%, 70%, 80% or 100% opens new benefits, and none of them start on their own.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. Washington has no personal income tax, so military retired pay, active-duty pay, Survivor Benefit Plan payments and TSP withdrawals are all free of state income tax. There is no state return to file.
A veteran rated 100% can get the income-based property tax exemption, a free Lifetime Disabled Veteran Pass for state parks, half-price hunting and fishing licenses, reduced Puget Sound transit fares, the WA Cares premium exemption, a Disabled Veteran license plate exempt from license fees after one year at 100%, and a full undergraduate tuition and fee waiver for a spouse and children at state schools.
Veterans rated 80% or higher, or paid at the 100% rate, can get a partial property tax exemption on their home if household income is under their county’s Threshold 3. VA disability compensation and DIC are not counted as income. For 2027 through 2029, Threshold 3 is $85,000 in Pierce County and $93,000 in Kitsap County. Apply with your county assessor.
Yes. The Lifetime Disabled Veteran Pass gives free day-use parking, camping, moorage and boat launch at state parks, and the same privileges a Discover Pass provides on Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Natural Resources lands. It requires Washington residency and a 30% or higher service-connected rating.
Veterans with a service-connected rating of 70% or higher can apply for an exemption from the WA Cares long-term care payroll premium. It is not automatic: once the Employment Security Department approves it, you must give the approval letter to each employer, and it starts the first day of the next quarter.
Yes, if the parent has a 100% service-connected disability, died in service or as a result of it, or was declared a POW or MIA. Washington’s public colleges and universities must waive all undergraduate tuition and fees for up to 200 quarter credits. Children are eligible from age 17 to 26.
Yes. The Washington State Veterans Cemetery is in Medical Lake near Fairchild Air Force Base. Burial is free for eligible veterans and costs $311 for eligible dependents, and there is no state residency requirement. Call 509-299-6280.
Four: the Washington Soldiers Home in Orting, the Washington Veterans Home in Port Orchard, and the Spokane and Walla Walla Veterans Homes. They provide long-term nursing and assisted-living care for honorably discharged veterans, spouses, surviving spouses and Gold Star parents.
This article is provided by USMilitary.org, an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with the State of Washington, the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, VA or any government agency. Benefits and eligibility rules change; confirm current details with the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, your county assessor or the official Washington state benefits summary before you apply.