Wyoming Veteran Benefits 2026: Complete State Guide

• Wyoming Veteran Benefits by Disability Rating
• Wyoming Taxes for Veterans and Military Retirees
• Education Benefits
• Employment Benefits
• Driver’s Licenses and Plates
• Hunting, Fishing and State Parks
• Veterans’ Home of Wyoming
• Cemeteries and Burial
• Surviving Spouse and Family Benefits
• Other Programs and VA Care
• How to Claim Wyoming Veteran Benefits, Step by Step
• Frequently Asked Questions

Wyoming doesn’t tax income at all, which makes it one of the simplest states for military retirees: nothing you receive from DFAS, VA or the TSP goes to Cheyenne. Its state benefits are modest in number but practical — a property tax exemption most veterans qualify for, free plates and park access at a 50% rating, free hunting and fishing licenses for disabled veterans, and a tuition program for combat veterans and their families. This guide covers each benefit for 2026, who qualifies and how to apply.

Wyoming Veteran Benefits by Disability Rating

If you’re just below 50%, a higher rating opens several of these at once. Our VA disability ratings guide explains how VA combines conditions.

Wyoming Taxes for Veterans and Military Retirees

No State Income Tax

Wyoming has no individual income tax, so there’s no state return to file. Military retired pay, active-duty and drill pay, Survivor Benefit Plan annuities, VA compensation and TSP withdrawals are all untaxed at the state level. Our military pension calculator shows what your federal retired pay will be.

Veterans Property Tax Exemption: $6,000

Wyoming’s veterans exemption reduces the assessed value of your primary residence by $6,000. If you don’t use it on real property — because you rent, for example — you can apply it to vehicle licensing fees instead. You need three or more years of Wyoming residency, plus one of the following:

• An honorable discharge
• Service during World War II, Korea or Vietnam
• Overseas service in an armed conflict that earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or a similar campaign medal
• A VA service-connected disability rating

The exemption also extends to an unremarried surviving spouse, and to a veteran’s surviving parents if there is no surviving spouse.

Apply at your county assessor’s office between January 1 and the fourth Monday in May, with your DD-214. Some assessors require you to sign up again each year, so check with your county. Because the exemption comes off assessed value rather than market value, the dollar savings depend on your local mill levy; in counties with lower values, a few veterans end up owing no property tax at all.

What Didn’t Change in 2026

A 2026 bill, HB0067, would have created broader property tax exemptions for veterans and Guard members and shortened the residency requirement. It failed on the House floor in February 2026, 24 to 25, so the $6,000 exemption and the three-year residency rule stand.

Education Benefits

Tuition for Overseas Combat Veterans and Their Families

Wyoming pays tuition at its community colleges and the University of Wyoming for overseas combat veterans and their survivors, for up to eight semesters within eight years. To qualify, a veteran must have:

• Lived in Wyoming for at least one year before entering active duty
• Received an honorable discharge
• Been awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or another authorized campaign medal for overseas service

Surviving spouses and children qualify if the service member died on active duty; children must have been under 22 when the parent died. Contact the admissions office of the school you plan to attend. The benefit stacks with the federal Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Wyoming National Guard Educational Assistance Plan

• Pays 100% of resident tuition and mandatory fees at Wyoming community colleges or the University of Wyoming, or up to $1,500 a semester full time at a private school
• Covers two degrees, from a certificate through a doctorate, with 10 years to finish a program
• Requires completed basic training or OCS, good standing, reenlistment eligibility and a 2.0 GPA
• Comes with a service obligation of six years for the first degree plus two years after final use, and four more years for a second degree
• Can be transferred, for one of the two degrees, to a dependent listed in DEERS after a six-year enlistment and a four-year reenlistment

Apply through the Wyoming Military Department benefits portal or call 307-777-8160. The spouse and children of a Guard member who dies or is permanently and totally disabled on state active duty or authorized training also get tuition and fees covered.

Military children are covered by the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (307-771-2305), and Wyoming recognizes Purple Star schools.

Employment Benefits

• State hiring preference: when a state job uses numerical scoring, veterans and eligible surviving spouses get a 5% advantage and veterans with a 10% or higher service-connected rating get 10%. It applies to new hires and requires one year of Wyoming residency and an honorable discharge.
• Military leave: state employees in the Guard or Reserve get 15 days of paid military leave each calendar year.
• Job help: Wyoming Workforce Centers and HIREWYO give veterans priority service, with veteran employment specialists for those with barriers to employment.
• Unemployment: if you separated within the last 18 months, have your DD-214 ready when you file; the claims center is 307-473-3789.

Driver’s Licenses and Plates

• Veteran designation: free beyond the normal license fee. Send the Veteran Status Verification Form and your DD-214 to the Wyoming Veterans Commission at least a week before visiting a driver exam station.
• Disabled Veteran plate: for residents rated 50% or higher who receive VA compensation. The first plate is free and exempt from registration fees, with one more pair allowed for a motorcycle or multipurpose vehicle. It doesn’t authorize disabled parking.
• Veteran plate: $50 with a DD-214.
• Purple Heart plate: no application fee. Gold Star Family plate: free for immediate family of a service member who died while serving.
• Active duty: a Wyoming license’s expiration can be waived with an “I” restriction for active-duty members, and nonresident service members and dependents stationed in Wyoming don’t need a Wyoming license.

Apply for specialty plates through your county treasurer; questions go to 307-777-4709.

Hunting, Fishing and State Parks

• 100% disabled veterans: free lifetime bird, small game and fishing license. Eligibility is based on the rating, with a Wyoming residence and an honorable discharge.
• 50% to 99%: free lifetime fishing license, if you receive compensation for the rating.
• Purple Heart recipients: free lifetime bird, small game and fishing license for residents.
• Home on leave from a combat zone: resident service members get free general elk, general deer, game bird and small game, and daily fishing licenses with military ID, leave orders and an LES showing hostile-fire pay.
• Stationed in Wyoming: nonresident active-duty members stationed in the state 90 days or more buy licenses at resident prices.
• Hunter education: current service members and honorably discharged veterans are exempt from the hunter education requirement with the exemption application.

Licenses for veterans are issued through Wyoming Game and Fish headquarters in Cheyenne and its regional offices; call 307-777-4600.

Lifetime Veteran’s Pass: Wyoming residents with a 50% or higher service-connected rating get free day use and camping at Wyoming State Parks. Apply online through the state parks reservation site or by mail with proof of residency and your VA rating letter; questions go to 307-777-6323.

Veterans’ Home of Wyoming

The state veterans home in Buffalo offers assisted living and skilled nursing, with two-room suites for couples and private rooms for single residents. Fees are based on ability to pay. Honorably discharged veterans who have lived in Wyoming for a year (or intend to), who can’t earn a living or lack adequate means of support, can apply, as can eligible dependents and former Guard members disabled in the line of duty.

• Address: 700 Veterans’ Lane, Buffalo, WY 82834
• Admissions: 307-684-5511

Cemeteries and Burial

The Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery in Evansville, near Casper, follows VA national cemetery eligibility rules and charges nothing for the plot or vault. Services are held weekdays, and only government-provided flat granite markers are allowed. Call 307-235-6673. Wyoming also has one VA national cemetery, in Cheyenne.

For low-income veterans with wartime service and a discharge other than dishonorable, counties pay $500 toward preparation and transportation and $1,500 toward burial. Military funeral honors, including Taps and the flag presentation, can be requested through the Wyoming National Guard at 307-262-7370.

Surviving Spouse and Family Benefits

An unremarried surviving spouse can claim the $6,000 property tax exemption, and a spouse or child of a service member who died on active duty may qualify for the combat veterans tuition benefit. The Guard tuition benefit covers the families of members who die or are permanently disabled on state duty. Federal survivor benefits are usually larger — see our guide to VA benefits for surviving spouses.

Other Programs and VA Care

• Veterans Commission: veteran service officers help with state and federal claims for free; call 800-833-5987.
• Recording your DD-214: your county clerk will record a discharge other than dishonorable for free, so you can always get a certified copy.
• Guard financial help: the Military Assistance Trust Fund gives emergency grants to service members and families facing hardship from state or federal active duty (307-292-5331), and every Guard member has $1,000 of state-sponsored life insurance at no cost.

VA care in Wyoming centers on the Cheyenne and Sheridan VA medical centers, with clinics around the state. If you haven’t enrolled, you can apply for VA health care online. Veterans buying a home can use a VA loan with no down payment, which pairs well with the $6,000 exemption.

How to Claim Wyoming Veteran Benefits, Step by Step

1. Gather your documents: your DD-214 and, for rating-based benefits, a VA benefit summary letter.
2. Apply for the property tax exemption at your county assessor between January 1 and the fourth Monday in May.
3. Get your plates and license designation: through the county treasurer and the Veterans Commission.
4. Get your lifetime licenses and park pass: through Wyoming Game and Fish and Wyoming State Parks.
5. Ask for help: a Veterans Commission service officer can file state and federal claims for you at no cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

This article is provided by USMilitary.org, an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with the State of Wyoming, the Wyoming Veterans Commission, VA or any government agency. Benefits and eligibility rules change; confirm current details with the Wyoming Veterans Commission, your county assessor or the official Wyoming state benefits summary before you apply.