Maryland Veteran Benefits 2026: Property Tax Exemptions and Military Retired Pay Tax

The state benefits Maryland gives veterans and their surviving spouses: property tax exemptions, how the state taxes military retired pay, and other benefits, each with who qualifies, the amount, how to apply and the official source.

Maryland fully exempts the home of a veteran whose VA rating is a permanent 100% service-connected disability. The exemption also covers disabled active-duty service members, unremarried surviving spouses of those veterans, spouses of service members who died in the line of duty, and DIC recipients. On the income tax, the state lets you subtract up to $12,500 of military retirement pay if you are under 55, or up to $20,000 if you are 55 or older. Other state benefits include a registration-fee exemption for severely disabled veterans, free lifetime hunting and fishing licenses at a permanent and total rating, the Conroy scholarship and the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. (sources)

Official sources Checked against official sources on November 4, 2026. This page lists only benefits confirmed on an official state or federal page; counties and cities may offer more.

Property tax exemptions
Military retired pay tax
Other veteran benefits
Common questions

Property tax exemptions for veterans in Maryland

Maryland property tax benefits for veterans and surviving spouses (checked November 4, 2026)
Benefit	Who qualifies	Amount	How to apply	Source
Disabled veteran real property tax exemption (Tax-Property §7-208)	Honorably discharged veteran declared by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to have a permanent 100% service-connected disability (includes posthumous qualification). The home must be the veteran's legal residence and be occupied by no more than 2 families. No income limit and no age requirement.	Full exemption from property tax on the dwelling house, lot/curtilage and structures needed to use it as a residence. It is prorated for the part of the taxable year after the application date.	File the SDAT '100 Percent Disabled Veteran Exemption Application' with your local SDAT assessment office. Include the discharge certificate and either the VA disability certification on the SDAT form or a VA rating decision showing its effective date. You may apply at any time; the September 1 deadline does not apply. You can also apply before buying a specific home, and SDAT gives a preliminary decision within 15 business days.	Maryland Code, Tax-Property §7-208
Surviving spouse of a 100% disabled veteran exemption (Tax-Property §7-208(c))	Unremarried surviving spouse of a disabled veteran (as defined above), or an unremarried spouse receiving VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). The spouse must own and live in the home: either the home that already had the veteran's exemption, or the home the veteran occupied if the veteran was domiciled in Maryland at death. A later replacement home qualifies up to the amount of the previous exemption.	Full exemption for the former dwelling. On a subsequently acquired dwelling, the exemption equals the amount of the exemption on the former dwelling.	Submit the SDAT 'Surviving Spouse of a 100 Percent Disabled Veteran Exemption Application' to the local assessment office. You may apply at any time.	Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families
Surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty (Tax-Property §7-208(b)(1)(iii))	Unremarried surviving spouse of an individual who died on active military duty from an injury or disease incurred in the line of duty. Either (a) the individual owned the home at death, or (b) the spouse acquired the home within 2 years of the death and the individual or spouse was domiciled in Maryland at the time of death.	Full exemption on the dwelling house. A later replacement home is exempt up to the amount of the previous exemption.	Submit the SDAT 'Surviving Spouse of Military Casualty Exemption Application' with certification that the individual died in active service from a line-of-duty injury or disease.	Maryland Code, Tax-Property §7-208
Disabled active-duty service member exemption (Tax-Property §7-208)	Active-duty service member with a service-connected physical disability that is reasonably certain to last for life and was not caused by misconduct. The home must be the member's legal residence.	Full exemption on the dwelling house.	Submit the SDAT 'Disabled Active-Duty Service Member Exemption Application' with certification of the disability from a Maryland-licensed physician or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.	Maryland Code, Tax-Property §7-208
Optional local property tax credit for service-connected disabled veterans and retired service members (Tax-Property §9-258)	Depends on the jurisdiction. Baltimore City, counties and municipalities may offer this credit to: active, retired or honorably discharged service members with a service-connected disability as defined by local law; their unremarried surviving spouses; and retired service members aged 65+ and their unremarried surviving spouses aged 65+.	Set by each local government: the amount, duration and maximum assessed value differ by county or city. The credit applies only against county or municipal property tax, not state property tax.	Apply through your county or city finance office. The state veterans department lists local programs for Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, Calvert, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Washington.	Maryland Code, Tax-Property §9-258

Is military retired pay taxed in Maryland?

Maryland state income tax on military retired pay (checked November 4, 2026)
Treatment	Amount or limit	Source
Partially exempt. Military retirement income from active or reserve components, the Maryland National Guard, or the commissioned corps of USPHS, NOAA or the Coast and Geodetic Survey can be subtracted from federal AGI on Maryland Form 502. Retirees 65+ or totally disabled may also claim the separate Maryland pension exclusion for pensions from an employee retirement system.	Up to $12,500 per individual if under 55 on the last day of the tax year, and up to $20,000 if 55 or older (Tax-General §10-207(q)).	mgaleg.maryland.gov

For the dollars this treatment adds to (or saves on) a retiree’s state tax in 2026, see the military retirement tax by state study; for the pension itself, the military retirement pay calculator.

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Other Maryland veteran benefits

Vehicles and license plates

Maryland: vehicles and license plates for veterans
Benefit	Who qualifies	Amount	Source
Exemption from vehicle registration fees	Veteran classified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as having lost the use of a hand, arm or leg, or as totally disabled. Also a veteran with a qualifying permanent impairment of both eyes (central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, or a field defect of 20 degrees or less). The vehicle must be owned or leased by the veteran and used personally.	Registration fees waived. The state veterans department describes this as complimentary lifetime registration at a 100% rating.	mgaleg.maryland.gov

Hunting, fishing and other licenses

Maryland: hunting, fishing and other licenses for veterans
Benefit	Who qualifies	Amount	Source
Complimentary lifetime hunting license	Maryland resident certified as a former prisoner of war or a 100% service-connected disabled veteran (VA documentation required)	Free lifetime license, including the bow, muzzleloader and furbearer stamps. The Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp, the federal duck stamp and the Big Game Harvest Record are still required each year. Available only at DNR Licensing and Registration Service Centers.	veterans.maryland.gov
Complimentary lifetime fishing license	Veteran rated permanently and totally disabled with a 100% service-connected rating	Free lifetime fishing license	veterans.maryland.gov

Education

Maryland: education for veterans
Benefit	Who qualifies	Amount	Source
Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship	Maryland-resident veterans with a 25%+ service-connected disability who have exhausted, or are no longer eligible for, federal VA education benefits. Also children/stepchildren of service members who died from military service or have a 100% permanent service-connected disability, unremarried surviving spouses of 100% permanently disabled service members, and Vietnam POW/MIAs and their children.	Up to $13,689 for 2025-2026, capped at the highest resident undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at a USM four-year public institution. Awards depend on available funds, and from 2026-27 MHEC funds each institution through an allocation. Apply to your institution by July 15.	mhec.maryland.gov

Employment

Maryland: employment for veterans
Benefit	Who qualifies	Amount	Source
State employment preference: veterans credit and Certified Disabled Veteran non-competitive selection	Veterans applying for Maryland State Government jobs. Certified Disabled Veterans must complete the Certified Disabled Veteran (DV) application process.	Veterans credit applied in state selection. Certified Disabled Veterans may be hired without a competitive selection process.	veterans.maryland.gov

State veterans homes

Maryland: state veterans homes for veterans
Benefit	Who qualifies	Amount	Source
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home (St. Mary's County): state veterans home with assisted living and skilled nursing	Maryland resident veteran discharged under honorable conditions after full-time active duty (certain reservists also qualify), aged 62+ or disabled per SSA or VA. Certain non-veteran spouses may also be admitted.	126 assisted-living beds and 318 skilled-nursing beds. Cost depends on income and disability rating. The VA per diem subsidy (from Oct 1, 2025) is $148.71/day for nursing care and $64.19/day for assisted living. Assisted-living veterans pay 90% of monthly net income. Veterans with a 70%+ service-connected rating may get full nursing-home cost covered.	veterans.maryland.gov

Other benefits

Maryland: other benefits for veterans
Benefit	Who qualifies	Amount	Source
Free day-use admission to Maryland State Parks	All veterans of the uniformed services, resident or non-resident. Active-duty personnel and Maryland National Guard members get the same waiver.	Day-use entrance charge waived for the veteran only. If a per-vehicle charge is in effect, that charge is waived.	veterans.maryland.gov

Common questions

Does Maryland have a property tax exemption for disabled veterans?

Maryland lists 5 veteran property tax benefits. The main one: Disabled veteran real property tax exemption (Tax-Property §7-208). Who qualifies: Honorably discharged veteran declared by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to have a permanent 100% service-connected disability (includes posthumous qualification). The home must be the veteran's legal residence and be occupied by no more than 2 families. No income limit and no age requirement.. Amount: Full exemption from property tax on the dwelling house, lot/curtilage and structures needed to use it as a residence. It is prorated for the part of the taxable year after the application date. (Maryland Code, Tax-Property §7-208).

How do I apply for the Maryland veteran property tax exemption?

File the SDAT '100 Percent Disabled Veteran Exemption Application' with your local SDAT assessment office. Include the discharge certificate and either the VA disability certification on the SDAT form or a VA rating decision showing its effective date. You may apply at any time; the September 1 deadline does not apply. You can also apply before buying a specific home, and SDAT gives a preliminary decision within 15 business days. (Maryland Code, Tax-Property §7-208).

Does Maryland tax military retirement pay?

Partially exempt. Military retirement income from active or reserve components, the Maryland National Guard, or the commissioned corps of USPHS, NOAA or the Coast and Geodetic Survey can be subtracted from federal AGI on Maryland Form 502. Retirees 65+ or totally disabled may also claim the separate Maryland pension exclusion for pensions from an employee retirement system. Amount or limit: Up to $12,500 per individual if under 55 on the last day of the tax year, and up to $20,000 if 55 or older (Tax-General §10-207(q)). (mgaleg.maryland.gov).

What other benefits do veterans get in Maryland?

Exemption from vehicle registration fees (mgaleg.maryland.gov); Complimentary lifetime hunting license (veterans.maryland.gov); Complimentary lifetime fishing license (veterans.maryland.gov); Free day-use admission to Maryland State Parks (veterans.maryland.gov); Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship (mhec.maryland.gov); Charlotte Hall Veterans Home (St. Mary's County): state veterans home with assisted living and skilled nursing (veterans.maryland.gov); State employment preference: veterans credit and Certified Disabled Veteran non-competitive selection (veterans.maryland.gov). Who qualifies and the amounts are in the tables above.

Sources

Every row above is copied from the official page linked beside it. Benefits change with new laws and local decisions, so confirm the amount and the deadline with the office that runs the program before you apply. QuantCalc is calculation software, not legal, tax or benefits advice. Last updated November 4, 2026.

Maryland senior property tax relief → Maryland state income tax for retirees → Veteran benefits in every state → Military retirement tax by state 2026 → Military retirement pay calculator → 2026 VA disability rates → Military retiree and VA COLA 2027 → VA loan limits 2026 →