Follow to get an email when Idaho benefits change. Alert settings
Idaho benefits for Veterans and families, each checked against an official Idaho source and linked to it. Federal VA benefits work the same everywhere, and the Idaho Division of Veterans Services (IDVS) can help you apply for them at no cost.
15 benefits from official sources2 where sources disagreeLast verified
How to read the labels:In effect confirmed on an official page. Not yet finalized announced or passed but not in force yet. Unverified — confirm with the agency we couldn't confirm it on an official page, so ask the agency.
Help from your state veterans office
IDVS Office of Veterans Advocacy / service officers
In effect
IDVS service officers help veterans with claims. The Office of Veterans Advocacy handles emergency relief grants. The IDVS central support office is in Boise.
Homeowners with a 100% service-connected disability, or paid at 100% for individual unemployability, can have property taxes on their home and up to one acre reduced by as much as $1,500. A surviving spouse can keep the benefit, but it cannot be moved to a new property. If the disability is P&T, it renews automatically.
Who qualifies
100% or IU as of January 1; owner-occupied primary residence with the homeowner's exemption.
Amount or details
Up to $1,500 reduction.
How to apply
Apply to the county assessor between January 1 and April 15 (for 2027 taxes, by April 15, 2027).
Note
The IDVS benefits page (last updated Oct 2025) still says $1,320. The Tax Commission figure of $1,500 is used here.
“You must apply between January 1 and April 15, 2027, for a reduction to 2027 property taxes.”
Property Tax Reduction (Circuit Breaker) for 10%+ disabled veterans
In effect
Veterans with a service-connected disability of 10% or more, or receiving a VA non-service-connected pension, can qualify for the income-based Circuit Breaker property tax reduction.
Who qualifies
10%+ service-connected or VA pension; residency and income limits.
Amount or details
Income-based reduction (see the Tax Commission brochure).
“Veterans with a 10-percent or greater service-connected disability – or receiving a pension from Veterans Affairs (VA) for a non-service-connected disability – can qualify for the Circuit Breaker”
Retirement benefits deduction for military retirees
In effect
Military retiree pensions can qualify for Idaho's retirement benefits deduction if the retiree is disabled, is 62 or older, or is under 62 and had enough employment income to have to file a federal return. For 2025 the maximum is $48,216 single or $72,324 joint, reduced by Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits.
Who qualifies
Military retirees meeting one of the conditions; unremarried surviving spouses.
Amount or details
Up to $48,216 single / $72,324 joint (2025).
How to apply
Claim on Form 39R, Part B.
Note
The IDVS page describes an older age-65 / age-62-disabled rule. The Tax Commission rule is used here.
“If single, enter $48,216 or if married filing jointly, enter $72,324”
VA disability income not taxed; grocery credit
In effect
IDVS notes that disability income is not taxed. Veterans 65 or older, or 62 and disabled, can claim the Grocery Tax Credit even if VA disability is their only income.
Veteran, military and disabled veteran license plates
In effect
ITD offers branch and conflict veteran plates (Form 3682), military specialty plates such as Purple Heart and Gold Star (Form 3587), and Disability Veteran plates (Form 3397).
Who qualifies
Veterans and qualifying family members.
Amount or details
Veteran plates: regular registration fees plus a $25 initial program fee and a $15 annual program fee, plus the standard plate fee (Idaho Code 49-418). Disabled veteran (D.V.) plates: no registration fee for one vehicle at a time for Veterans rated 100% service-connected or with certain specific disabilities (Idaho Code 49-403).
How to apply
Apply through Idaho DMV with the matching ITD form. For POW or Medal of Honor plates, call (208) 334-8649.
“There is no charge to add the veteran designation to a new or renewed Idaho driver’s license or identification card. There will be a $15 duplicate card fee to add the veteran designation at any other time.”
Armed Forces and Public Safety Officer Dependent Scholarship
In effect
Idaho undergraduates who are children or spouses of military members who are POW, MIA, killed, or totally and permanently disabled in the line of duty get tuition and fees waived, up to $750 per semester for books, and on-campus housing and meals.
Who qualifies
Idaho resident dependents; the member's home of record must be Idaho.
Amount or details
Tuition and fee waiver, $750 per semester for books, housing and meals.
How to apply
Apply through the Idaho State Board of Education (Next Steps Idaho).
Public employment veterans preference (5 / 10 points)
In effect
Veterans get 5 points and disabled veterans or Purple Heart recipients get 10. Veterans rated 30% or more are guaranteed an interview if they are among the top 10 qualified applicants. The points apply at initial hire only (Idaho Code 65-5).
Who qualifies
Veterans discharged under honorable conditions.
Amount or details
5 or 10 points; guaranteed interview at 30%+.
How to apply
Claim it on the state application and provide the DD-214.
“Preference eligible Veterans discharged under honorable conditions, or the widow or widower of a preference eligible Veteran, as long as she or he remains unmarried, are eligible for five (5) preference points.”
Occupational licensing for veterans
In effect
Veterans and spouses get expedited processing and credit for relevant military training on Idaho occupational licenses (Idaho Code 67-94).
DAV reduced-fee hunting and fishing license (40%+)
In effect
Resident veterans rated 40% or more can buy a $5 DAV license plus reduced-fee tags: deer $10.75, elk $16.50, bear $6.75, turkey $10.75. Nonresident DAV fees also exist. The Disabled Veterans Special Big Game Tag Program gives 5 free once-in-a-lifetime tags each year through sponsoring organizations.
Who qualifies
VA rating of 40% or more.
Amount or details
$5 license plus reduced tags.
How to apply
Submit a VA letter to any Idaho Fish and Game regional office.
There are homes in Boise (131 skilled nursing beds plus a 36-bed residential unit), Lewiston (66), Pocatello (66) and Post Falls (64). Honorably discharged veterans and their spouses who need skilled nursing care are eligible.
Who qualifies
Honorably discharged veterans and spouses needing skilled care.
We only publish what we could confirm on an official Idaho source. These are the open questions from our latest review. Ask the Idaho Division of Veterans Services (IDVS) about anything here.
Inner pages loaded.
The Idaho Parks passes page URL returned 404. The free camping for 100% DV is sourced from IDVS only.
The IDVS Legislation page and 2026 Idaho bills were not researched.
This state page was last reviewed against official sources on November 1, 2026. Our watcher re-checks those pages automatically and flags any item whose quoted wording disappears.