Idaho
Idaho offers a property tax reduction for veterans rated 100 percent service connected (replaces the Circuit Breaker), free hunting and fishing licenses for resident veterans rated 40 percent or higher, in state tuition at Idaho public universities, and the Disabled Veteran Idaho State Parks Pass for veterans rated 100 percent.
Idaho Department of Veterans AffairsProperty tax exemption
Property tax reduction on the primary residence. Replaces the standard Property Tax Reduction (Circuit Breaker) program for qualifying veterans.
State income tax
Idaho does not tax VA disability compensation. Military retirement pay is taxable, but the Idaho Retirement Benefits Deduction lets retirees who are 65 or older (or 62 or older and disabled) deduct qualifying military retired pay up to annually adjusted caps (for 2024: $45,864 single / $68,796 married filing jointly), with the deduction reduced by Social Security benefits received.
Disabled veteran plates & registration
Idaho issues one free set of Disabled Veteran (or Disabled Veteran Purple Heart) plates to veterans rated 100% permanent and total; a fee applies to a second set.
Public employment preference
Idaho adds 5 points to a veteran's state employment rating and 10 points for disabled veterans (10%+) and Purple Heart recipients, applied to initial hire.
In state tuition
Under 38 USC 3679(c) (originally Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act), every public college that accepts Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill students must charge in state tuition to covered students using their GI Bill, regardless of state residency. The old requirement to enroll within 3 years of separation was removed by the Isakson and Roe Act effective August 1, 2021, so there is no longer a time limit after discharge. State specific extensions to this rule are noted below where applicable.
Dependent / survivor education
Idaho's Armed Forces / Public Safety Officer Dependent Scholarship waives tuition and fees (up to four years), adds a book stipend, and covers campus housing for the children and spouses of Idaho service members who died in service or are disabled to unemployability.
Hunting and fishing license
Reduced fee resident Disabled American Veteran combination license.
State park entrance
Free annual Idaho State Parks Passport on production of VA award letter.
Camping & recreation
Resident veterans rated 100% disabled get a free Idaho State Parks motor-vehicle entrance passport and free camping (one site, up to 15 days); 50-90% disabled veterans qualify for a campsite-fee discount, and 40%+ veterans get a $5 Disabled American Veteran hunting/fishing license.
State veterans cemetery
Idaho operates two state veterans cemeteries (Boise and Blackfoot) providing burial space at no cost to eligible veterans and their spouses.
Idaho ranks 13 of 51 for rural veterans' access to accredited help: 4.25 accredited representatives per 10,000 veterans, with 32.0 percent of its veterans living rural.
Email me the Idaho benefit checklist
A clean, printable checklist of every Idaho benefit on this page - with the eligibility threshold and official source for each - sent straight to your inbox.
State legislatures revise thresholds and dollar amounts every session. The figures above are sourced from the state agency that administers each program, but the latest year is the state's word, not ours. Before you file an application, click the source link in each section and verify the current threshold.
Writing about Idaho veteran benefits? You are welcome to reference this guide. Copy the citation below and link back so your readers can verify each program against the state source, or download the benefits table.
Developers: this record is available as structured data VBD:STATE:ID