Military Pay
Resident: Active duty - All income is taxable in Missouri including active duty military income. Active duty military may be eligible for the Military Income Deduction if the amount of income received while: ordered to federal active duty status under 10 USC or 32 USC, participating in Annual Training (typically 2 weeks a year), or participating in other active training or schools, does not include Inactive duty training.
Resident: Inactive Duty - A portion of inactive duty pay from these sources may be excluded from Missouri income: National Guard Inactive Duty Training (IDT), National Guard Annual Training (AT), or reserve components of the Armed Forces.
The following chart reflects the percentage of military reserve or inactive duty income that may be deducted in each applicable tax year:
2024: 100%
2023: 80%
2022: 60%
To calculate the deduction, multiply the amount of inactive duty military income earned by the applicable percentage. For example, in 2023 with inactive pay in the amount of $2,000 multiplied by 80%, the allowable deduction is $1,600.
To subtract inactive duty military income in TaxSlayer Pro, from the resident Missouri Tax Return Menu select:
- Taxable Income
- Inactive Duty Military Income Deduction - Enter the allowable inactive duty military pay as a positive number.
Supporting documentation is required for Active Duty or the Inactive Military Income deductions, Missouri requires copies of all Leave and Earnings statements to verify duty status for the income being claimed as a deduction. Failure to attach the requested documentation may result in the disallowance of this deduction.
To attach PDF Military Income Deduction documentation in TaxSlayer Pro, from the resident Missouri Tax Return Menu select:
- Taxable Income
- Military Income Deduction
- Attach PDF to Military Income Deduction
Resident: Stationed Outside Missouri - Military members whose home of record is Missouri, but are stationed outside of Missouri, may also be able to subtract military income if they did not spend more than 30 days in Missouri or maintain a residence in Missouri. They must also have maintained a residence elsewhere.
To subtract military pay from income earned while stationed outside of Missouri, from the resident Missouri Tax Return Menu select:
- MO Adjusted Gross Income
- Subtractions from Income
- Other Subtractions - Check the box for Military Nonresident Income and enter the allowable amount as a positive number.
To subtract military pay from income earned while stationed outside of Missouri, from the nonresident Missouri Tax Return Menu select:
- MO Schedule NRI
- Form MO-NRI General Information - Complete all applicable fields and exit back to state menu.
- Missouri Adjusted Gross Income
- Subtractions from income
- Other Subtractions - Check the box for Military Nonresident Income and enter the allowable amount as a positive number.
Nonresident - If the taxpayer is a nonresident of Missouri stationed in Missouri whose only source of income is active duty military pay, they are not required to file a Missouri return.
One spouse is a resident of Missouri and the other is not - A servicemember’s spouse may elect, for income tax purposes, to use the same state of residence as the servicemember. If a servicemember is not a Missouri resident, and is instead a resident of another state, his or her spouse can elect to also be a resident of that state and not a resident of Missouri .
Missouri does not permit a filing status change from the federal return. If they are married filing joint on the federal return, they are required to file married filing joint on the Missouri return and the spouse will be required to use the same residency status as the servicemember. The resident will need to file a nonresident Missouri return.
Spouse Income - Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA)
The MSRRA allows military spouses who reside with their service member spouse stationed in a nonresident state on military orders to keep their resident state for tax purposes. This means if the spouse has income from the nonresident state, they are not required to pay taxes to the nonresident state but report this income on their resident state return.
In order to be eligible for the income exemption under the MSRRA in Missouri , the following conditions must be met by the military spouse/employee:
- Currently resides in Missouri.
- Resides in Missouri solely to live with the servicemember spouse.
- The servicemember spouse is in the state of Missouri in compliance with military
orders. - The state of domicile claimed by the servicemember and spouse must be the same.
If the military spouse meets the eligibility requirements, they can avoid Missouri state tax from being withheld from their pay by providing their employer with Form MO W-4 Employee Withholding Certificate.
To claim a refund of taxes withheld from the Missouri income in error, from the nonresident Missouri Tax Return Menu select:
- MO Schedule NRI
- MO Schedule NRI
- Form MO-NRI General Information
- Taxpayer - Military/Nonresident Tax Status - Select Yes, answer applicable state questions, and exit.
- Taxpayer Military Nonresident & Non-MO Home of Record - Select Yes.
- Spouse Military Nonresident & Non-MO Home of Record - Select Yes, answer applicable state questions, and exit back to main state return menu.
- Federal AGI
- Wages
- Adjustments to State Wages (+/-) - Enter the spouse income as a negative number.
Note: This is an article on reporting military pay and military spouse pay in the TaxSlayer Pro program. It is not intended as tax advice.
Additional Information:
MO DOR: Missouri Military Information
Missouri State Tax Information
While TaxSlayer Pro strives to make the information and links contained on this page as timely and accurate as possible, TaxSlayer Pro makes no promise or guarantee about the timeliness, accuracy or completeness of the contents of this page. The information contained on this page is for general information and is not intended to be tax advice. The user is also encouraged to review the underlying state resources and publications.