How some Jackson County residents could be exempt from future property tax hikes
With property taxes in flux throughout Jackson County as county officials continue to shout down protests over unresolved tax hikes, some older residents are approaching the deadline to be exempt from future tax rate increases.
Jackson County residents aged 62 or older could be eligible to participate in the program, which would freeze their property taxes at the rate they paid in 2024 for the 2025 tax year and beyond.
This year’s application deadline is June 30.
Qualifying Jackson County residents can apply for the senior tax exemption program here. Applications received after June 30 will freeze residents’ property taxes at the 2025 rate and will appear on their forms in 2026.
Am I eligible?
The senior property tax freeze program debuted in other Missouri counties in early 2024 before spreading to Jackson County.
Upwards of 375,000 parcels of personal property were assessed and taxed in 2024, and more than 41,000 seniors applied for the program as of March 1, according to a report from the Jackson County Assessor’s Office. About 95% of applications have been approved, a rate the county expects to maintain.
Applicants need to provide a document proving that their primary residence is in Jackson County, like a Missouri drivers’ license or a utility bill to a Jackson County address.
They also need to bring documents proving their age, and documents proving their stake in any property they are claiming. This could include ownership papers, but also documents showing that you are in charge of operating the property or are part of a trust that owns it.
Unlike in other counties, applicants no longer need to be eligible for Social Security benefits to apply for the property tax freeze. Once accepted, residents do not have to reapply annually.
Older residents can also apply for the Senior Quad Payment Program, which allows applicants 62 or older to pay their property tax bill in four quarterly installments without hitting penalties or accruing interest.
How are tax values calculated?
Residential property values are on the rise in the county, with the average sale price of land increasing more than 10% from 2023 to 2025, according to the Jackson County Assessor’s Office.
Jackson County re-assesses the value of residents’ homes every year, aiming to treat each home as close to its market value as possible. In 2023, tax assessors valued houses in the county at an average of 90.18% of what their market price would have been. This left Jackson County as one of the few counties in the state to avoid criticism for unrealistic values, but also left homeowners scrambling to pay significantly higher tax rates.
Jackson County residents paid an average of $2,448 in taxes in 2023, The Star previously reported.
The application deadline for tax freeze programs in the county is typically December 31. However , this year’s deadline was pushed to June per an ordinance signed by county executive Frank White Jr. on April 7.
On the same day, White vetoed a county ordinance directing him to comply with a state order to roll back and cap some property assessments completed in 2023. The order would have forced the county to retroactively reduce 2023 tax increases to no more than 15% across three-fourths of the property parcels assessed in 2023, bringing thousands of homeowners tax credit to compensate for the high assessed values and massive property tax hikes they faced that year.
As legal battles over tax assessment values continue on both the local and state level, this latest refusal added fuel to a longstanding effort to recall White by petition, which has now garnered at least 26,000 valid signatures.
Those in the senior tax exemption program will not have to pay higher property taxes if rates rise from the 2024 level, but will pay decreased rates along with other residents if their home’s value drops below its 2024 rate in the future. Program members will still need to pay a state tax benefiting the Blind Pension Fund, which is collected at a rate of $0.03 per $100 of assessed property value.
County courts officials are holding a series of workshops in the Kansas City area for those who want to learn more about the senior tax credit program or who have questions about specific circumstances. The meetings will take place every Wednesday through the end of June, and a full schedule can be found here.
Applying in other counties
Similar tax relief programs are also in effect for older residents of Clay and Platte Counties.
Applications for the Senior Real Estate Property Tax Relief program in Clay County closed on March 31, drawing residents aged 62 or older who live primarily in Clay County and own taxable real estate. Participants need to re-apply every year and let the county know if their circumstances have changed.
In Platte County, applications for the Senior Citizens Tax Credit program close Thursday, May 15. Residents 62 or older can apply online or deliver their application to the Platte County Clerk’s Office.
The program is in its first year and uses residents’ 2024 tax status to determine eligibility. If approved, residents will see their tax break amount listed on forms sent to their address by the county in November.
Applicants will be asked for identifying information, property ownership documents and proof of residency, and for their Parcel Identification Number, which can be found on the Platte County Assessor’s website.
