Senior property tax relief applications open Monday

Eligible senior citizens will be able to fill out an application to freeze future increases on their real estate property taxes next week.

The Senior Citizen Tax Credit program, signed into law by the Buchanan County Commission, allows taxpayers over 62-years-old to apply for credits that cap future real property tax increases.

There will be two applications open for eligible seniors who have owned their home since Jan. 1 of last year and for those who owned their home since Jan. 1, 2025.

“If you were 62 and owned your home on the first (day) of 2024 when we started this process, your taxes can be frozen at the 2024 rate,” Collector of Revenue Peggy Campbell explained.

Those interested in applying in person can visit the Buchanan County Courthouse starting next Monday, March 3. However, the online application process opens this Saturday, March 1. Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2025. 

Applicants should be prepared to bring their driver's license, a copy of the deed to their home and proof of residency, for example a tax or utility bill.

“You have to live in that property, you have to be the owner of that property, and you have to be 62,” Campbell said. “Those are the three things that we’re looking for.”

Buchanan County can only apply the credit to future increases in real estate property taxes, so there will not be a refund for taxes paid in previous years.

The Buchanan County Commission met with office holders, who created the application earlier this month, to finalize the process.

Representatives from the Buchanan County Assessor's office, Collector's office, Recorder of Deeds office and the County Clerk’s offices discussed what information needed to be included in the application.

“We had a little bit of input into it,” Eastern District Commissioner Scott Burnham said. “But I think it really was more about getting that group together so we could make it as concise as possible.”

Information about the Senior Property Tax relief applications can be found under the Collector's Office section of the Buchanan County website at https://www.co.buchanan.mo.us/senior-real-estate-property-tax-relief-program-frequently-asked-questions-and-definitions.