More than 5,600 Boone County seniors apply for tax exemption, deadline is Oct. 1

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

With two weeks left to apply, more than 5,600 Boone County seniors have asked for a property tax break, according to a press release from the Boone County Commission.

A state law allowing a property tax freeze for seniors went into effect Aug. 28, 2023. The freeze has to be put into effect by county commissioners. Boone County opted to resolve it by letting the voters choose to enact it.

Boone County voters in April approved to “exempt senior citizens from certain increases in the property tax liability due on such senior citizens’ primary residences,” the ballot language stated.

Applications for seniors are available on Boone County’s website. Applications can also be picked up in person at the Boone County Collector of Revenue’s Office on the first floor of the Boone County Government Center. Eligible taxpayers have until Oct. 1 to apply. Applications for this year opened on July 1.

To be eligible, a Monday release says, taxpayers must be:

• 62 years old or older by Jan. 1 of the initial credit year;
• An owner of record of their primary residence or has a legal or equitable interest in such primary residence as evidenced by a written instrument; and
• Liable for the payment of real property taxes on the homestead.