Boone County has received more than 7,300 applications for senior property tax relief

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County seniors interested in getting a property tax credit only have a few days left to apply.

The deadline to apply for a property tax exemption is Tuesday, Oct. 1. Applications must be received at the Collector's Office by 5 p.m.

A state law allowing a property tax exemption 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.

Boone County Collector Brian McCollum said his office has received more than 7,300 applications through Thursday.

Northern District Commissioner Janet Thompson said the county has seen an increase in applicants recently, averaging around 165 applications per day during the past week.

"There was kind of a surge at the beginning of the program, of the application process, and now there's been a surge these last couple of weeks," Thompson said.

She said this is within the range of what the county expected for applications, which was between 5,000-10,000.

The county's website said eligible seniors will get a tax credit equal to the difference between the current years tax liability and the tax liability on that property when the applicant became an eligible taxpayer.

Eligible taxpayers this year will see their tax credits applied to their 2025 real estate tax statement.

"This sets the base for what your tax liability is," Thompson said. "So, they're not going to see a substantial benefit probably for a couple of years. It'll grow over time."

To be eligible, 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.

Applications can be found on the county's website or in person at the Boone County Collector's office at 801 E. Walnut Street. They must be signed in the presence of a notary public.

In an attempt to help residents, Thompson said the county has a station set up in its lobby to assist with the application process. She said a county worker is there to facilitate the process and help fill out applications, as well as a notary. She said people only need to bring their ID.

"We don't want to have barriers where we have to say, 'Oh, but you need to go elsewhere to finish that up,'" Thompson said. "We wanted it to be a one stop shop."

People must apply for the tax credit annually.

Thompson said out of the thousands applications filed, only six have been rejected, mostly due to the applicant not meeting requirements. She said the county does have an appeals process if that occurs.