Jefferson County Collector Michelle Worth said those enrolled in the senior tax credit program will not be required to submit renewal applications going forward.
She said her staff will research the status of each program participant on an annual basis. It was previously reported that seniors would need to send in a short renewal application every year, proving they are alive and are still the primary property owners.
“We have started getting a lot of phone calls inquiring about what (seniors) need to do,” Worth said. “Basically, we need to know if they have moved from their residence or if they have passed away. These would be the two factors that could result in the parcel being removed from the program. By doing the research ourselves, we will take that burden off our seniors.”
The senior real property tax credit went into effect last spring, with applications opening in March. Worth said her department received 14,335 applications from Jefferson County seniors by the June 30 deadline.
Applications for new participants open March 1, with the deadline to submit all necessary paperwork being June 30.
Seniors can pick up the application from the Collector’s Office in Suite 36 at the Ken Waller Memorial Building, formerly called the Jefferson County Administration Center, 729 Maple St., in Hillsboro. The forms are also available at all Jefferson County Library branches. They can also be printed from the county’s website, jeffcomo.gov.
The completed applications can be dropped off at the Collector’s Office, mailed to P.O. Box 100, Hillsboro, 63050, or e-mailed to collector@jeffcomo.org.
According to the county’s website, qualifications for the tax credit include being 62 years or older as of Jan. 1, 2025; being a homeowner; being liable for paying real property taxes; and not being delinquent on real property tax payments.
Applicants must provide documentation showing proof of residency, including a copy of a current utility bill or a bank/credit card statement; proof of age, including a driver’s license, birth certificate or passport; and proof of ownership, such as a copy of a real property tax bill showing the applicant’s name and address. If the applicant’s property is in a trust, the county also requires a copy of the “Certificate of Trust” or “Trust agreement.”
If approved by the Collector’s Office, seniors will receive a credit equal to the difference between their real estate property tax liability for the given tax year and the liability in the “base” year. For example, seniors who are approved for the tax credit this year will have a partial freeze on their property tax statements based on the year 2025.
Certain factors may incrementally raise the property tax level, however. Some taxes, such as the Missouri Blind Pension Fund, are exempt from the freeze. Also, property taxes may increase if a senior homeowner makes improvements to his or her home, thus increasing the home’s value.
In 2025, the Collector’s Office was expected to collect $235,210,494.94 in real estate property taxes, with that revenue distributed to local school, fire and ambulance districts, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Jefferson County Library and other tax-collecting entities. Worth said not all of the revenue for 2025 has been collected, since some property owners are delinquent on payments.
A total of $1,915,738.32 was given in senior tax credits in 2025, Worth said.
County Administrator David Courtway said in late December that the county anticipates losing about $60,000 in property tax revenue in 2026 due to the credit.
Renewal process
Every year, the collector’s staff will send the total list of senior tax credit names to the Bureau of Vital Records, which will flag any names of deceased program participants, Worth said.
“When we get that list back, we will go into the (senior tax credit) accounts that are flagged and see if there was a co-applicant, and if there is, they will become the applicant and the deceased applicant will be removed,” she said. “If there is no co-applicant, then that parcel will be removed from the program.”
Worth said the county’s software provider is working to develop a report for her staff to tell which parcels involved in the senior tax credit have new owners. Any parcels under new ownership will be removed from the program, she said.
Worth said she was unsure of how much extra work this new renewal process will put on her staff, adding that the Collector’s Office hired four seasonal employees last year to help with the application process.
“We are not sure how many (seasonal employees) we need this year, as we should not receive as many applications as in the initial year,” she said.