Kansas State Tax Guide

last updated 18 May 2022

Bottom Line

Middle-Class Families: Least Tax-Friendly (Go to the Kiplinger Tax Map for Middle-Class Families)

Retirees: Least Tax-Friendly (Go to the Kiplinger Tax Map for Retirees)

Most people don't think of the farm belt as a high-tax area, but that's the case with a few states in the area — such as Kansas. Sales tax is the main culprit behind the Sunflower State's poor (from a taxpayer standpoint) showing. According to the Tax Foundation, it has the ninth-highest combined sales tax rate in the country.

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The news doesn't get much better when it comes to income taxes, which are typically above average for most residents. Plus, hundreds of local governments in Kansas also impose a tax on interest, dividends, and other earnings from intangible property.

Property taxes and fuel taxes are above the national average as well.

Kansas Income Taxes

Kansas Income Tax Range

Low: 3.1% (on taxable income from $2,501 to $15,000 for single filers and from $5,001 to $30,000 for joint filers)

High: 5.7% (on more than $30,000 of taxable income for single filers and more than $60,000 for joint filers).

Kansas also has an "intangibles tax" levied on unearned income by some localities.

Kansas Taxation of Social Security Benefits

Social Security benefits are exempt from Kansas income tax for residents with a federal adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less. For taxpayers with a federal AGI above $75,000, Social Security benefits are taxed by Kansas to the same extent they are taxed at the federal level.

Kansas Tax Breaks for Other Retirement Income

Income from federal government, designated Kansas state and local government, and military retirement plans is exempt.

Railroad Retirement benefits are also exempt.

Kansas Sales Tax

6.5% state levy. Localities can add as much as 4%, and the average combined rate is 8.7%, according to the Tax Foundation.

Groceries: Taxable
Clothing: Taxable
Motor Vehicles: Taxable
Prescription Drugs: Exempt

NOTE: The state sales tax on groceries is reduced to 4% in 2023, 2% in 2024, and 0% in 2025 and thereafter. Local taxes on groceries will still apply.

Kansas Real Property Taxes

In Kansas, the median property tax rate is $1,411 per $100,000 of assessed home value.

Kansas Property Tax Breaks for Retirees

Kansas offers three programs to reduce the property tax burden on seniors (claiming one may prevent you from claiming another). First, for claims in 2022, homeowners 55 and older who earn $36,600 or less in 2021 are eligible for a refund of up to $700 under the Homestead Property Tax Refund Act (50% of Social Security benefits can be excluded from income for the purposes of qualifying for this program).

Second, beginning in 2022, a separate refund is available for homeowners 65 and older with a household income of $50,000 or less (adjusted annually for inflation). The appraised value of the home cannot exceed $350,000. The refund is equal to the amount that the homeowner's current property tax exceeds the property tax in his or her "base year" (i.e., the year in which the homeowner becomes eligible for a refund or 2021, whichever is later).

Third, the Safe Senior tax credit is available for homeowners 65 or older with household income of $20,900 or less in 2021. The refund is 75% of the property taxes paid. The appraised value of the home cannot exceed $350,000.