The June 30 deadline for seniors to apply for property tax relief in St. Louis County may be extended to mid- or late July.
Councilman Dennis Hancock said he wants people to have as much time as possible to apply.
“People are struggling to get signed up, and we want to give them every opportunity to do so,” Hancock said.
Nearly 60,000 seniors had applied as of last week, but Hancock predicts the final number will be closer to 70,000.
Hancock said the County Council will introduce a bill on Thursday to extend the deadline, and he believes it will be supported. He said he wants to extend it to mid- or late July.
Dennis Ganahl, managing director and founder of advocacy group MO Tax Relief Now, said he believes seniors are the group most in need of property tax relief.
“Seniors lose almost 50% of their income from the time they retire to the time they pass,” Ganahl said. “I probably have gotten, over the last three years, maybe a thousand emails from seniors who only live on Social Security. That’s all they have.”
Applications can be submitted online. All in-person application slots are full, but the county will hold an event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the North County Government Center in St. Ann for application assistance. Paper applications that are mailed in or dropped off will not be accepted.
Eligible residents will not receive a credit on their taxes. The county will give seniors a break in property taxes equivalent to the difference between their rate in base year 2024 and what their new amount would have been in 2025.
Hancock said this freeze will offer relief to seniors, who typically live on a fixed income during retirement.
“By giving them a reduced amount on their property taxes, it makes it easier for them to stay in their homes and to continue to live a meaningful life here in St. Louis County,” Hancock said.
Seniors will still have to pay any increases in debt service taxes. Some cities take a portion of property taxes to use for debt, such as funding a large construction project.
The criteria for the freeze require that the person was 62 or older on Dec. 31, 2024, is a property owner and the property that they are claiming is their primary residence. Applicants may only claim one property.
The initial legislation only permitted those 67 or older with properties valued at $550,000 or less to apply. This was a compromise to get more votes to pass the freeze, but those restrictions were later removed in July 2024 to align with state law. Ganahl said that since state law permitted counties to freeze seniors’ property taxes in 2023, about 80% of all seniors in Missouri now have the option to do so.
Applicants must provide proof of identity, age and residence. They must also provide the parcel identification number of their property, which can be found on the county website. Proof of ownership in the form of a deed must also be provided.
