Resident reminds of property tax credit for eligible seniors
February 3, 2021
Sheila Harris
Yet one more effect of COVID-19 on the elderly and disabled can be seen as tax time draws nearer. With area senior citizen centers closed, many residents don’t have the tax help that was once offered through the centers.
Cassville resident and senior citizen Donna Creel reports that she did not receive her Missouri Property Tax Credit Form in the mail, as she has done for the past 10 or 15 years. The form, when filed, allows eligible senior citizens and disabled residents to receive a credit on their property taxes, Creel said. Because she lives on a limited income, it’s a credit Creel appreciates.
“As soon as I pay my property taxes, I typically turn right around and file the Property Tax Credit Form,” she said. “This year, I didn’t receive one, so I called the Missouri Department of Revenue. They told me that, as the result of a budget-cutting decision, they would not be mailing the forms out this year, but that they’re available online.”
Creel was a little taken aback, because she knows many senior citizens are not familiar with computers, although she is herself. Because her home computer had a glitch, she visited the library, where she discovered there were several steps involved to properly print the form. With the help of a librarian, she had the necessary form in hand 20 minutes later, an excessive amount of time for a form that had once been mailed, she thought.
“Before COVID,” Creel said, “the senior center held sessions every year to help people prepare their taxes. This year, with senior centers closed, that option isn’t available, so I just want to remind other seniors that they may be eligible for a property tax credit. However, in order to claim it, they’ll either need to access the form online or call the Missouri Department of Revenue and request that a form be mailed.”
Creel said, this year, she will get back $330 of the $380 she paid in for 2020 property taxes. For her, that number represents a considerable savings.
Melissa Burchfield, of Burchfield Tax Service in Cassville, says the property tax credit for senior citizens and disabled people is income-based and depends on how much real estate property taxes were paid.
“Generally, a person must make less than $30,000 for the year in order to qualify,” she said.
According to Burchfield, Missouri has stopped mailing out all of its forms this year, but her office is more than happy to print the property tax credit form for people if they ask.
The 20-page forms are also available at The Barry County Advertiser office at 904 West Street in Cassville for a $5 fee.
For more information, or to access a form online, visit dor.mo.gov or call 573-526-3669.
Sheila Harris
Yet one more effect of COVID-19 on the elderly and disabled can be seen as tax time draws nearer. With area senior citizen centers closed, many residents don’t have the tax help that was once offered through the centers.
Cassville resident and senior citizen Donna Creel reports that she did not receive her Missouri Property Tax Credit Form in the mail, as she has done for the past 10 or 15 years. The form, when filed, allows eligible senior citizens and disabled residents to receive a credit on their property taxes, Creel said. Because she lives on a limited income, it’s a credit Creel appreciates.
“As soon as I pay my property taxes, I typically turn right around and file the Property Tax Credit Form,” she said. “This year, I didn’t receive one, so I called the Missouri Department of Revenue. They told me that, as the result of a budget-cutting decision, they would not be mailing the forms out this year, but that they’re available online.”
Creel was a little taken aback, because she knows many senior citizens are not familiar with computers, although she is herself. Because her home computer had a glitch, she visited the library, where she discovered there were several steps involved to properly print the form. With the help of a librarian, she had the necessary form in hand 20 minutes later, an excessive amount of time for a form that had once been mailed, she thought.
“Before COVID,” Creel said, “the senior center held sessions every year to help people prepare their taxes. This year, with senior centers closed, that option isn’t available, so I just want to remind other seniors that they may be eligible for a property tax credit. However, in order to claim it, they’ll either need to access the form online or call the Missouri Department of Revenue and request that a form be mailed.”
Creel said, this year, she will get back $330 of the $380 she paid in for 2020 property taxes. For her, that number represents a considerable savings.
Melissa Burchfield, of Burchfield Tax Service in Cassville, says the property tax credit for senior citizens and disabled people is income-based and depends on how much real estate property taxes were paid.
“Generally, a person must make less than $30,000 for the year in order to qualify,” she said.
According to Burchfield, Missouri has stopped mailing out all of its forms this year, but her office is more than happy to print the property tax credit form for people if they ask.
The 20-page forms are also available at The Barry County Advertiser office at 904 West Street in Cassville for a $5 fee.
For more information, or to access a form online, visit dor.mo.gov or call 573-526-3669.
