The sales tax rate in Crestwood, Missouri is 9.488 percent for most retail purchases as of January 2026, and 10.488 percent inside certain commercial districts.1Missouri Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Rate Tables – January 2026 That combined rate stacks state, St. Louis County, and city levies onto the same purchase. Groceries are taxed at a lower rate, and some purchases are exempt altogether.
How the 9.488 Percent Breaks Down
Three jurisdictions each take a slice.
Missouri’s state sales tax is 4.225 percent. That figure includes a 4 percent base rate, a 0.125 percent conservation tax, and a 0.1 percent parks and soils tax.2Cornell Law Institute. Missouri Code of State Regulations 12 CSR 10-103.800 – Tax Computation
St. Louis County adds roughly 3.013 percent through several voter-approved levies that fund public transit, police, children’s behavioral health services, emergency communications, and other county programs.
The City of Crestwood adds the final 2.25 percent under Chapter 25 of the municipal code: a 1.25 percent general sales tax, a 0.5 percent capital improvements tax, and a 0.5 percent tax dedicated to the Crestwood Fire Department.3eCode360. City of Crestwood Code – Chapter 25 Taxation – Article II Sales Tax Adult-use marijuana sold within the city carries an additional 3 percent city tax on top of the standard rate.
Merchants collect the full combined rate at the register, and the Missouri Department of Revenue divides the money among the jurisdictions.
Where the Rate Jumps to 10.488 Percent
Several Crestwood shopping areas sit inside Community Improvement Districts or Transportation Development Districts that add a 1 percent surcharge.1Missouri Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Rate Tables – January 2026 The money stays inside the district to pay for parking, roads, landscaping, and other improvements that serve the commercial area. A purchase on one block can cost more in tax than the same purchase a few hundred yards away.
The districts currently carrying the higher rate include:
- Crestwood Square CID, covering the Crestwood Square Shopping Center along Watson Road4Crestwood, Missouri. Crestwood Square CID Annual Report
- Watson Plaza CID, covering the Watson Plaza commercial area
- Crestwood Point TDD, funding road and access improvements
- Crestwood Crossing CID
Business owners inside these districts need their registers configured for 10.488 percent rather than the citywide 9.488 percent.
Groceries and Other Reduced-Rate Purchases
Food purchased for home consumption is taxed at a reduced state rate of 1.225 percent instead of 4.225 percent.5Cornell Law Institute. Missouri Code of State Regulations 12 CSR 10-110.990 – Tax-Sales of Food The qualifying items mirror the federal food stamp program and cover standard grocery items along with seeds for home gardens. Local taxes still apply in full, so the total rate on groceries in most of Crestwood is 6.100 percent, rising to 7.100 percent inside a CID or TDD.1Missouri Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Rate Tables – January 2026
Prepared food from restaurants and takeout counters does not qualify. Missouri treats it like any other tangible good, so it carries the full retail rate.
What’s Fully Exempt
Several categories are exempt from Missouri sales and use tax at both the state and local level:6Missouri Department of Revenue. FAQs – Sales Tax Taxability and Exemptions
- Prescription drugs dispensed by a licensed pharmacist on a practitioner’s written authority, plus insulin and hearing aids
- Prosthetic and medical devices defined under the federal Medicare program, including pacemakers, prosthetic lenses, and durable medical equipment
- Machinery, equipment, materials, and chemicals used in manufacturing, processing, mining, or related research and development
- Materials incorporated into real property for qualifying charitable, religious, or educational organizations, when the organization provides an exemption letter and project exemption certificate
Digital goods sit on an awkward line. Prepackaged software delivered on a disc or USB drive is taxable, but the same software delivered as a download is not. Custom software is not taxable regardless of how it’s delivered, and internet access fees are exempt. Streaming services and software-as-a-service products fall into a gray area, so businesses offering them should check with the Department of Revenue before assuming an exemption applies.
Buying a Car in Crestwood
Vehicle purchases work differently. The dealership does not collect sales tax at the register. Instead, you pay the 4.225 percent state tax plus your applicable local rate when you title the vehicle at the Department of Revenue, and you have 30 days from the purchase date to do it. A $25 penalty kicks in on day 31 and increases by $25 for every additional 30 days late, up to a $200 maximum.7Missouri Department of Revenue. Buying a Vehicle Trade-in value reduces the taxable amount.
The August Sales Tax Holiday
Missouri holds an annual back-to-school sales tax holiday each August when qualifying purchases are exempt from state and local tax. In 2026 the holiday runs from 12:01 a.m. on Friday, August 7 through midnight on Sunday, August 9.8Missouri Department of Revenue. Back to School Sales Tax Holiday Qualifying categories include clothing, school supplies, computers, and related accessories, each subject to per-item dollar limits set by statute. During the window, the tax rate on those items drops to zero, which in Crestwood works out to roughly 9.5 percent off. The Department of Revenue publishes the full item list and price caps before each year’s holiday.
Use Tax on Online Purchases
If you buy something online and the seller doesn’t collect Missouri sales tax, the state expects you to pay a use tax at an equivalent rate. For most Crestwood residents, the use tax rate is 5.975 percent on general purchases and 2.975 percent on food.1Missouri Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Rate Tables – January 2026
Most large online retailers already collect the tax under Missouri’s economic nexus rule, which applies to any remote seller with more than $100,000 in gross Missouri receipts over the preceding 12 months. Individual consumers whose untaxed purchases exceed $2,000 in a calendar year must file a consumer use tax return by April 15 of the following year. The $2,000 figure is a filing threshold, not an exemption. Once you cross it, you owe tax on every qualifying purchase from the full year.9Missouri Department of Revenue. Individual Consumer’s Use Tax
Filing Sales Tax as a Crestwood Business
Missouri assigns a filing frequency based on collection volume. Collect $500 or more per month in state sales tax and you file monthly. Collect less than $500 per month and you file quarterly. Collect less than $200 per quarter and you can file annually.10Missouri Department of Revenue. Maintain Sales/Use Tax Monthly returns are due on the last day of the following month, with quarterly returns following the same pattern at the end of the month after each quarter closes.
Filing and payment run through the MyTax Missouri portal at mytax.mo.gov. Businesses with three or more locations must file electronically.11Missouri Department of Revenue. Sales/Use Tax
Retailers who file and pay on time can keep 2 percent of the sales tax collected as a vendor’s collection allowance. For a Crestwood business running $50,000 in monthly taxable sales, that discount is worth roughly $950 a month. Missing the deadline forfeits the allowance entirely.
Pay late and Missouri assesses a flat 5 percent penalty on the unpaid tax. Fail to file at all and the penalty becomes 5 percent per month, up to a 25 percent maximum, with daily interest on unpaid balances.10Missouri Department of Revenue. Maintain Sales/Use Tax Between the lost collection discount and the stacking penalties, a short delay gets expensive fast.