No, Missouri is not getting rid of the personal property tax, at least not yet. Several bills to phase it out or let voters abolish it have been introduced in recent sessions, but none has become law as of 2026. Until one does, every Missouri resident who owns a vehicle, boat, trailer, aircraft, mobile home, farm equipment, or livestock on January 1 still has to declare it, pay the bill by December 31, and show the receipt to renew plates.
Which Elimination Bills Are Actually Moving
Proposals keep surfacing in Jefferson City. Senate Bill 712, filed during the 2025 session, would have gradually reduced the assessment rate on personal property over several years until the tax effectively disappeared.1Missouri Senate. SB 712 – Bill Information House Joint Resolution 71 took a different route: it would have put a constitutional amendment on the ballot letting voters decide whether to abolish the tax outright. It has been filed in multiple sessions without reaching a final vote.2Missouri House of Representatives. House Joint Resolution No. 71
The bill to watch in the current 2026 session is House Bill 2925, which was reported “Do Pass” out of committee in February 2026.3Missouri House of Representatives. HB 2925 – House Clearing committee is not the same as clearing the legislature. A bill still has to pass both chambers and reach the governor before anything changes for taxpayers.
The reason these measures stall is money. Personal property tax revenue funds school districts, fire protection districts, and other local services. Supporters call the tax outdated and point to households paying hundreds of dollars a year on depreciating cars. Opponents warn that removing the revenue would force local governments to raise other taxes or cut services. That standoff is why the tax has survived repeated attempts to end it.
A Related Law That Does Not Cover Personal Property
One tax bill that did pass in recent years is Senate Bill 190, signed in 2023, which lets counties freeze property tax assessments for residents age 62 and older who receive Social Security benefits.4Missouri Senate. Governor Signs Senator Tony Luetkemeyer’s Senior Property Tax Relief Expansion Bill It comes up often in the same conversation, so it’s worth being clear: the freeze applies to real estate taxes only, not to personal property.5Carroll County Missouri Courthouse. SB 190 Senior Tax Credit Ordinance A senior whose county has adopted SB 190 still owes personal property tax on their vehicles.
What You Owe While the Tax Is Still on the Books
The tax applies to tangible personal property you own on January 1 of each year.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 137.075 – What Property Liable for Taxes The county assessor sets an assessed value by applying a percentage to each item’s market value, and the percentage depends on the type of property:7Missouri State Tax Commission. Property Reassessment and Taxation
- Cars, boats, and most other property: 33.3% of market value
- Manufactured homes: 19% of market value
- Farm equipment and livestock: 12% of market value
- Historic automobiles and aircraft: 5% of market value
- Grain and crops: 0.5% of market value
Your bill is the assessed value divided by 100, then multiplied by your local levy rate. The levy rate combines rates set by your school district, city, fire district, and other local taxing bodies, so two people with identical vehicles can owe very different amounts depending on address.8Jackson County MO. Personal Property Tax
What Is Not Taxed
Not everything you own goes on the form. Missouri exempts household goods, furniture, wearing apparel, and articles of personal use kept in the home, along with solar energy systems not held for resale.9Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 137.100 – Certain Property Exempt From Taxes Business inventory held for resale is exempt under the state constitution, though the shelving, forklifts, and other equipment used to run the business remain taxable.10Justia Law. Missouri Constitution Article X Section 6 – Property Exempt From Taxation
Active-duty service members stationed in Missouri who are legal residents of another state are protected by the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which keeps their personal property out of Missouri’s tax rolls.11MyArmyBenefits. Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act (SCRA) The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act extends the same protection to spouses present in Missouri only to accompany the service member.12Scott Air Force Base. Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA) To use either, file for a statement of non-assessment with the county assessor and keep a copy of your orders.
Deadlines You Still Have to Meet
Missouri law requires anyone who owns or controls taxable personal property to file an itemized declaration with the county assessor each year.13Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 137.340 – Taxpayer to File Return Listing All Tangible Personal Property For vehicles, you’ll list year, make, model, and VIN, which appear on your title, registration, or insurance card.14St. Louis County Government. File Personal Property Declaration Most counties now accept declarations online in addition to mail and in-person filing.15Jackson County MO. File Personal Property Declarations
The declaration is due March 1. Miss it and the assessor sends a second notice. If you file before May 1 in response to that notice, no penalty applies. Miss May 1 and a penalty is added to your bill based on the assessed value of the unreported property:16Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 137.345 – Failure to Deliver List, Penalty, Exceptions
- $0–$1,000 assessed value: $15
- $1,001–$2,000: $25
- $3,001–$4,000: $45
- $5,001–$6,000: $65
- $7,001–$8,000: $85
- $9,001 and above: $105
Tax bills go out in late fall, and payment must be postmarked by December 31 to avoid delinquency.17Boone County, MO Government. Personal Property Declarations FAQs Payments postmarked after that date come back, and interest and penalty start to accrue.
What Happens If You Skip It
The consequence most people hit first is at the license bureau. Missouri requires an original paid personal property tax receipt, or a statement of non-assessment, to title or register a vehicle.18Missouri Department of Revenue. Section 9 Lease/Rental Without one, you cannot renew your plates. That is the enforcement mechanism that catches most drivers.
The Department of Revenue can also file a Certificate of Tax Lien with the county recorder of deeds. The lien attaches to your real and personal property and can block a sale, refinance, or title transfer until the debt is cleared. If the state escalates the lien to an Administrative Judgment filed with the circuit clerk, it can garnish wages or pull funds from bank accounts.19Missouri Department of Revenue. Collections FAQs
None of that changes without a bill becoming law. If HB 2925 or a similar measure clears both chambers and gets a signature, or if a resolution like HJR 71 makes it onto a ballot and voters approve it, the picture shifts. Until then, treat the tax as fully in effect and file on time.