Senior Citizen Property Tax Freeze Credit Program

Tax Rate Information

• 2025: The information for 2025 tax rates and how much each credit will be will not be known until November 2025 after the tax rates are set.
• 2024: Update for senior citizens about how the tax freeze credit looks on their bill, and how increases in other taxes affect their total rates.

About the Program

The Senior Citizen Property Tax Freeze Credit program is made possible by a law passed in the Missouri legislature and an ordinance enacted by the Board of Alderman in 2023. The law was modified during the 2024 legislative session which removed the requirement to be eligible for social security benefits (as not all professions pay into social security) and instead set the requirement that seniors need to be aged 62 to qualify.

For those seniors who qualify and are approved, the tax freeze program does not keep their property taxes from increasing, but limits the amount of increase that can happen in the future due to rising property taxes. While the taxes can still go up, they will go up less than if the freeze were not in place.

In the City of St. Louis, the City’s taxes are being frozen which accounts for approximately 20% of the property taxes. For those seniors who qualify and are approved, the property tax freeze reduces future increases by about 20%; the property taxes can still go up but will be less than if the freeze were not in place.

Taxes Affected

Requirements

The program requires applicants meet the following:

• Be age 62 or older
• Be the owner of record or have a legal/equitable interest in the primary residence
• Be liable for the payment of taxes on the property
• Physically occupy the residence as the personal dwelling for a majority of the year and the residence be used as the legal address

Additional requirements include:

• The total market value of the property must be $500,000 or less
• All property taxes from the prior year must be paid
• Tax abated properties are not eligible for the credit while in abated status

Notes about the property:

• If the property owner has a multi-unit building, they will only receive the freeze credit on the unit in which they reside, not the entire building.
• If the senior citizen lives in a mixed-use property (residential and commercial) the freeze credit will only apply to the residential portion.
• New construction value is not eligible for the freeze in the first year. Full taxes must be paid on any new construction before it can be frozen. The new construction will then be eligible for the tax freeze credit the year after the full taxes are paid.

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