Filing Personal Property Declarations

Common Questions

1. What is the procedure for filing a personal property declaration?
2. How do I avoid paying late fees?
3. What is the deadline for submitting personal property declarations each year? Is there a late penalty?
4. Can I still file my property declaration after March 1st and avoid the penalty?
5. What if I own property that resides in another county?
6. I am no longer a Missouri resident, do I still owe?
7. Why am I being taxed on a vehicle I no longer own?
8. Are owners of manufactured home parks, marinas, or hangers required to report property that is owned by others that is located at the facility?
9. What do I need in order to get my license plates?

Answers

1. What is the procedure for filing a personal property declaration?

A personal property declaration form is mailed to property owners in the county each year. You may make corrections, deletions, and additions to this form, sign and return it to the assessor, or you may file online.

2. How do I avoid paying late fees?

You must submit your Personal Property Declaration to Boone County on or before March 1st of each year.

At the end of the same year your payment must be postmarked no later than December 31st. Payments postmarked after that date will be returned for late penalties.

3. What is the deadline for submitting personal property declarations each year? Is there a late penalty?

§137.280, RSMo, §137.345, RSMo. If any person, corporation, partnership or association neglects or refuses to deliver an itemized statement or list of all the taxable tangible personal property signed and certified by the taxpayer, as required by section §137.340, RSMo, by the first day of March, they shall be assessed a penalty added to the tax bill, based on the assessed value of the property that was not reported, as follows:

2018 Late Assessment Penalty Fees

The assessor in any county of the first classification without a charter form of government with a population of one hundred thousand or more inhabitants which contains all or part of a city with a population of three hundred fifty thousand or more inhabitants shall omit assessing the penalty in any case where he is satisfied the neglect is unavoidable and not willful or falls into one of the following categories. The assessor in all other political subdivisions shall omit assessing the penalty in any case where he is satisfied the neglect falls into at least one of the following categories:

1. The taxpayer is in military service and is outside the state;
2. The taxpayer filed timely, but in the wrong county;
3. There was a loss of records due to fire, theft, fraud or flood;
4. The taxpayer can show the list was mailed timely as evidenced by the date of postmark; or
5. The assessor determines that no form for listing personal property was mailed to the taxpayer for that tax year; or
6. The neglect occurred as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the county or its employees or contractors.

4. Can I still file my property declaration after March 1st and avoid the penalty?

§137.280, §137.345. 3, RSMo, Between March first and April first, the assessor shall send to each taxpayer who was sent an assessment list for the current tax year, and said list was not returned to the assessor, a second notice that statutes require that the assessment list be returned immediately. In the event the taxpayer returns the assessment list to the assessor before May first, the penalty described in subsection 1 of this section shall not apply. If said assessment list is not returned before May first by the taxpayer, the penalty shall apply.

5. What if I own property that resides in another county?

§137.090, RSMo, All tangible personal property of whatever nature and character situate in a county other than the one in which the owner resides shall be assessed in the county where the owner resides; except that, houseboats, cabin cruisers, floating boat docks, and manufactured homes, as defined in section 700.010, RSMo, used for lodging shall be assessed in the county where they are located, and tangible personal property belonging to estates shall be assessed in the county in which the probate division of the circuit court has jurisdiction. Tangible personal property, other than motor vehicles as the term is defined in section §301.010, RSMo, used exclusively in connection with farm operations of the owner and kept on the farmland, shall not be assessed by a city, town or village unless the farmland is totally within the boundaries of the city, town or village. No tangible personal property shall be simultaneously assessed in more than one county.

6. I am no longer a Missouri resident, do I still owe?

Yes. By state law, your tax obligation is established on January 1st. Even if you move to a different state the next day, you are still taxable for the year. Unfortunately, the law makes no provision for pro-rating the tax bill.

7. Why am I being taxed on a vehicle I no longer own?

You are taxed based on vehicles owned on January 1st of the tax year. Even if you no longer own the vehicles, even if you now own different vehicles, even if you now own no vehicles, you still pay tax based on what you owned on the first day of the year.

8. Are owners of manufactured home parks, marinas, or hangers required to report property that is owned by others that is located at the facility?

Yes. Since 2008 owners of manufactured home parks, manufactured home storage facilities, marinas or any hangars will be required to report to the county assessor information regarding certain personal property located at their facilities. Failure to report the property could result in the property being assessed against the facility owner and the assessment of a penalty.

According to the new statute, section 137.092, RSMo, the owner of such a facility must report to the county assessor by January 30th of each year certain personal property owned by others that is located at the facility. The personal property that must be reported is any house trailer, manufactured home, boat, vessel, floating home, floating structure, airplane, or aircraft. The list of personal property must be accompanied by the name and address of the owner of the personal property, the county of residence of the owner, if known, and a description of the personal property.

If the owner of the facility fails to timely report or fails to include all the information, the assessor may assess the property to the owner of the facility and assess a penalty ranging from $15 to $105 based upon the value of the property not reported.

9. What do I need in order to get my license plates?

You will need to take the following information to the license bureau: A paid tax receipt or waiver from the previous year; an inspection slip (unless the car is new); proof of insurance, and a renewal notice if available.