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The Daily Insight

Are taxes better in Kansas or Missouri?

Author

Sarah Duran

Published Mar 24, 2026

If you look at the tax rates in all three categories, you’ll notice that Missouri has lower tax rates in all three areas. Kansas has an average income tax rate of 3.95 percent (33rd in the nation), and Missouri has an average income tax rate of 3.75 percent (35th).

Do I need to file Missouri state tax?

You are not required to file a Missouri individual income tax return. If you or your spouse earned Missouri source income of $600 or more (other than military pay), you must file a Missouri income tax return by completing Form MO-1040 and Form MO-NRI. Be sure to include a copy of your federal return.

Kansas and Missouri have a pretty similar income tax rate, and both rank in the bottom half of all states (the higher the rank, the higher the tax rate compared with other states). Kansas has property tax rate of 1.29 percent (15th in the nation), and Missouri has a rate of 0.91 percent (24th).

Is Kansas a tax friendly state?

Kansas is moderately tax-friendly for retirees. It exempts all Social Security income for seniors with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $75,000 or less. Public pension income is also exempt, though other forms of retirement income are not. Kansas does not have an estate or inheritance tax.

Do you have to pay Kansas taxes if you work in Mo?

Your home state of MO can tax all your income, regardless of where you earned it. Your non-resident state, KS, can tax the income you earned by working in KS. You’ll be able to take a credit on your home state MO return for the taxes paid to KS, so you won’t be double-taxed.

How does it work if you live in Missouri and work in Kansas?

How It Works. If you’re a Missouri resident working in Kansas, your employer there will withhold Kansas income taxes from your pay the same way it would if you were a Kansas resident. Come tax time, you’ll first fill out your federal return.

How are Missouri taxes calculated based on income from Kansas?

Missouri taxes you based on all your income — regardless of whether it came from Kansas, Missouri or somewhere else. However, once you have computed your Missouri tax, you then take a credit for what you paid to Kansas. Use Form MO-CR to figure the credit.

Can a non-resident work in Missouri and not pay taxes?

Missouri does not tax non-resident remote workers who work from outside the state. Missouri Statute Section 143.181 (2)(2) states that the Missouri-source income of a non-resident is income from “a business, trade, profession, or occupation carried on in this state.”