If you serve in the military or have served, it helps to know exactly how Kansas handles property taxes for veterans. Kansas is home to Fort Riley near Junction City and Manhattan, and Fort Leavenworth along the Missouri River, so it draws many military families after a PCS, which is short for Permanent Change of Station, the official military move from one duty station to another. Kansas does not offer a broad disabled-veteran property tax exemption the way some states do. Instead, it gives disabled veterans a property tax refund. This guide explains how that works in plain language and points you to the state's own sources. Tax law changes, so confirm the current rules before you file.
How Kansas Helps Disabled Veterans With Property Taxes
Kansas does not erase a disabled veteran's property tax bill. Instead, the state runs refund programs that give back part of the property tax you paid. The one built for veterans is the Property Tax Relief Claim for Seniors and Disabled Veterans, filed on Form K-40SVR.
As the Kansas Department of Revenue explains, the K-40SVR refund equals the difference between the property tax on your home in a base year and the property tax on that same home in the current year. In plain terms, it works like a freeze: once you qualify, the program refunds the amount your home's property tax has risen above your base-year level. You pay the bill, then file for the refund.
Who Qualifies
To claim the K-40SVR refund for 2025, the Department of Revenue lists these rules. You must have been a Kansas resident for the entire year, you must have owned and lived in a Kansas home, your household income must be $58,041 or less, and your home cannot be appraised at more than $350,000 in the base year. You also have to meet one of three tests: be age 65 or older, be a disabled veteran, or be the surviving spouse of someone who was getting the refund as a senior or disabled veteran.
For the veteran path, Kansas sets a clear standard. You must be a Kansas resident who was discharged under honorable conditions, whose disability was incurred or made worse in the line of duty, and who has a service-connected disability rating of 50 percent or higher from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, known as the VA. The VA is the federal agency that rates service-connected disabilities.
Surviving Spouses
The benefit can carry to a surviving spouse. A surviving spouse of a disabled veteran who was receiving the K-40SVR refund stays eligible until he or she remarries. You attach a copy of the original VA disability determination letter showing the disability date and the rating of 50 percent or more.
Other Kansas Property Tax Refunds
Kansas runs two more refund programs, and you can claim only one refund in a year. The state's free filing software picks the largest for you. The first is the general Homestead Refund, filed on Form K-40H. The second is SAFESR, or Kansas Property Tax Relief for Low Income Seniors, which refunds 75 percent of the property taxes paid by lower-income homeowners who are 65 or older.
A younger disabled veteran will usually look first at the K-40SVR refund, since it does not require you to be 65. Because each program has its own income and age rules, it pays to compare them. Note that Social Security benefits are not counted as income for these programs, which can help more families qualify.
How It Works With Local Property Taxes
Property tax in Kansas is assessed and collected locally. Your county appraiser values your home, and your county treasurer sends the bill. The refund programs are run by the state, so you pay your local tax bill first and then file with the Department of Revenue to get money back. Because local tax rates differ from county to county, the size of any refund depends on where you live.
If you are weighing where to settle, our guide to the military bases in Kansas, our PCS to Fort Riley guide, and our complete Fort Leavenworth guide can help you picture the local cost of owning a home in each market.
Military Pay and Kansas State Income Tax
Kansas has a state income tax, but it shields the pay many retirees rely on. The state fully exempts military retirement pay. As the Department of Revenue's armed forces filing instructions show, retired pay for service in the U.S. armed forces is subtracted on the Kansas return, so the state does not tax your military pension.
Active-duty pay is treated differently. Kansas residents generally owe state income tax on their active-duty pay, while service members who are stationed in Kansas but keep another home state are not taxed by Kansas on that military pay. VA disability compensation is not part of your federal income, so Kansas does not tax it either. For tax year 2025, Kansas uses two income tax rates, and rates can change, so check the current figures with the Department of Revenue before you file.
A Note for Military Spouses: MSRRA
If you are a military spouse, the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act, known as MSRRA, may matter to you. MSRRA is a federal law that lets a military spouse keep a home state for tax and voting purposes even after moving on military orders. You do not automatically become a Kansas resident just because your service member got orders here.
