County Officials Highlight Property Tax Refund for Seniors, Warn of Scam Misinformation

During a semiannual update to the Saline County Commission, County Appraiser Sean Robertson urged eligible residents to take advantage of a state property tax refund program and warned about misinformation circulating about property taxes.

Robertson said the seniors and disabled veterans refund — formerly known as the Golden Years property tax freeze — is available to qualifying seniors age 65 or older, certain disabled veterans and surviving spouses. The 2025 claim form sets a household-income limit of $58,041; Social Security benefits are excluded from Kansas adjusted gross income for the program. Eligible residents file Form K-40SVR with the Kansas Department of Revenue to receive a refund equal to the difference between their homestead property tax in the base year and the current claim year. He said the refund is not automatic and that potentially thousands of people in the community who could be eligible are not taking advantage of it. Commissioners discussed publicizing the program through the county's media page and the senior center newsletter.

Robertson also warned that two weeks earlier a man came into his office citing a YouTube video claiming Congress and the president had signed a law freezing property taxes for people over a certain age, referencing a form number that does not exist. Robertson said the federal government has no role in local property taxes and described the claim as purposeful misinformation and a possible scam, urging residents to research such claims.

Robertson also reported that the office received an annual compliance score of 95.7 out of 100 from the Kansas Department of Revenue — the second highest on record for the department, well above the 75 needed to remain in compliance. He said residential properties are valued at about 91% of market value, that the office had its lowest number of valuation hearings in over 10 years, and that zero residential properties appealed their value to the state. He also noted the office is currently two positions down and has had difficulty hiring and retaining staff, which he said contributed to some revenue neutral rate notices being sent to previous property owners.