Overview of Kansas Taxes
Kansas income tax rates have dropped in recent years, while sales taxes have slightly increased. The average sales tax rate paid in Kansas is the 12th highest in the country. Property taxes are slightly higher than the national average. Retired? Use our Retirement Income Tax Calculator.
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Your Income Taxes Breakdown
| Tax Type | Marginal Tax Rate | Effective Tax Rate | 2018 Taxes* |
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* These are the taxes owed for the 2018 - 2019 filing season.
Changes to Your Federal Income
Taxes Under the 2018 Tax Reform
- Your marginal federal income tax rate
- Your effective federal income tax rate
- Your federal income taxes
Total Estimated 2018 Tax BurdenIncome Tax $ Sales Tax $ Fuel Tax $ Property Tax$ Total Estimated Tax Burden $ Percent of income to taxes = % | $ |
- Our Tax Expert
Jennifer Mansfield, CPA Tax
Jennifer Mansfield, CPA, JD/LLM-Tax, is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 30 years of experience providing tax advice. SmartAsset’s tax expert has a degree in Accounting and Business/Management from the University of Wyoming, as well as both a Masters in Tax Laws and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. Jennifer has mostly worked in public accounting firms, including Ernst & Young and Deloitte. She is passionate about helping provide people and businesses with valuable accounting and tax advice to allow them to prosper financially. Jennifer lives in Arizona and was recently named to the Greater Tucson Leadership Program.
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Taxes in Kansas
Kansas State Tax Quick Facts
- Income tax: 3.1% - 5.7%
- Sales tax: 6.50% - 11.50%
- Property tax: 1.40% average effective rate
- Gas tax: 24.03 cents per gallon of regular gasoline, 26.03 cents per gallon of diesel
After years of keeping income taxes to a top rate of 4.6%, Kansas raised income tax rates for tax year 2017 and again for 2018. In the 2018 tax year, the top income tax rate is 5.7% with three income tax brackets. That top rate puts Kansas in the top half of tax rates nationwide.
The flipside of those low income taxes is a sales tax rate that’s a bit on the high side. It currently sits at 6.50%, but when including city and county rates, shoppers in certain parts of Kansas can pay as high as 11.5%. Between the state and local taxes, the average sales tax rate in Kansas is 8.68%, eighth highest in the country. Below, we will take a look at the two primary state taxes, as well as other important state taxes like the gas tax, cigarette tax and alcohol tax.
A financial advisor in Kansas can help you understand how these taxes fit into your overall financial goals. Financial advisors can also help with investing and financial plans, including retirement, homeownership, insurance and more, to make sure you are preparing for the future.
Kansas Income Taxes
The income tax in Kansas is based on a total of three income tax brackets.
Additionally, taxes on small business income have been reinstated after being eliminated in 2012.
Kansas allows itemized deductions, but only for taxpayers who claim itemized deductions on their federal tax return. Otherwise, taxpayers can claim the Kansas standard deduction, which is $3,000 for single filers, $7,500 for joint filers, $3,750 for married persons filing separately and $5,500 for heads of household.
In addition to deductions, Kansas also has its own personal exemption of $2,250. The number of exemptions claimed on your Kansas return is equal to the exemptions claimed federally, with additional exemptions for heads of household and qualifying widows or widowers.
Kansas Tax Credits
Finally, there are some credits in Kansas that will reduce your income tax bill by an amount equal to the credit. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is available to low-income taxpayers and is equal to 17% of the amount of the federal EITC. Likewise, taxpayers with federal adjusted gross income less than $30,616 may claim the Food Sales Tax Credit, which is equal to $125 for every exemption claimed on their state tax return.
Kansas Capital Gains Tax
Capital gains in Kansas are taxed as regular income. Both long- and short-term gains are subject to the income tax rates listed above, with a top rate of 5.7% for 2018.
Kansas Sales Tax
The state sales tax rate in Kansas is 6.50%. In many areas, however, thanks to county and local rates, the actual rate paid on purchases is higher than that. The table below shows the state, county and city rates in every county in Kansas, as well the major cities.
Products subject to those rates include motor vehicles, computer software and clothing. Kansas is one of the few states that taxes food at the full rate, although low income taxpayers can claim the Food Sales Tax Credit described above.
Kansas Cigarette Tax
Tobacco products are subject to their own taxes in Kansas. The tax adds up 1.29 cents per pack of 20 cigarettes, which is the 19th lowest cigarette tax in the country.
Kansas Alcohol Tax
There are a number of taxes imposed on alcoholic beverages in Kansas. Alcoholic drinks sold in bars, clubs and restaurants are subject to a 10% sales tax rate. Alcohol sold at retail stores is subject to excise taxes totaling $2.50 per gallon for spirits and 18 cents per gallon for beer.
Kansas Property Tax
Taxes on property in Kansas are higher than the average for all U.S. states. The state’s average effective property tax rate (annual taxes as a percentage of home value) is 1.40%, which is 15th highest in the U.S. Homeowners with a total household income of $35,000 or less may be eligible for the Homestead Refund. This is a rebate of 75% of property taxes paid, up to a maximum of $700 per year.
If you are considering becoming a homeowner in Kansas or would like to refinance a property, our Kansas mortgage guide is a good place to start. The guide includes details on rates and everything else you’ll need to know about getting a mortgage in Kansas.
Kansas Estate Tax
There is no estate tax in Kansas. Inheritance is totally exempt from the state’s income tax.
- The highest point in Kansas is 4,039 feet at the summit of Mount Sunflower in Wallace County.
- Teenagers in Kansas volunteer at a higher rate than in any other state in the nation, according to a study by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Places with the Lowest Tax Burden
Are you curious how your tax burden stacks up against others in your state? SmartAsset’s interactive map highlights the counties with the lowest tax burden. Scroll over any county in the state to learn about taxes in that specific area.
Methodology
Where you live can have a big impact on both which types of taxes you have to pay each year and how much money you spend on them. SmartAsset calculated the amount of money a specific person would pay in income, sales, property and fuel taxes in each county in the country and ranked the lowest to highest tax burden.
To better compare income tax burdens across counties, we used the national median household income. We then applied relevant deductions and exemptions before calculating federal, state and local income taxes.
In order to determine sales tax burden we estimated that 35% of take-home (after-tax) pay is spent on taxable goods. We multiplied the average sales tax rate for a county by the household income less income tax. This product is then multiplied by 35% to estimate the sales tax paid.
For property taxes, we compared the median property taxes paid in each county.
For fuel taxes, we first distributed statewide vehicle miles traveled down to the county level using the number of vehicles in each county. We then calculated the total number of licensed drivers within each county. The countywide miles were then distributed amongst the licensed drivers in the county, which gave us the miles driven per licensed driver. Using the nationwide average fuel economy, we calculated the average gallons of gas used per driver in each county and multiplied that by the fuel tax.
We then added the dollar amount for income, sales, property and fuel taxes to calculate a total tax burden. Finally, we created the Tax Burden Index in order to show how each county in the country compares to the county with the lowest tax burden (that is the county with a Tax Burden Index of 100).
Sources: US Census Bureau 2017 American Community Survey, Government Sources, Avalara, American Petroleum Institute, GasBuddy, UMTRI, Federal Highway Administration, SmartAsset
