Property tax in Clay County, Missouri
In Clay County, the property tax bill comes from the Clay County Collector of Revenue. The 2026 bill is due December 31, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Clay County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Clay County, Missouri is $2,941 a year, which is about 1.07% of the county's median home value of $275,600. That effective rate is higher than the typical Missouri county (0.7%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Clay County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Clay County Collector of Revenue. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Clay County Assessor's Office, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
One annual bill from the Clay County Collector of Revenue covers both real estate and personal property. The December 31 deadline is fixed by Missouri law every year. For the 2025 bills the county extended the deadline to January 30, 2026 because of delays from the new senior tax freeze; that was a one-off, not the standing rule. Kansas City residents do not get a separate city property tax bill: the city's taxes are printed on the county bill. The Collector warns that DOXO is a third-party payment site not affiliated with the county. The Assessor reassesses real estate as of January 1 of every odd-numbered year, so 2027 is the next reassessment. The 2026 senior freeze window (January 1 to March 31, 2026) and the 2026 appeal deadline (July 13, 2026) have both passed.
When are property taxes due in Clay County?
For the 2026 bill, Clay County has one due date: December 31, 2026. Single annual payment covering the tax year's real estate and personal property bills, due by December 31 whether or not a bill is received. Missouri law makes unpaid real estate taxes delinquent on January 1 every year (RSMo 140.010), and a mailed payment counts as paid on its postmark date (RSMo 139.100). The Collector says bills are normally mailed by mid-November; call (816) 407-3200 if none arrives by November 30. An optional prepayment of the coming bill is accepted March 1 to September 30. Taxes not paid or postmarked by December 31 are delinquent on January 1. The Collector then adds a one-time 9% charge when the bill is paid (the delinquent-tax collection fee in RSMo 52.290) plus interest of 1.5% a month on the unpaid balance (18% a year under RSMo 140.100).
From Clay County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Clay County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Clay County's average effective rate of 1.07% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,949 / year
Property tax in Clay County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,941 |
| Median home value | $275,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% |
| Typical Missouri county rate | 0.7% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Clay County compare in Missouri?
Among Missouri's 115 counties, Clay County has the 5th highest effective property-tax rate: 4 rank higher and 110 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 960th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Missouri county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Clay County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Clay County's 70,999 owner-occupied homes, 47.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 71.8% pay at least $2,000, and 4.9% pay under $800. Another 2.7% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 3,498 | 4.9% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 6,554 | 9.2% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 8,021 | 11.3% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 17,494 | 24.6% |
| $3,000 or more | 33,517 | 47.2% |
| No property tax paid | 1,915 | 2.7% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,047 and owners without one pay $2,757. That is within 10% either way, so in Clay County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Clay County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,941 is about 2.8% of the median income of Clay County homeowner households, $105,556 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 69.5% of Clay County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Clay County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,373 in 2015-2019 to $2,941 in 2020-2024, a 23.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 57.6%, from $174,900 to $275,600. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Clay County
Clay County borders 5 counties, 1 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyandotte County, KS | 1.46% | $2,509 | $172,300 |
| Jackson County, MO | 1.12% | $2,575 | $230,500 |
| Clay County, MO (this county) | 1.07% | $2,941 | $275,600 |
| Platte County, MO | 1.05% | $3,613 | $345,100 |
| Clinton County, MO | 0.81% | $1,845 | $226,800 |
| Ray County, MO | 0.8% | $1,594 | $198,800 |
How is a home assessed in Clay County?
Missouri assesses homes at 19% of market value in every county, Clay County included. How Missouri assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Clay County?
No. Missouri has no general homestead exemption; relief comes through the income-tested Property Tax Credit and the county-option senior freeze. That is the Missouri rule, and it applies in Clay County. Missouri's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Missouri programs, Clay County runs its own:
- Senior Real Estate Property Tax Relief Program (SB190): Clay County homeowners aged 62 or older (or turning 62 during the application year) who live in the home as their primary residence and pay its real estate tax can have that tax frozen at a base-year amount under county ordinance 2023-ORD-42. Levies that fund debt payments, the state Blind Fund, and new voter-approved taxes or levy increases still apply, so the bill can rise. Participants must reapply every year. Apply by March 31.
How to appeal your Clay County property assessment
In Clay County you appeal to the Clay County Board of Equalization. The deadline: Appeal forms must be postmarked or turned in to the County Clerk's Office by 5 pm on the second Monday in July (July 13, 2026 for the 2026 assessment). Contact the Assessor's Office before filing. A further appeal to the Missouri State Tax Commission is due 30 days after the Board's final action or September 30, whichever is later. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Missouri's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Missouri rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Missouri page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Clay County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Missouri income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Missouri actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Clay County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Clay County, Missouri: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.