Kansas tax forms & filing.

Things to know about filing in Kansas

• Kansas pension income from KPERS (state retirement) and Social Security is excluded from state tax. Private pension income receives a partial exclusion based on age and total retirement income — a multi-step calculation we walk through at intake for retirees.
• Kansas has a separate state-only standard deduction. If you itemize federally, you can still itemize on Kansas or take the Kansas standard deduction — whichever is higher.
• Kansas residents working in Missouri (or vice versa) file a nonresident return in the work state and claim a Kansas credit for taxes paid to another state — this is the Kansas City metro's most common filing pattern.

Kansas City metro KS-MO commute pattern

The Kansas City metro spans the state line — many residents live in one state and work in the other. The most common pattern: Kansas resident working in Missouri (Kansas City, MO).

Filing mechanics: Missouri taxes you as a nonresident on Missouri-source wages via Form MO-NRI/MO-1040. Kansas then taxes you as a resident on worldwide income via Form K-40, claiming a credit for taxes paid to Missouri. Kansas City, Missouri itself levies a 1% local earnings tax on wages earned in the city — separate from the state-level Missouri return.

Reverse pattern (MO resident working in KS) follows the mirror image: KS nonresident return + MO resident return with credit. Either way, the Kansas City local earnings tax applies if work happens within Kansas City, MO limits — we map this at intake based on actual work-location coordinates.

Kansas retirement income — Social Security excluded; pension treatment varies

Kansas fully excludes Social Security benefits from state income tax. Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) pension income is also fully excluded for residents.

Private pension and retirement income receives a partial exclusion that depends on the recipient's age, total retirement income, and other factors — a multi-step calculation on the K-40 schedule. The exclusion is generally lower than what fully-retirement-friendly states offer.

The mix makes Kansas moderately retirement-friendly but not at the top of the rankings. We work through the pension-exclusion schedule at intake for every Kansas retiree to ensure the calculation is correct.

Where's my refund?

The Kansas Department of Revenue runs the official refund-status tracker. You'll need your Social Security number, filing status, and exact refund amount (in some cases, the tax year and a return-amount input).

Check your Kansas refund status →

Multi-state considerations

If you lived or worked in more than one state during the tax year, you typically file a part-year resident return in each state. If you live in one state and work in another, you usually file as a resident where you live and as a nonresident in the work state — claiming a credit on the resident return for taxes paid to the work state. Reciprocity agreements between some neighboring states change this default; we map this out at intake.

Kansas-specific multi-state nuances are addressed in the quirks list above when they apply.

Get the current-year forms

State tax rates, brackets, and forms change every year. We point to the Kansas Department of Revenue as the authoritative source for current-year information. Form numbers above are stable; rates, deduction amounts, and credit limits are not — always verify before relying on a specific dollar amount.

Open the Kansas Department of Revenue website →