Missouri tax forms & filing.

Things to know about filing in Missouri

• Kansas City and St. Louis each levy a 1% local earnings tax on wages earned within city limits — separate from the state return. This applies to anyone working in those cities regardless of residence.
• Missouri's resident standard deduction matches the federal standard deduction (one of the simpler conformity rules). Itemized deductions follow modified Missouri rules.
• Missouri offers a deduction for federal income taxes paid (subject to limits) on the state return — similar to Alabama and Louisiana, though Missouri's version is capped lower.
• Missouri excludes military retirement, public pension income for qualifying recipients, and a portion of Social Security from state tax based on filing status and income level.

Missouri local earnings taxes — Kansas City and St. Louis

Kansas City, Missouri and St. Louis each levy a 1% local earnings tax on wages earned within city limits. The tax applies to anyone working in the city — regardless of residence — and is collected through employer withholding similar to state tax.

If you work in Kansas City, MO or St. Louis, your employer should withhold the city earnings tax on top of state and federal withholding. The tax is a flat 1% with no progressivity. There's no separate annual return for most workers — the employer-withholding mechanism handles it.

Self-employed and 1099 filers earning income in Kansas City or St. Louis owe the earnings tax through quarterly estimated payments and an annual reconciliation form filed with the city — separate from the state Form MO-1040.

Missouri federal income tax deduction — capped but real

Missouri allows a deduction for federal income taxes paid on the state return, similar to Alabama and Louisiana but capped at a defined maximum. The deduction reduces Missouri taxable income dollar-for-dollar for federal income tax paid, up to the cap.

The cap means high-federal-tax filers don't get the full benefit — only the first portion of federal tax paid is deductible. Still, for moderate-income Missouri filers, the deduction meaningfully reduces state tax owed.

This is one of the structural Missouri-vs-other-states differences that DIY software handles correctly but that's worth understanding when comparing total tax burden across states.

Where's my refund?

The Missouri 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 Missouri 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.

Missouri-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 Missouri 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 Missouri Department of Revenue website →