Lincoln County Tax Collector

Personal Property Tax (tangible property)

This includes automobiles, motorcycles, boats, trailers, mobile homes, airplanes, livestock, farm machinery, office equipment, etc.  The first week of January each year, the Assessor’s office mails new assessment lists for personal property declaration.  Every person owning tangible personal property must return a listing of those items to the Assessor’s office so they can determine its value.

Moved to Lincoln County from another State.  You will need to get a new account set-up in the Assessor’s office and they will issue a waiver (exemption) for the appropriate tax year.  The Collector’s office will certify that you have no delinquent personal property tax that you can present to the license bureau to obtain Missouri license plates.  Contact the Assessor’s office to confirm what you may need to bring with you.

Moved to Lincoln County from another County in Missouri.  You would use your tax receipt from the previous County for licensing.  Taxes are based on where you were living on January 1.  You do not have to pay taxes in two counties for the same year.  However, you will need to get set up with Lincoln County Assessor’s office for future tax years.

First vehicle in my name. Contact the Assessor’s office to get set up and they will verify titling with DOR and determine if you are entitled to a waiver (exemption).  It will print in the Collector’s office and we will certify that you have no tax due.  If the vehicle is joint titled, you may need a tax receipt or waiver in the other name as well.

I no longer own a vehicle on my tax receipt or the vehicle I am licensing is not listed on my tax receipt.  Taxes are based on where you live and what you own on January 1 of each year.  Because people buy and sell automobiles everyday. Changes should be reported on your assessment list for the following year.

One of my vehicles was left off my tax bill.  Contact the Assessor’s office for all changes and corrections.

Vehicle listed on the tax receipt doesn’t run anymore.  State Law requires a resident to list  what personal property they own not what is licensed or operating.

Sales tax is often confused with personal property tax.  Sales tax is paid at the License  Bureau on a new purchase.

I no longer live in Missouri, do I still owe this tax bill?  Yes.  Taxes are based on residency as of January 1 in Missouri.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem fair when you move out to pay for the rest of the year.  However, when you move into the state of Missouri you did not pay taxes until the following year so you get the remainder of the first year free and then pay at the end of the next year.  The same applied if you bought your first vehicle while living in Missouri.  You would have had at least one year, plus a few months, of no tax due.

Real Estate (real property)

This includes your home, land, farmland, and commercial property.  When a tract of land is sold, a deed or document must be filed in the Recorder’s office.  These transfers are given to the Assessor, who makes the changes on their files, which prints on the tax bills.

Determining the assessed value for real estate is quite complicated.  As always, contact the assessor for more information regarding any specific property.

Escrow Taxes

Most lenders require an escrow account to be set up as part of your monthly mortgage payment.  From those funds, they request and pay your insurance and real estate taxes.  Your lender or their representative must request the tax bill in writing each year or the bill will be mailed to you.

I received the bill, but it should have gone to my lender
This means your lender did not request it.  Forward the bill to your lender and advise them that they will need to request it in the future.

I do not have an escrow account and did not receive my tax bill/I paid off my loan and should have received the tax bill
The answer is the same for both of these situations. Contact the Collector’s office for a copy and request all future bills be mailed to you.  We have created a special code number to assure future bills go to the taxpayer that over-rides any request received from a lender.  If you receive a refund of any escrow balance from your lender, make sure your final insurance and tax payments were made before cashing the refund.

Buying & Selling Real Estate

In most cases, the taxes are pro-rated between the parties at the time of closing.  The seller’s portion is credited to the funds of the buyer and then the buyer will be responsible for the full bill at the end of the year.  It is money that is exchanged only on paper so please check your settlement statement and consult with your closing agent if you have any questions on how your individual case was handled.

I recently bought the property, should I get a tax bill this year?
The Assessor’s office closes the files around August 31 so the Collector can prepare the tax books and bills.  The owner’s name cannot be changed once the books are locked in and printed.  After November 1, the closing agent usually pays the tax at the time of closing,  however, any unpaid tax becomes the responsibility of the new owner.  It is advised that you confirm all taxes are paid on any real estate acquired no matter what time of the year it is transferred.

I recently sold my real estate and I received the tax bill
The taxes were probably taken care of at closing.  Contact the Collector’s office to verify payment and/or transfer information.   Also, you may want to review your settlement sheet to confirm that your portion was withheld at closing.  This is the amount you will use as an income tax deduction.  Your settlement sheet will be your proof of payment.  The tax receipt will be for the full year not just your portion as seller.

I want to change the name and address on my real estate
When a tract of land is sold, a deed or other legal document is filed in the County Recorder’s office.  These transfers are provided to the Assessor as provided by law.  The Assessor’s office updates the ownership and mailing address based on the information on the deeds.  The address can be changed in the Assessor’s office, however, the name or legal description is incorrect, a corrected deed will need to be recorded in order to change the information on the Assessor’s records.  Contact the Real Estate Department of the Assessor’s office to discuss any changes.

Neighborhood Improvement District
Some rural subdivisions have applied for and created Neighborhood Improvement District for road construction.  The landowners within the boundries can choose to pay their portion of the project in full or in a repayment plan included on their taxes.  The special assessment is listed as a line item on the tax bill until paid in full and is collected in the same manner as taxes of the County are collected.   This short-term increase will affect homeowners with escrow accounts and should be discussed with your lender.  It may create a shortage the first year and then result in an increase of  your monthly mortgage payments.  Once the NID special assessment is paid in full, your payments will go back down and may result in a refund from your escrow account on the final year unless you notify your lender in advance.
    
Drainage
Some parcels have an assessed drainage amounts – established by a Drainage District that are collected along with the Real Estate. (Brevator, Capaugris, Elsberry,Foley, Kings Lake, Sandy Creek & Winfield)

Property sold at Courthouse steps
In Missouri, any property that has three years of unpaid tax,  must be offered by the County Collector for public auction to satisfy unpaid taxes, interest, penalties and costs.   Foreclosure sales are quite different and do not have as many restrictions.  Foreclosures are sales conducted by a legal representative for a lienholder when a borrower becomes delinquent on their repayment of loan.  Notices of foreclosure sales are not required to be posted or reported to any office in the Courthouse.  They just use the “public” facility in which to hold the sales.

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