The City of Topeka Property Tax Rebate Program is designed and adopted to help lessen the property tax burden for qualifying Topeka residents who are 65 or older. The program is similar to, but separate from the State of Kansas Homestead Refund Program.
The program allows for a rebate, or refund, of a portion of the property taxes paid on a Topeka resident’s homestead. A homestead is the house, mobile or manufactured home, or other dwelling subject to property tax that you own and occupy as a primary residence. The rebate will come from and cannot exceed the property tax amount that was originally paid to the City of Topeka.
The city’s rebate program is not available to renters. You must own and occupy your primary home within Topeka city limits and meet all necessary eligibility qualifications to receive a property tax refund. All refunds will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis and until funds are exhausted.
Eligibility
- Must be a Topeka resident
- Must own the home
- Must have resided in the home for at least five years
- Must be 65 years of age or older
- Total annual household income cannot exceed $37,750
Forms
To submit your form and all other required documentation, please drop off physical copies at the Finance Department at the Cyrus K. Holliday Building, 620 SE Madison Street, Room 201, Topeka, KS 66607. For data security reasons, DO NOT submit the form nor its attachments via email.
FAQ
No, the rebate provided will only be for the portion of property taxes paid to the City of Topeka. To see your property tax breakdown, search your property on the
Shawnee County Appraiser website.
Yes, if you are required to file taxes then you must include all pages of your 2023 tax return in the application.
Yes, all 2023 property taxes must be paid in full in order to qualify for a rebate. Given that the second half of property taxes are not due until mid-year 2024, applicants may receive preliminary approval. Applications will be retained in order of submission and fully processed once all property tax payments are received.
No, there is no due date for applications. Rebates will be issued until funds are exhausted on a first come, first served basis.
No, the Homestead Program is separate from the City of Topeka’s Property Tax
Rebate program.
The W-9 form is a required form in order for the City of Topeka to be able to issue payment if the application is approved. It allows the City to verify the identity of the applicant to ensure we are issuing payment correctly.
If an applicant is approved, the City of Topeka is able to issue a rebate in two ways: by mailing a check to the address provided on the application or by bank direct deposit. If you would like to receive a direct deposit, then please fill out the ACH Vendor form and return it with your application. This provides the City of Topeka the necessary information to deposit the rebate into your account. If you would like a paper check mailed to you, then you do not need to fill out the ACH Vendor form.
50% of regular Social Security counts as income. This number would go on line 3 in the “Household Income” section. The remaining 50% would go on line 7 in the “Excluded Income” section. If there is more than one person in your household that receives Social Security, you would take 50% of each person’s and add them together.
Please note that Social Security Disability payments DO NOT count as income.
Contact
For all questions, please contact taxrebate@topeka.org, or by phone at 785-368-3970 option 9.
