Business Personal Property

Establish a Business Personal Property tax account

Complete the Business Information Form and return it to the Business Personal Property Assessment office either in person at 1300 Washington St, or email it to BPAsmt@jacksongov.org. If you are titling new vehicles, or need to include other licensed items, please supply the titles (front and back), and/or a current registration.

Business Information Form

New Vehicles

If you are titling new vehicles, or need to include other licensed items, please supply the titles (front and back), and/or a current registration either in person or email to BPAsmt@jacksongov.org

Add a vehicle to an existing account

If you have a current Business Personal Property tax account with no prior licensed items, please supply the titles (front and back) via email to BPAsmt@jacksongov.org.

If you have a current Business Personal Property tax account and you have paid property taxes for vehicles for the last tax year, you will need to report all vehicles registered to your business when filing the annual declaration. Declarations begin in January of each year and report all assets owned as of January 1 of that year. Any items purchased after January 1 will be reported on next year’s declaration.

Generally, vehicles and other licensed items are removed from your tax account through the declaration process every year from January – March 1. This reports changes to your account as of January 1 of that current year. If you did not own the vehicle or other licensed item on January 1, remove the item from your account.

If you need to remove a vehicle or other licensed item from your account for past years, you will need to supply one of the vehicle documentation items below:

• Trade-In paperwork showing the VIN and date of trade-in
• Notarized Bill of Sale
• Receipt from the donation or salvage yard that includes VIN and date
• Total-Loss paperwork from the insurance company
• Tax receipt from another county with the VIN showing taxes were paid elsewhere
• Other out-of-state registration showing the vehicle was not registered in Missouri

All businesses in Jackson County are required to file annual declaration of assets between January 1 and March 1 of each year. You will receive postcard reminders in the mail with your account and SmartFile PIN numbers. Late fees, penalties and possible account deactivation could occur if declarations are not filed prior to May 1. If you do not receive your postcard in the mail, you may obtain it by contacting the office at 816-881-4672. We are also available to assist you in filing your declaration over the phone.

When New Businesses Must File

Your first filing depends on when you started operations:

• Opened before January 1: You must file for the current tax year.
• Opened after January 1: Your first filing will be the following tax year.

   

  What You Must Report for Each Asset

  Businesses must provide the following:

  1. Acquisition Year The year the asset was purchased or first placed into service.

  2. Original Purchase Cost Report the full cost at the time of purchase, before taxes, shipping and instillation fee.

  3. Asset Category (MACRS Life Class) Each item must be assigned to the correct depreciation category, such as:

  • M05 – 5-year life (computers, electronics)
  • M07 – 7-year life (furniture, fixtures, tools, appliances)
  4. Quantity
  • If multiple identical items were purchased in the same year, they may be grouped and reported as one line item with a total cost.

Filing Methods in Jackson County

Jackson County provides two approved methods for submitting your annual Business Personal Property (BPP) Declaration. Both methods meet Missouri’s self-reporting requirements and ensure accurate, timely assessment.

1. E-Filing (Online Filing)

E-filing is the primary and preferred method for submitting your Business Personal Property Declaration. Most businesses, nonprofits, and organizations will complete their filing through the Jackson County E-File Portal.
(provide link for E-filing manual)

Why E-File?

• Fast and secure
• Immediate confirmation of submission
• Reduces errors and processing delays
• Required for most business accounts

To e-file you will need:

• Your PIN, printed on your declaration form
• Your Account Number

2. Spreadsheet Filing (For Leased Equipment Located in Jackson County Only)

Spreadsheet filing is restricted to businesses reporting leased equipment physically located within Jackson County.

This method is used when:

• A business owns or manages a large volume of leased assets
• Equipment is distributed across multiple customer locations
• The standard declaration form cannot accommodate the number of items

Required spreadsheet fields include:

• Lessor name 
• Lessee name (if applicable)
• Asset description
• Acquisition year
• Original cost
• Physical location of each item

Spreadsheets must be submitted using the instructions provided by the Assessment Department.

It is not necessary to submit an additional hard copy when filing through emailed renditions. Please ONLY email spreadsheets for Leased Equipment rendition filings. Mailed renditions will be rejected.

Need Help?
If you encounter issues with e-filing or have questions about your declarations, please contact:
Business Personal Property Assessment 816-881-4672, bpasmt@jacksongov.org

Self-Reporting Requirements for Businesses

Missouri is a self-reporting state, meaning the County does not automatically know what assets a business owns. Failure to file annual declarations forces the county to assign a value based on available information. If a business does not submit a required declaration, the account may also be deactivated until the business provides the proper documentation to bring it back into compliance. Penalties and interest may also be applied to accounts when a declaration is not filed in a timely manner, and when a bill is not paid before December 31 of each year.

Every business, non-profit, and organization operating in Jackson County must:

• Identify and list all tangible personal property used in the business
• Report the original cost and year of acquisition
• Submit an annual declaration, even if no changes have occurred
• Maintain records for at least three years for audit purposes

If a business does not report its assets, the county cannot verify what it owns or whether any property qualities for exemption. In these cases, an estimated value may be assigned to the account, and a tax bill will be generated.

Annual Filing Obligations and Deadlines

Missouri law requires all businesses, nonprofits and organizations to file a Business Personal Property declaration each year. Jackson County sends out two postcard reminders to file, one at the beginning of the year and another if a filing has not been completed by March 1. Jackson County uses two key filing dates to help taxpayers stay compliant:

March 1

Personal Property Declarations are due March 1.

Submitting by this date ensures:

• Your account is processed on time
• You avoid follow-up notices 
• You have time to correct errors before the statutory deadline

Declarations filed on May 1 or later are subject to:

• Late filing penalties ranging from $15 to $105 depending on the assessed value of your account
• Possible estimated assessments
• Loss of exemption eligibility (for nonprofits and churches)

Audit Information

Jackson County may conduct audits to verify the accuracy of Business Personal Property Declarations. Audit help ensure fair and consistent assessments across all businesses.

When and why an audit may occur

An audit may be initiated when:

• Reported costs or asset categories appear inconsistent
• A business reports unusually low or no assets
• There are large year-to-year changes in reported totals
• Leased equipment is not reported or appears incomplete
• A business operates multiple locations with unclear asset distribution
• Random selection as part of routine compliance reviews

Audits are not punitive - they are a standard part of ensuring accurate assessments and equal treatment for all taxpayers.

What Businesses may be asked to provide

During an audit, the Assessment Department may request:

• A complete itemized listing
• Invoices or receipts showing acquisition year and original cost
• Lease contracts for leased equipment
• Depreciation of fixed-asset schedules
• Proof of disposal for assets no longer in service
• Location documentation for multi-location businesses
• Shared-assets agreements, if applicable

The business must be able to demonstrate that the information reported on the declaration matches its internal records

Record-Keeping Requirements for All Businesses

All businesses in Jackson County are required to maintain a detailed asset listing for audit purposes. Even though assets may be grouped on the Business Personal Property Declaration, Missouri law still requires businesses to keep complete internal records.

How long records must be kept

Businesses should retain asset records for at least three years, or longer if possible, to ensure compliance with Missouri statutes and county audit procedures.

What you must report for each asset

Businesses must provide the following:

1. Acquisition Year

   The year the asset was purchased or first placed into service

2. Original Purchase Cost

   Report the full cost at the time of purchase, before taxes, shipping and installation fee.

3. Asset Category (MACR Life Class)

   Each item must be assigned to the correct depreciation category, such as:         

   • M05 – 5 year life (computers, electronics)
   • M07 – 7 year life (furniture, fixtures, tools, appliances)
4. Quantity

If multiple identical items were purchased in the same year, they may be grouped and reported as one line with a total cost

Depreciation Schedules

Missouri law (RSMo 137.122) requires counties to use state mandated depreciation schedules based on federal MACRS life classes.

Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) is the standard U.S. tax depreciation method allowing businesses to recover the cost of tangible property through annual deductions over a set period.

These schedules determine the percent good applied to each asset for assessment purposes.

How depreciation is applied

• Missouri uses Accelerated percent-good schedule, not straight-line depreciation. This means:
• Each asset category has a state-assigned depreciation curve
• The county applies the percent food for the asset's age and category
• Depreciation continues until the asset reaches its minimum value
• Assets remain reportable every year until they are disposed of

Note: The Assessor's office applies the depreciation based on the MACR year life and original cost. Items are not removed once they reach full depreciation, they will not depreciate further, and they remain reportable until disposed.

Grouping assets for faster filing

Jackson County allows businesses to group assets by category and acquisition year. This reduces most declarations to about 12 total line items:

• Five line items for M05 (5-year life) – all M05-category assets acquired four or more years before the current assessment year are grouped into one line item. Each year after are grouped into single year line items.
• Seven line items for M07 (7-year life) - all M07-category assets acquired six or more years before the current assessment year are grouped into one line item. Each year after are grouped into single year line items.

Grouping is allowed because Missouri applies depreciation to the group total, not each individual item.

Example:
M05 (5 year life) - typically 5 line items

Common M05 assets include:

• Computers
• Laptops and tablets
• POS systems
• Printers
• Networking equipment

Typical M05 Grouping

• 1 year prior to M05 -Total Cost
• 2 years prior to M05 - Total Cost
• 3 years prior to M05 - Total Cost
• 4 years prior to M05 - Total Cost
• 5 years prior and older M05 - Total Cost

How grouping works

You may group assets together when they share:

• The same MACR categiry (M05 or M07)
• The same acquisition year
• The same general type

Each group becomes one line item on your declaration.

While the county values attention to detail, it is important to note that it operates as a self-declaring state. Grouping assets by acquisition year providing a total will be sufficient for the declaration process. A detailed asset list is not necessary unless an audit is conducted.

Example:

You can condense these items to save time.