Frequently Asked Questions

In order to fund a public school system, everyone contributes. If only those who had students in school paid a fee, we would have private schools.

Your tax payments are deposited daily into an interest bearing account and distributed by the Collector at the end of each month to the County Treasurer, who disburses to each taxing subdivision itemized on your tax statement. The interest earned is distributed annually by the Collector to the various taxing subdivisions on a pro-rata basis.

Tax dollars are collected for the State, County, Road & Bridge, Schools, College, Library, Fire Districts, Developmental Disability, Ambulance and Dispatch.

There is help available. Contact the Missouri Department of Revenue at 573-751-7191 for information regarding the Circuit Breaker and Homestead Exemption programs.

Self serve terminals are available in Assessor’s office as well as the availability to view taxes online.

Yes. The Collector’s office does not pro-rate between the new and former owners. During the closing of a typical real estate transaction, you should have received credit from the seller for their portion of the taxes. You would take this money and add your portion to pay the entire bill. We suggest you confirm this by referring to your closing statement or calling your closing agent. If you are a new owner and do not receive a statement, you need to contact our office to obtain a copy. Failure to receive a statement does not relieve your obligation to pay by December 31st, nor does it relieve you of any interest or penalties that accrue after this date.

In order to protect people’s interest in real estate, a deed must be filed in the Recorder’s office to change any name on real estate. If you feel the name on your tax bill does not match your deed, please contact the Assessor’s office at 573-775-2065.

Contact the Collector’s Office.  573-775-2845 ext. 3203

Tax bills are mailed as a convenience to taxpayers in October/November (see RSMo 137.392 above) and are delinquent after December 31st. Payments postmarked by December 31st are considered paid on time. Payments postmarked after December 31st will be returned for interest and penalty for January. Failure to receive a tax bill does not relieve a taxpayer of his/her obligation to pay taxes by December 31st. This is in accordance with the Missouri State Statutes.

New residents to Crawford County must contact the Assessor’s office at 573-775-2065 to ensure receipt of a Personal Property Assessment List.

If you move during the year or your mailing address changes, you must notify the Assessor’s office at 573-775-2065. Failure to receive a tax statement does not relieve taxpayer of the obligation to pay taxes by December 31st. You must keep your contact information current with the Assessor’s office or you will be responsible for paying interest and penalties accrued after December 31st.

If you are delinquent in your real estate taxes you may contact the Collector’s Office at 573-775-2845 and make payment arrangements.  The payment amount is set by the taxpayer according to their individual financial ability to make the payment.  The payment amount can vary from month to month again depending on the taxpayer’s financial position.  If you are paying your current taxes you may chose from the following options:  Visit the office and pay by check, cashier’s check, money order, cash, debit or credit card; Pay your taxes online before you leave the website by debit or credit card; or mail your check, cashier’s check, or money order to County Collector P.O. Box 250 Steelville, MO 65565.  If paying by debit or credit there will be a transaction fee added to the face amount of the bill.  The fee could be different depending on your preference of paying by debit, or credit.  The fee will be determined and addressed to the payer prior to the transaction being completed.  If paying by check the person signing the check must provide a date of birth and a contact telephone number.  Failure to do so may result in your check being returned to you and could cause penalties and interest to be charged if the payment is crossed between two months.

Personal property taxes include  automobiles, motorcycles, boats, trailers, mobile homes, airplanes, livestock, farm machinery, office equipment, etc.  Each year in January, the Assessor mails a list to be completed by county residents.  From the information provided by you, the tax bill is generated.  The assessed values are determined by the Assessor’s office.

The TAX RATE is established initially by a vote of the residents within the boundaries of the taxing subdivision. Property tax rates are monitored and approved annually by the State Auditor. An example of some of these subdivisions would include public schools, fire, and ambulance districts and also some incorporated areas. A current list of certified tax rates is available upon request at the County Clerk’s Office.

The simplest way to explain this is to compare it to sales tax. If you buy a pair of shoes and a shirt, you pay sales tax on each item. Therefore, you are required to pay taxes on your Personal Property and/or Real Estate to each political subdivision that encompasses the district in which you live or own property.

The tax is based on the value, not the number of vehicles. Your car may be newer and more valuable than the total of all of theirs. Should you have any questions on the values assessed on your vehicles and/or real estate you should contact the Assessor’s Office at 573.775.2065.  The Collector’s Office does not participate in determining assessed values.

People buy and sell automobiles so frequently; the state law requires you to pay taxes only on the vehicles you owned on January 1 of each new year. When you renew your license plates, the purchase date of the automobile will indicate whether or not it is to be itemized on that tax bill. You must still provide a paid receipt to the license bureau when purchasing your vehicle tags that should reflect all personal property you owned on January 1 of that year. License Bureaus are required by State Statute to review all paid tax receipts to assure the vehicle you wish to purchase tags for is listed on your paid tax receipt.

Usually the first thing to do is compare the itemized vehicles or assessed valuation. If you bought a new car, chances are it is worth more than your old car, which will affect your tax as well. Voter approved levy increases will also affect your tax amount.  If you do not find the answer to your questions by making these reviews, you should contact the Assessor’s Office at 573.775.2065 for further explanations regarding your questions.

Yes. Tax statements are mailed each year to the last known address on the Assessor’s books. We feel it is important that taxpayers review their statements to ensure that information is correct. If you have questions regarding property listed, values, address changes, or corrections to tax statements, contact the Assessor’s office at 573-775-2065. If taxes are escrowed, immediately forward your tax statement to your mortgage company to ensure that taxes are paid by December 31st to avoid paying interest and penalties.  The Collector is required by State Statute to mail all tax statements to the taxpayer not the mortgage companies or their representatives.

According to state law, failure to receive a tax bill does not relieve the taxpayer of his obligation to pay the taxes when due. Tax statements are mailed each year to the last known address on the Assessor’s books. It is very important for you to notify the Assessor when you move. Also, forwarding orders expire with the post office and your tax bills may not reach you. If you have not received your tax statement by November 30th, contact our office immediately at 573.775.2845.

If taxpayer has not received a tax bill by November 30th, contact our office immediately.

Any person or corporation, who owns or buys land or housing in Crawford County.  Taxes may be pro-rated between a buyer and seller at the time of closing, but the entire tax bill is due by December 31st to the County Collector by the current owner.  Homeowners with escrowed taxes must immediately forward their tax bill to their mortgage company to ensure that taxes are paid by December 31st to avoid paying interest and penalties.

This tax 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 his files, which ultimately generate the tax bills.

Any person who resides in Crawford County on the 1st day of the year and owns any tangible personal property made taxable by the laws of the State of Missouri must pay a personal property tax bill for that year.