Kansas Mortgage Calculator
Kansas taxes homes at just 11.5% of market value and repealed its unusual loan-based mortgage tax in 2019 — pick your county below to see your real payment.
Loan & Property Details
Auto-fills from the county selected above; edit if you know your exact city + school district mill levy.
Your Estimated Monthly Payment
Choose a county and enter your details to see a plain-language read on your payment.
What If You Paid Extra Toward Principal?
Slide to test an extra monthly payment and see how many years and how much interest it saves.
What If Your Rate Changes?
Your 5-Year Equity Snapshot
Good to Know: Kansas Repealed Its Mortgage Registration Tax
Kansas used to charge one of the only loan-based closing taxes in the country. It’s gone now, but you may still see it referenced in older guides.
| Former mortgage registration tax | 0.26% of the loan amount (not the sale price) |
| Who used to pay | Buyer/borrower, at closing, on the loan itself |
| Repealed | Effective January 1, 2019 |
| Current state or local transfer/mortgage tax | None |
How Kansas Actually Calculates Your Property Tax Bill
Kansas assesses residential property at just 11.5% of its market value, one of the lower residential assessment ratios among states that use this kind of classified property tax system. The county appraiser establishes market value, applies the 11.5% ratio to get assessed value, and only then does the local mill levy, a combination of county, city, school district, and other taxing entities, get applied to that smaller figure. This calculator uses each county’s effective rate, already expressed as a percentage of full market value, applied directly to price, so the number you see doesn’t require you to run the assessment-ratio math by hand.
Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte: how the four biggest counties compare
Johnson County, the Kansas City metro’s affluent southern suburbs including Overland Park and Leawood, has the highest median home values in the state and, despite a comparatively moderate effective rate, produces the highest dollar tax bills in Kansas simply due to scale. Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, runs one of the lowest effective rates among Kansas’s larger counties. Shawnee County, home to the state capital of Topeka, and Wyandotte County, covering Kansas City, Kansas, both run meaningfully higher effective rates than Sedgwick, on considerably lower median home values. Switching counties above resets both price and rate defaults to match.
| Home market value | $300,000 |
| Kansas residential assessment ratio | 11.5% |
| Assessed value | $34,500 |
| Illustrative combined mill levy | ≈ 135 mills |
| Illustrative annual tax | $34,500 × 13.5% ≈ $4,658* |
*Illustrative assessment-ratio math shown for context. The live calculator above applies each county’s commonly reported effective rate directly to price, which is the more reliable way to estimate a real bill without needing your specific district’s mill levy.
The Homestead Refund and SAFESR programs worth knowing about early
Kansas’s Homestead Refund program returns up to $700 a year to qualifying households, those with a member 55 or older, someone who is disabled, or a dependent child under 18, with household income under roughly $37,750. Kansas also runs SAFESR, sometimes called the Senior and Disabled Property Tax Freeze, which allows income-qualified homeowners 65 and older, or those receiving certain disability benefits, to have property tax increases refunded above what they paid in a locked base year, effectively freezing their real cost even as assessed values climb. Both programs require an annual application through the Kansas Department of Revenue, not the county, and neither is automatic.
Full exemption for 100% disabled veterans
Kansas offers one of the more generous veteran benefits in this calculator series: veterans with a 100% permanent, service-connected disability rating receive a full exemption from property tax on their homestead, not just a partial credit. Eligible surviving spouses may also qualify to continue the exemption. If this applies to your household, expect your actual bill to be far lower than what this calculator’s default math would suggest.
The mortgage tax Kansas used to charge, and doesn’t anymore
Until 2019, Kansas was one of the few states that charged a mortgage registration tax, an unusual closing cost calculated as a percentage of your loan amount rather than your home’s sale price. At 0.26% of the loan, it added a real, if often overlooked, cost to every financed purchase. The Kansas Legislature repealed it effective January 1, 2019. If you’re reading an older guide or a pre-2019 closing cost estimate, it may still list this tax; it no longer applies.
Common Mistakes Kansas Buyers Make With the Numbers
- Applying the mill levy directly to full market value. Kansas’s 11.5% assessment ratio means the real bill is a fraction of what that naive math suggests.
- Citing the old mortgage registration tax. It was repealed in 2019; current Kansas closings don’t include it.
- Assuming the Homestead Refund is a discount on the bill itself. It’s a refund claimed after the fact through an annual filing, not an automatic reduction at billing time.
- Not applying for SAFESR if eligible. Income-qualified seniors and disabled homeowners can meaningfully limit how much their real cost grows year over year.
- Overlooking the full veterans exemption. A 100% disabled veteran’s Kansas homestead can be entirely exempt from property tax, not just partially reduced.
Tips for Lowering Your Kansas Mortgage Payment
- File for the Homestead Refund or SAFESR with the Kansas Department of Revenue if a household member qualifies; both require an annual application.
- If a veteran with a 100% permanent disability rating is on title, confirm the full property tax exemption with your county appraiser.
- Compare effective rates across county lines, not just home prices, especially between Johnson/Sedgwick and Shawnee/Wyandotte.
- Compare rate quotes from at least three lenders active specifically in the Kansas City and Wichita markets, since local pricing can differ from national averages.
- Use the extra-payment scenario above; even a modest additional principal payment compounds meaningfully over a 30-year Kansas loan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is property tax calculated in Kansas?
Kansas assesses residential property at 11.5% of market value, then applies the local combined mill levy, county, city, school district, and other taxing entities, to that smaller assessed value.
How much is property tax in Kansas?
Kansas’s statewide effective property tax rate runs above the national average, though actual dollar bills vary widely: Johnson County posts the highest median bill in the state due to high home values, while many rural counties post far lower bills.
What is the Kansas Homestead Refund program?
A refund of up to $700 a year for qualifying households with a member 55 or older, someone disabled, or a dependent child, and household income under roughly $37,750. It’s claimed through an annual filing with the Kansas Department of Revenue.
What is SAFESR in Kansas?
The Senior and Disabled Property Tax Freeze, which refunds property tax increases above a locked base-year amount for income-qualified homeowners 65 and older or those with certain disabilities.
Do disabled veterans get a property tax break in Kansas?
Yes, veterans with a 100% permanent, service-connected disability rating receive a full exemption from property tax on their Kansas homestead, and eligible surviving spouses may continue the exemption.
Does Kansas have a mortgage registration or transfer tax?
No, not anymore. Kansas repealed its mortgage registration tax, a 0.26% tax on the loan amount, effective January 1, 2019. Kansas currently has no state or local real estate transfer tax either.
Which Kansas county has the lowest property tax rate?
Among the state’s larger counties, Sedgwick generally runs a lower effective rate than Johnson, Shawnee, or Wyandotte, though many smaller rural counties post even lower rates statewide.
What down payment do I need to buy a home in Kansas?
Conventional loans often start around 5% down, FHA loans typically require 3.5%, and VA loans can allow 0% down for eligible veterans.
When can I remove PMI on a Kansas home loan?
Federal law allows requesting PMI removal at 20% equity, with automatic lender cancellation at 22% equity based on the original amortization schedule.
Does this calculator include closing costs?
No, this tool estimates the ongoing monthly payment only. Kansas closing costs typically add a modest percentage of the purchase price, without any transfer or mortgage registration tax added.
References
- Kansas Department of Revenue, Property Valuation Division, assessment ratio and Homestead Refund/SAFESR guidance – ksrevenue.gov
- Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte County Appraiser offices, current mill levies – county government sites
- Kansas Legislature, 2019 repeal of the mortgage registration tax
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, weekly national rate averages – freddiemac.com/pmms
Related DexoCalc Tools
This Kansas mortgage calculator is part of the Mortgage Calculators cluster I am building out on DexoCalc. Start with the national Mortgage Calculator to compare Kansas against any other state, see another low-assessment-ratio state in the Arizona Mortgage Calculator, compare a neighboring Midwest state’s very different tax-limiting mechanism in the Indiana Mortgage Calculator, or check another state with a senior tax-freeze program in the Iowa Mortgage Calculator. Browse every state-specific tool as new ones publish on the full Mortgage Calculators hub.
This calculator provides estimates for educational purposes only and is not a loan offer, pre-approval, or substitute for advice from a licensed Kansas mortgage professional or tax advisor. Property tax, refund, and exemption figures are approximations that vary by county, district, and individual circumstances; confirm exact figures with your county appraiser. Sources: Kansas Department of Revenue, county appraiser offices, Freddie Mac.