With tax bills returned, some local seniors have taken to social media — such as the NextDoor app — to voice questions and concerns over the amount of money they saved on taxes by way of the senior tax freeze. 

“I won’t reapply,” said one commenter. “Too much trouble to save a few dollars on just a small portion of the bill.”

The senior tax program by St. Louis County freezes certain real property taxes, excluding personal property, and no tax bill was completely frozen, according to the county’s website. Qualified seniors did not have to pay the increase in the actual tax amount of general operating taxes, which is dependent on individual assessments of their property and any changes to the tax rate where they live.

To see information on tax rates for South County municipalities and school districts, check out The Call’s previous reporting.

2025 was a reassessment year, which happens every other year. Across the board, most of South County saw decreased property tax rates. This was done to keep taxes relatively level with the inflation of property values, so residents are not paying much more than they were in years before. 

Because tax rates were set in a way that aimed to keep taxes level, some seniors may have noticed that they saved less on their bills than they anticipated. With no high jump in the tax rate, there was less capacity for high savings. The freeze aimed to keep taxes owed relatively neutral and avoid overwhelming local seniors.

“What you didn’t notice was that your taxes went down, even just $5, while the tax value of your house went up,” one commenter replied. “Without the freeze, your taxes would have been calculated using the new, higher value and would have increased.”

Although the program may have done its job in keeping taxes stable for local seniors, some still shared that the amount of work it took to apply and get approved was not worth what they saved. Deadlines for the senior tax freeze had to be extended by St. Louis County to account for some confusion during the process. Applications need to be renewed every year.

“It isn’t worth the time invested,” one commenter said. 

Others have already reapplied for next year’s tax freeze, saying the reapplication process was “easy peasy” or “simple.” Another commenter said it only took them five minutes. 

To apply or renew for the senior tax freeze, one must be a St. Louis County resident age 62 or older. The deadline is June 30, 2026.