Clear Money Guide
What this state guide covers
A quick view of the questions, practical details and source notes below.
Comparison tables scroll horizontally on smaller screens.
2026 edition · statute-cited · part of Clear Money Guide’s 51-state retirement tax series. This guide covers state taxes on retirement income and estate transfers; property and sales taxes vary by county and are outside its scope.
Updated July 24, 2026. Quick answer: Kansas fixed its most-hated retiree rule in 2024 and much of the internet hasn’t noticed: Social Security is now fully exempt at every income level (SB 1, 2024 special session), killing the old $75,000 AGI cliff that taxed the federally taxable part of benefits one dollar over the line. The rest is a sharp public/private split: KPERS, federal civil service, military and railroad pensions are fully exempt, while private pensions, 401(k)s and IRAs are fully taxable — no exclusion at all — on a two-bracket schedule of 5.2% / 5.58%. No estate or inheritance tax.
Federal civil service pensions in Kansas: does Kansas tax federal pensions.
More on public pension systems, topic by topic: Kansas KPERS joint-survivor options, Kansas KPERS QDRO payments and Kansas KPERS return to work after retirement.
More state retirement-income schedules, line by line: Kansas Schedule S.
Inherited an IRA? What the state’s own documents say about taxing those withdrawals: Kansas tax on inherited IRA withdrawals.
Hold a 403(b) or 457(b)? What the state’s own documents say about taxing those withdrawals: does Kansas tax 403(b) and 457(b) withdrawals.
Drawing a pension? Whether the state withholds tax from it, from its own documents: Kansas tax withholding on pension payments.
Selling your home? How the state taxes the profit, from its own tax documents: Does Kansas tax the profit from selling your home?.
Married, or planning for a spouse’s death? Whether the state is a community property state, from its own statutes: Is Kansas a community property state?.
Before the tax question, the Wichita Employees’ Retirement System rules, from the system’s own booklets: Wichita Employees’ Retirement System decisions.
The state’s income tax schedule: the Kansas tax brackets for 2026.
Kansas City, Missouri city employees belong to a separate city system with its own rules: Kansas City employees retirement decisions.
Withdrawing from an IRA or 401(k)? Whether the state withholds tax from it, from its own documents: Kansas tax withholding on IRA and 401(k) withdrawals.
Taking money out of your TSP? How the state taxes it, from its own tax documents: Does Kansas tax TSP withdrawals?.
For trust income specifically: does Kansas tax trust income.
For dividends and interest specifically: does Kansas tax dividends and interest.
Inheriting from, or planning for, someone in this state? Whether the state has an inheritance tax, from its own tax documents: Does Kansas have an inheritance tax?.
Contributing to an HSA? How the state taxes it, from its own tax documents: Does Kansas tax HSA contributions?.
For annuity payments specifically: does Kansas tax annuity income.
Planning for what you leave behind? The state’s estate tax answer, from its own tax documents: Does Kansas have an estate tax?.
For military retired pay: does Kansas tax military retirement.
Saving for a child’s college? The state’s 529 break has its own page: Kansas 529 plan tax deduction.
For the sale of stocks, funds or real estate: does Kansas tax capital gains.
For 401(k) and IRA withdrawals specifically: does Kansas tax 401(k) and IRA withdrawals.
Before the tax question, the KPERS payment options, partial lump sum and withdrawal rules: KPERS retirement decisions.
The SB 1 correction (the $75,000 cliff is dead)
Before tax year 2024, Kansas taxed every dollar of federally taxable Social Security once AGI exceeded $75,000 — the nation’s harshest cliff. SB 1 (June 2024 special session) eliminated the income test entirely: benefits are exempt for everyone, starting TY2024. Guides and calculators still applying the $75,000 test are two tax years out of date. The same law consolidated the rate structure to two brackets — 5.2% up to $23,000 single / $46,000 joint and 5.58% above (K.S.A. 79-32,110) — so the three-bracket 3.10/5.25/5.70 tables still ranking on major sites describe abolished law.
How Kansas taxes retirement income (statute-cited)
| Income tax | Two brackets: 5.2% / 5.58% (top bracket from $23,000 single / $46,000 joint) |
| Social Security | Not taxed — fully exempt all incomes since TY2024 (SB 1) |
| Public pensions | Fully exempt: KPERS, federal civil service, military, railroad retirement |
| Private pension / 401(k) / IRA | Fully taxable — no exclusion of any kind |
| Estate / inheritance tax | None |
Probate: reasonable fees and a $75,000 affidavit
Fiduciary and attorney compensation is “just and reasonable” (K.S.A. 59-1717) — no percentage schedule. Small estates: when the total assets of the estate subject to probate do not exceed $75,000, personal property passes to a successor on an affidavit (K.S.A. 59-1507b) without letters of administration or letters testamentary. Context: probate cost by state · small-estate limits by state.
What the tax picture means for your own accounts
A state guide can set out how the rules treat retirement income in general, but not how they land on your particular mix of pensions, withdrawals and savings, and an adviser can work that through with you.
Before you start, what actually happens. The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide is paid when you submit the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
The Kapitalwise form opens here. You stay on this page.
What happens when you press the button
It asks about nine questions (age, investable assets, location), then your name, email and phone number, and verifies the phone by text. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button. Submitting the form does not guarantee an adviser or a match. This matching form is not tax or legal advice. Submitting the form does not guarantee an adviser or a match. This matching form is not tax or legal advice.
Is Kansas a good state to retire in for taxes?
For public-sector retirees — teachers on KPERS, federal employees, veterans — Kansas is now close to tax-free: exempt pension, exempt Social Security, no death taxes. Private-sector retirees face the opposite: every 401(k)/IRA dollar counted as income once the standard deduction and personal exemption are used up, at 5.2% and then 5.58% above $23,000 single / $46,000 joint. That split — not the headline rate — is the whole Kansas decision, and it’s why identical-income neighbors can owe wildly different amounts. Compare Missouri (public pensions exempt to the SS max, capital gains now exempt) before assuming either side of the state line.
Kansas vs. common alternatives
| State | Social Security | Pension / 401(k) / IRA | Estate tax | Inheritance tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | Not taxed | Public pensions exempt; private/401(k)/IRA fully taxable | None | None |
| Missouri | Not taxed | Public pensions exempt to SS max; private capped at $6,000 (income-tested) | None | None |
| Nebraska | Not taxed | Fully taxable; top rate 4.55% (2026) | None | Yes — county tax, 1/11/15% |
| Colorado | Not taxed at 65+; 55–64 AGI-tested | $20,000 (55–64) / $24,000 (65+) subtraction caps | None | None |
Comparison rows summarize general rules; see our 51-state retirement tax table for statute-cited detail.
Considering a Roth conversion? The converted amount is taxed as ordinary income in the year you convert, and Kansas may treat it differently from the retirement income above — see how all 51 jurisdictions tax Roth conversions.
Finding a financial advisor in Kansas
Per the SEC’s July 2026 Investment Adviser roster, Kansas has 133 SEC-registered advisory firms (#26 nationally) managing $822.8 billion (#22 by AUM). Full breakdown: Kansas advisor statistics. Reviewing fee structures: fee-drag calculator.
Thinking about moving?
Four taxes change when you move state in retirement, not one: income tax on withdrawals, state estate tax, state inheritance tax, and what probate costs your heirs. Corridor comparisons involving Kansas:
Compare any two states with the retirement tax comparison tool, or browse all corridors at the relocation hub.
What probate costs in Kansas
Kansas sets probate compensation by a “just and reasonable” standard with no percentage schedule, so anyone quoting a firm figure is estimating. And the small-estate shortcut of $75,000 does not clear a solely owned house on its own, which is the detail most guidance omits. Full detail with the governing statute, the court filing fee and the threshold: Kansas probate cost. To price a specific estate, use the probate cost calculator.
Cite or share this guide
Suggested citation: Clear Money Guide, “Kansas Retirement Taxes (2026 edition),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/kansas-retirement-taxes/. Free to cite with attribution and a link. Data verified July 23–24, 2026 against state statutes, session laws, and revenue-department guidance.
Figures verified against K.S.A. 79-32,110, 79-32,117, 59-1507b and 59-1717, the Kansas Legislative Research Department summary of 2024 Special Session Senate Bill 1 and the Kansas Department of Revenue income-tax FAQ on September 30, 2026; the earlier $40,000 small-estate limit, the absence of a Kansas estate or inheritance tax, the neighboring-state comparison rows and the SEC adviser roster figures were not re-checked.
Primary sources
- https://klrd.gov/2024/06/18/summary-of-special-session-sb-1/
- https://www.ksrevenue.gov/faqs-taxii.html
- https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2026/
- https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/estate-inheritance-taxes/
- https://www.kjc.ks.gov/legal-forms/small-estates-affidavit-k-s-a-59-1507b
- https://kscourts.gov/KSCourts/media/KsCourts/eCourt/Updates/Odyssey-Probate-Filing-Fees-ODY.pdf
- https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch59/059_015_0007b.html