Updated September 4, 2026. Quick answer: It depends on the source. Kansas fully exempts public pensions (KPERS), federal government pensions, and military retirement pay, but private-employer pensions and ordinary IRA/401(k) distributions are fully taxable with no exclusion at all.
Confidence note: high. This page is scoped to pension, IRA and 401(k) taxation specifically. For the state’s full retirement-tax picture (Social Security, tax rates, estate and probate), see how Kansas taxes retirement income generally.
How pensions and retirement-account withdrawals are taxed
| Public (state/local government) pensions | Fully exempt, no cap. KPERS and other Kansas public retirement system benefits are exempt from state tax by name. |
|---|---|
| Private (employer) pensions | Fully taxable. No subtraction exists for private-sector pensions in the statute’s closed list of exemptions. |
| Federal government pensions (FERS/CSRS) | Fully exempt, same statutory clause that exempts federal civil service and military retirement benefits. |
| Military retirement pay | Fully exempt, same clause as federal civil-service pensions; this exemption dates to 1967, not a recent change. |
| IRA and 401(k)/403(b) distributions | Fully taxable. Only a narrow KPERS lump-sum-rollover subtraction exists; ordinary IRA, 401(k) and 403(b) distributions get no exclusion. |
| General retirement-income exclusion | No blanket retirement-income exclusion. An age-65+ standard-deduction add-on of $850 (single/head of household) or $700 per spouse (married) applies against any income. Social Security is fully exempt at all AGI levels effective tax year 2024 and later. |
Coordinate this with your overall retirement plan
An adviser can help weigh how much of a pension or IRA withdrawal to take this year, whether a Roth conversion makes sense before or after a move, and how state tax interacts with the rest of your plan, but that does not replace the numbers in your own return.
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Social Security
Social Security is fully exempt at all income levels effective tax year 2024 and later (the prior law capped this at $75,000 AGI). Social Security has its own rules in every state; see the full breakdown in how Kansas taxes retirement income generally.
Statute and sources
Governing citation: K.S.A. 79-32,117(c) (general modifications), K.S.A. 74-4923(b) (KPERS).
Read September 4, 2026.
Related: how Kansas taxes retirement income generally · does Kansas tax Roth conversions? · Roth conversion taxes, all 51 jurisdictions.
General information drawn from each state’s own published statutes and revenue-department guidance, not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures and exemption amounts are current as of the date in the quick answer, are set by state law, and can change by future legislation; any pending bill named on this page is not yet law. This page cannot see your own return, which governs. We are not a law firm, a tax adviser, or a fiduciary, and this is not personalized advice.