Published
October 20, 2026
Jackson County, Missouri residential property owners who paid taxes on a 2023 assessed value that rose more than 15% over the prior cycle, excluding new construction or improvements, are covered by a class action settlement that credits the extra taxes paid for 2023 and 2024 on the 2026, 2027 and 2028 tax bills. Current owners need not file anything; former owners and people seeking reimbursement of appraisal or legal fees must file a claim by December 3, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are open for former owners and for the Special-Circumstances Fund, and the claim deadline is December 3, 2026 (submitted online or postmarked). Current owners do not file a claim: according to the settlement website, the County will apply their credits automatically. Judge Jacqueline A. Cook granted preliminary approval on September 25, 2026 and signed an amended preliminary approval order on October 6, 2026. The final approval hearing is November 23, 2026 at 9:30 a.m., and no credits or payments start until the settlement is final.Free settlement alerts
Get notified when new class actions open to claims
Join thousands of readers who get the latest class action settlements you may qualify for — delivered straight to your inbox.
Status
Claims Open
preliminary approval Sept. 25, 2026 · final approval hearing Nov. 23, 2026
Claim Deadline
December 3, 2026
former owners and fund claims · current owners file nothing
Estimated Payout
2023–2024 Overage
credited over the 2026–2028 bills · plus a $6M fund for appraisal and legal fees
Proof Required
Yes — to file a claim
Claim Number + PIN to file online · current owners’ credits are automatic
What Changed Recently?
Notices went out to more than 207,000 Jackson County taxpayers by October 19, 2026, after Judge Jacqueline A. Cook of the Circuit Court of Jackson County preliminarily approved the settlement in Wheeler v. Beatty, et al., No. 2416-CV25478. The lawsuit claims that 2023 reassessment increases of more than 15% were unlawful because the County did not perform the physical inspections and send the notices Missouri law requires, so taxes paid on those increases in 2023 and 2024 were paid in error. It relies on the Hancock Amendment to the Missouri Constitution, the refund statute RSMo § 137.073, the Missouri State Tax Commission’s August 6, 2024 order and negligence.That Tax Commission order found the County failed to give proper notice of the 2023 reassessment and failed to perform required physical inspections for properties whose assessed values rose by more than 15%, and the Circuit Court upheld it on March 31, 2025. The court has not entered a final judgment on the class claims. The County asserts legal and procedural defenses under Missouri law, and the settlement agreement describes the deal as a compromise of disputed claims. If approved, the settlement will be entered as a consent judgment with a permanent injunction against the County.
Who Qualifies?
The class, certified on April 2, 2026, is all owners of residential real property in Jackson County, Missouri who paid real property taxes based on a 2023 assessed valuation that increased by more than 15% over the prior assessment cycle, excluding increases due solely to new construction or improvements. The settlement agreement puts the class at about 207,000 owners.Commercial, agricultural and industrial property is not included, and the settlement website lists other parcels outside the class, including nursing homes, multi-family buildings of eight or more units, tax-abated or TIF properties, new construction and open land. Owners who appealed their 2023 value or paid under protest remain in the class. County officials, counsel for the parties and the judicial officers assigned to the case are excluded.
How Much Can You Get?
The settlement pays back each class member’s “Overage,” the extra tax paid in 2023 and 2024 because the assessed value rose by more than 15%. Under the court-approved method, the County caps the 2023 assessed value at the 2022 value times 1.15 and holds 2024 at the same level, works out the tax that would have been owed at that capped value using the tax rates actually applied, and subtracts it from the tax actually paid. The two years are added together, and any amount already refunded through a protest or appeal is subtracted. The County computes each Overage from its own records. The settlement agreement includes a hypothetical example, not a real property, in which the total Overage is $863.55, credited as three payments of $287.85.Current owners who still own the parcel as of October 19, 2026 receive the full Overage as credits on their Jackson County property tax bills in three roughly equal installments on the 2026, 2027 and 2028 bills. Unused credit carries forward until it is used up. The credit belongs to the taxpayer who paid the Overage, not a later buyer, and taxes paid through a mortgage escrow account count as paid by the owner.
Former owners who no longer own the parcel as of October 19, 2026, through a sale, transfer, foreclosure, tax sale or death, can claim the Overage. If they own other residential property in Jackson County, it is credited on that property’s bills on the same 2026–2028 schedule; if they own none, it is paid in cash in three annual payments.
Special-Circumstances Fund: a separate fund of up to $6,000,000 reimburses documented out-of-pocket appraisal fees and legal fees paid to challenge or respond to the 2023 or 2024 reassessment, including contingent attorneys’ fees under agreements signed before July 8, 2026. There is no per-claim cap, but payments are reduced pro rata if approved claims exceed the fund, and any money left over goes back to the County. Retired Judge J. Dale Youngs, appointed by the court as the fund’s administrator, decides these claims. Current and former owners can both file fund claims.
No total dollar value is stated in the notice, the settlement agreement or the court’s order. Class counsel Ken McClain estimated the amount owed to taxpayers at “around $250 million,” KCTV5 reported in July 2026, noting the County still had to calculate it. The County pays notice and administration costs, attorneys’ fees and a service award separately, so they do not reduce the credits, cash payments or the fund. Class counsel will ask for no more than $4,000,000 in fees and expenses and a $5,000 service award.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
Current owners do not need a claim form, application or proof of any kind, according to the settlement website. Former owners and fund claimants file through the online claim portal, which requires the Claim Number and PIN printed on the claim form mailed with the notice; the paper claim form can be mailed instead. A former owner’s claim form, signed under penalty of perjury, is generally enough, and supporting papers such as a closing statement, deed or tax receipt are optional. Special-Circumstances Fund claims require documentation of the expense, such as invoices, engagement letters, receipts, cancelled checks, account statements or an appraisal report showing the fee. Estates, heirs and trustees can claim with reasonable proof of authority.What Is the Deadline?
Former owner claims and Special-Circumstances Fund claims are due December 3, 2026, submitted online or postmarked. Requests for exclusion and objections must be postmarked by November 18, 2026. Exclusion applies only to the class’s money claims; the court-ordered declaratory and injunctive relief applies to every class member.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed on the official settlement website, which links to the claim portal and posts the notice, the settlement agreement, the claim forms and the court’s orders. The settlement website says an online lookup of each owner’s Overage amount will be added.What Happens Next?
Class counsel’s fee motion is due November 4, 2026, and the court will hold the final approval hearing on November 23, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. in Division 60 of the Circuit Court of Jackson County at Kansas City. Credits and payments begin only after the court enters the consent judgment and it becomes final, including the resolution of any appeals. Assessor Gail McCann Beatty, Frank White Jr. and Phil LeVota, who were also sued, are to be dismissed without prejudice at final approval, leaving the judgment against the County.Sources and Verification
• Official settlement website, including the notice of proposed class action settlement, the settlement agreement dated August 24, 2026, the former owner and Special-Circumstances Fund claim forms, the amended order granting preliminary approval (October 6, 2026) and the order certifying the class (April 2, 2026), Wheeler v. Beatty, et al., No. 2416-CV25478 (Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri)• Missouri State Tax Commission order (August 6, 2024) and the Circuit Court judgment upholding it (March 31, 2025), as posted on the settlement website
• KCTV5 (July 23, 2026), for class counsel’s estimate
Questions
Do current Jackson County homeowners need to file a claim?
No. According to the settlement website, owners who still own the parcel as of October 19, 2026 do not need to submit a claim form or proof; the County applies their credits to the 2026, 2027 and 2028 property tax bills after the settlement becomes final.
How is the Jackson County property tax credit calculated?
The County caps the 2023 assessed value at 115% of the 2022 value, holds 2024 at the same level, and subtracts the tax that would have been owed at that capped value from the tax actually paid in 2023 and 2024. Any amount already refunded through a protest or appeal is subtracted.
What if I sold my Jackson County home?
Former owners who no longer owned the parcel as of October 19, 2026 must file a claim by December 3, 2026. The amount is credited to another Jackson County residential property they own or, if they own none, paid in cash in three annual payments.
What does the $6 million Special-Circumstances Fund cover?
It reimburses documented appraisal fees and legal fees paid to challenge or respond to the 2023 or 2024 reassessment, including contingent fees under agreements signed before July 8, 2026. Payments are reduced pro rata if approved claims exceed $6 million, and claims are due December 3, 2026.
When will Jackson County property tax credits start?
The final approval hearing is November 23, 2026. Credits and payments begin only after the court enters the consent judgment and it becomes final, and current owners’ credits are spread over the 2026, 2027 and 2028 tax bills.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
Credits for the full 2023–2024 Overage, plus a $6 million Special-Circumstances Fund
Case Title
Wheeler v. Beatty, et al.
Case Number
2416-CV25478
Court
Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri at Kansas City, Division 60
Final Approval Hearing
November 23, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Judge Jacqueline A. Cook
Administrator
Analytics Consulting LLC
Official Website
Jackson County Property Tax Class Action
