“The Renter’s Refund” Property Tax Refund

Many renters and homeowners can get a refund every year from the State of Minnesota. The amount of your refund depends on: how much rent or property tax you paid, your income, and how many dependents you have.

You can get a refund if:

• You rent and your total household income in 2017 was less than $59,960 (the income eligibility goes up with each dependent)

                        OR

•  You own your home and your total household income in 2017 was less than $110,650 (the income eligibility goes up with each dependent) and

• You aren’t a dependent on someone else’s 2017 federal tax return, and

• You were a full or part year resident of Minnesota in 2017 and

• You paid rent in a building which was taxed OR you own your home.
   

NOTE: If you are a homeowner you MUST have a valid social security number to get the property tax refund.

• If you rent, your landlord must give you a Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) by January 31, 2018. If you own, use your Property Tax Statement.

• Get the tax form called the 2017 Form M-1PR, Homestead Credit Refund (for Homeowners) and Renter Property Tax Refund. You can get it from a library, call (651) 296-3781, or write to: MN Tax Forms, Mail Station 1421, St. Paul, MN 55146-1421. You can also get all forms and information to file online at www.taxes.state.mn.us.

• If you want to file by regular mail, fill out the form, attach the CRP if you rent, and send it. It is due August 15, 2018. Send it to:

              Minnesota Property Tax Refund
              St. Paul, MN  55145-0020.

• You should get your refund within 90 days after August 15, 2018.

• You can get your refund up to 30 days earlier if you file electronically and do the following things:
  • File by April 30th if you own your home. File by July 31st if you rent or own a mobile home.
  • Choose direct deposit option. This means the money will be put directly into your bank account.
  • You filed an M1PR last year
  • You have to have gotten your CRP from your landlord if you rent.

You can file up to 1 year late. To claim your 2017 refund, you have until August 14, 2019 to file. 

• Call the landlord and ask for one. If that does not work, write a letter to the landlord to ask for it and say that s/he can be fined $100 for each CRP not provided. State the amount of rent you paid in 2017. Keep a copy of your letter.

• If your landlord still won’t give you the CRP, call the Department of Revenue at (651) 296-3781. Ask them to contact the landlord and charge a fine if the landlord still does not send it to you.

• The Department of Revenue can give you a Rent Paid Affidavit to fill out instead of a CRP. You will need receipts or some other proof of how much rent you paid. If you don’t have receipts, use a lease, mail that you have gotten, or anything else that shows you lived there and paid the rent. If you can show that you lived there, and what the rent amount was, argue that the state should assume the rent was paid.

If you have a low income, a disability, or are a senior citizen, you can get free help. To find a help site near you, call the Department of Revenue at (651) 297-3724 or United Way, statewide, at 211 (or (651) 291-0211 from a cell phone).