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Education for Justice |
FACT SHEET H-21 |
for
tax year 2011 |
“THE
RENTER’S REFUND”
PROPERTY
TAX REFUND
WHAT IS 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.
WHO CAN GET A REFUND?
You can get a refund if:
·
You rent and your total household income in 2011
was $53,540 or less (the income eligibility goes up with each dependent)
OR
·
You own
your home and your total household income in 2011 was $99,240 (the income
eligibility goes up with each dependent)
and
·
You aren’t a dependent on someone else’s 2011
federal tax return, and
·
You were a full or part year resident of
Minnesota in 2011 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.
HOW DO I GET MY REFUND?
·
If you rent, your landlord must give you a
Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) by January 31, 2012. If you own, use your Property Tax Statement.
·
Get the tax form called the 2012 Minnesota Property Tax Refund Return, Form M-1PR. You can get it from a library or call (651)
296-3781. 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, 2012. Send it to:
·
You should get your refund within 60 days after
August 15, 2011.
·
You can get your refund up to 30 days earlier if
you file electronically and do the following things:
File
by May 15th if you rent or own a mobile home. File by July 1st if you own your
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.
WHAT IF MY LANDLORD DOESN’T GIVE ME
THE CRP?
·
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 2011. 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.
WHERE CAN I GET HELP WITH TAX FORMS?
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
To find other
Legal Aid Society materials, including any fact sheets mentioned in this
document, go to www.lawhelpmn.org/LASMfactsheets.
|
Minneapolis Legal Aid – CLE MN
Legal Services Coalition |
Don’t use this fact sheet if it is more than
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