Dear Neighbors,
I am pleased to have voted for significant property tax cuts for Minnesotans last year. Because of this new law, more homeowners and renters will qualify for property tax refunds and many will see larger refunds. This is your money – make sure you get it back!
You may be eligible for two different property tax refunds: the Homeowner and Renter Property Tax Refund or the Special Property Tax Refund.
Homeowner and Renter Property Tax Refund
You may be eligible for the Homeowner and Renter Property Tax Refund if you are a homeowner and have household income of less than $105,500, or you are a renter and have a household income of less than $57,170. Higher income limits apply if you have dependents or if you are a senior citizen or disabled. Your refund will depend on how high your property taxes or rent are relative to your income. The maximum refund for homeowners is $2,580, and the maximum refund for renters is $2,000. If you are a renter you need a Certificate of Rent paid from your landlord or a Rent Paid Affidavit.
Special Property Tax Refund
You might be eligible for the Special Property Tax Refund if you are a homeowner, you owned your home on both January 2, 2013 and January 2, 2014 and the net property tax on your homestead increased by more than 12% and at least $100 from 2013 to 2014. The increase cannot be due to improvements to your home. This refund does not depend on your income.
You must also meet the following criteria to be eligible for either of the two refunds:
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You must be a full-year or part-year Minnesota Resident
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If you are a homeowner, you must have owned and lived in the home on January 2, 2014
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You cannot be a dependent
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If you are a homeowner, your property must be your homestead
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If you are a renter, you must live in a building on which property taxes are paid
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Relative homesteads do not qualify
Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral Program
The Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral Program allows property taxpayers who are 65 years or older to defer a portion of their homestead property taxes until a later time. In this program, the taxpayer pays only three percent of the preceding year’s household income as property tax, and the rest of the property tax is deferred. Taxpayers are still allowed to file for a property tax refund and any other property refunds the state may offer, however the amount of any refunds will be applied to the deferred property tax amount. For more details call (651) 556-4803.
To apply for the Senior Citizens Property Tax deferral Program – applications are available in the county auditor’s office or may be obtained from the Minnesota Department of Revenue website at:
http://www.revenue.state.mn.us.
If you have any further questions on how to apply for your Minnesota property tax refund, please contact the Department of Revenue at (651) 296-3781 or visit
https://www.revenue.state.mn.us.
Sincerely,
Representative Lyndon Carlson