Renting and the Law: Deadline for Certificate of Rent Paid tax forms?

Q: I am a renter in Minneapolis preparing to do my taxes and haven't received my CRP form yet. When is the date that my landlord needs to provide me with a CRP form?

A: The Certificate of Rent Paid form or "CRP" shows how much rent a tenant paid during the previous year. Since a portion of your rent as a tenant is used to pay your landlord's property taxes, you may then qualify for a Renter's Property Tax Refund depending on your income and rent paid.

To qualify for a Renter's Property Tax Refund you must have a valid Social Security number or individual tax ID number, you must be a Minnesota resident or have spent at least 183 days in the state of Minnesota, you must have lived in and paid rent on a Minnesota building where the owner was assessed property tax or made payments instead of property tax, your household income for 2022 was less than $69,520, and you cannot be claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return.

Your landlord must give you a completed CRP form by Jan. 31, 2023. Many landlords will email or mail the form directly to you or make it available on their website for you to obtain. You must include all CRP forms when applying for your Renter's Property Tax Refund.

If you don't receive your CRP form within a week of Jan. 31, 2023, then you should contact your landlord and request it. If your landlord does not provide your CRP by March 1, 2023, you may request a Rent Paid Affidavit or "RPA" from the Minnesota Department of Revenue to apply for your Renter's Property Tax Refund.

You may request an RPA by calling 651-296-3781 or 1-800-652-9094 or by email at individual.incometax@state.mn.us. If you request an RPA by email, make sure to only include the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Both CRP and RPA forms have easy instructions to follow when applying for your Renter's Property Tax Refund.

Kelly Klein is a Minneapolis attorney. Participation in this column does not create an attorney/client relationship with Klein. Do not rely on advice in this column for legal opinions. Consult an attorney regarding your particular issues. E-mail renting questions to kklein@kleinpa.com. Information provided by readers is not confidential.