Property Tax Refund Filings Due August 15

Dear Neighbors, 

I hope you’re all having a fun and safe summer. As Vice Chair of the House Tax Committee, I wanted to make sure you were aware of the August 15 filing deadline for the Property Tax Refund, and some important new property tax savings we passed this year.

I know that property taxes have been rising for many households in recent years. Because of this, I prioritized using some of the state’s surplus to offer property tax cuts at the state level and put money back in the pockets of Minnesotans, including those in Blaine and Lexington.

Here are some of the highlights:

• We adjusted the special property tax refund so that if your property taxes increased by more than 6% from 2022 to 2023, you’ll qualify for a refund of up to $2,500, regardless of your income level (I was the chief author of this bill).
• We increased the Homestead Credit Refund and Renter’s Property Tax Refund by 20.572%.
• We permitted homeowners who have an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) to qualify for homestead status and claim the Homestead Credit Refund.
• We expanded the eligibility for the Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral program so more seniors can age in their homes.

I provide more detail about each program below. In some cases, you must file a Form M1PR by August 15 to qualify. In other cases, the Minnesota Department of Revenue will automatically adjust your refund to the higher amount.

Qualifying for the Special Property Tax Refund, Homestead Credit Refund, and Renter’s Property Tax Refund

Many taxpayers file Form M1PR when they submit their income tax return (Form M1) by the April 15 income tax filing deadline, but Form M1PR is not due until August 15.

If you have not filed 2022 Form M1PR yet: Review the 2022 Form M1PR instructions at bit.ly/2022M1PRinst to see if you qualify for these refunds. If you qualify, complete the 2022 Form M1PR. You should file, postmark, or drop off the form by August 15, 2023.

If you filed a 2022 Form M1PR before June 14, 2023: Whether you need to take any action depends on how you filed your return.

If you’ve already applied, you can check on the status of your filing (for homeowners and renters) here. 

ITIN Homeowners and Mobile Homeowners

If the property is not classified as homestead on your property tax statement or you bought your home in 2022, you must apply for homestead status with the Anoka County Assessor’s Office and submit the application on or before December 31, 2023. At the time you apply for homestead status, request a signed statement saying that your application was approved. Include it with your Form M1PR.

Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral Program

This program allows senior citizens to defer a portion of their property taxes. It’s not a tax forgiveness program, but it does limit the maximum amount of property tax paid each year to 3% of total household income.

My colleagues and I at the Capitol recently modified the program so more people can qualify. This includes increasing the household income limit from $60,000 to $96,000 and reducing the number of years a homeowner must own and occupy the property from 15 years to 5 years.

These changes will apply for taxes payable in 2024 and beyond. Learn more at the Department of Revenue’s website. 

New Laws Take Effect

Some of the new laws we passed this year went into effect on July 1, with more doing the same on August 1. These links just provide a snapshot of some of the high profile laws that we worked on this year. 

If you have any questions about our new laws, please feel free to reach out to me by email at rep.matt.norris@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-2907. If you have a friend, neighbor, or relative who wants to receive updates about the Legislature, let them know they can subscribe to my email list here, and follow my Facebook here. 

It’s an honor to represent our community. Please stay in touch!

Sincerely,

Matt Norris

District 32B

507 State Office Building

St. Paul, MN 55155