Minnesota Renter’s Credit: Claim Up to $2,720 for 2025 Rent
Refundable Minnesota income-tax credit for qualifying renters who lived in a Minnesota property subject to property tax during tax year 2025.
Minnesota Renter’s Credit: Claim Up to $2,720 for 2025 Rent
Minnesota’s Renter’s Credit is a refundable state income-tax credit for renters. It helps reduce what you owe on your Minnesota return or increases the refund you receive. The program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
This page covers the 2025 tax year, which is the current filing cycle described in the Department of Revenue’s 2025 Form M1 instructions and Schedule M1RENT. The maximum credit for that cycle is $2,720. Your actual amount depends on household income, qualifying rent, filing situation, and the calculation in the official renter’s credit table. The maximum is not a guaranteed payment and there is no official promise that every eligible renter receives an average or typical amount.
Current filing status
The usual due date for a 2025 Minnesota income-tax return was April 15, 2026. That date has passed, but Minnesota’s official instructions say that most individuals can file by October 15, 2026 without a late-filing penalty. A return filed after April 15 can still involve late-payment penalties or interest if tax was owed, so “rolling” in this listing means that the 2025 claim window is still accepting late filings; it does not mean every late filing is penalty-free. The instructions also say that, generally, a 2025 refund claim must be filed within 3 1/2 years of the original due date.
Do not use the old August 15 deadline for a new renter’s claim. That deadline belonged to the former Renter’s Property Tax Refund return. Starting with tax year 2024, renters claim the credit through their Minnesota income-tax return instead of filing a separate original Form M1PR. Minnesota Revenue’s separate Renter’s Property Tax Refund page now says that original M1PR renter claims can no longer be filed; it directs current renters to the Renter’s Credit page.
Key details
| Detail | 2025 tax-year information |
|---|---|
| Program | Minnesota Renter’s Credit |
| Maximum credit | $2,720 |
| Household-income ceiling | Less than $77,570, before considering the specific subtractions allowed by the program |
| Primary residence | A rented Minnesota building where property tax or payments in lieu of property tax were payable for 2025 |
| Claim method | Minnesota Form M1, Schedule M1RENT, and Schedule M1REF |
| Normal return due date | April 15, 2026 |
| Late-filing date referenced by Revenue | October 15, 2026 for most individuals to avoid a late-filing penalty |
| Proof | Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP), or a Rent Paid Affidavit when a CRP cannot be obtained |
Who may qualify
You must meet every basic condition listed by Minnesota Revenue. First, you need a valid Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Second, you must have been a full-year or part-year Minnesota resident. A person who was a nonresident for the entire year does not qualify for this credit.
You also must have lived in and paid rent on a Minnesota building where the owner was assessed property tax or made payments in lieu of property tax for 2025. The credit is tied to the rental property and the rent reported for it, not simply to having a Minnesota mailing address. If you are unsure whether the building meets the property-tax condition, ask the property owner or managing agent, or contact the Department of Revenue.
The 2025 household-income ceiling is less than $77,570. Revenue calculates household income from adjusted gross income and allows specific subtractions. The official guidance identifies subtractions for a taxpayer or spouse who is over 65 or disabled, and for dependents claimed through Schedule M1DQC. A part-year resident uses only adjusted gross income received while a Minnesota resident for the relevant calculation. A married taxpayer filing separately may need to include a spouse’s income for the period when the couple was married and living together.
You cannot claim the credit if someone else can claim you as a dependent. This rule is separate from whether you personally paid rent or received a Certificate of Rent Paid. If a parent, relative, or another taxpayer can claim you under the dependency rules, the renter’s credit is not available to you as an independent claimant.
The credit can apply to ordinary apartments, houses, duplexes, and other taxable rental buildings. It can also apply when you rent a mobile home. If you rent the mobile home, the property manager should provide a CRP and you claim the renter’s credit through Schedule M1RENT. If you own the mobile home and pay only lot rent, Minnesota Revenue directs you to the homeowner’s Homestead Credit Refund process instead; lot rent alone does not qualify for the Renter’s Credit.
Special filing situations can change which income and CRPs you report. For example, married couples who lived separately, people who moved during the year, and people who rented more than one unit may need to follow the detailed instructions in Schedule M1RENT. If you were both a renter and a homeowner during 2025, the result depends on when you rented and whether you owned and occupied a home on January 2, 2026. Read the official schedule rather than combining every rental and homeowner claim automatically.
How the amount is determined
The credit is refundable. That means it can increase a refund even when the credit is larger than the taxpayer’s remaining Minnesota income-tax liability. It is still calculated from the official schedule and table; it is not a flat payment for every renter.
The largest possible 2025 credit is $2,720. The calculation uses household income and qualifying rent reported on Certificates of Rent Paid. A household near the income ceiling may receive less than a household with lower qualifying income, and some households will not qualify at all. Dependents, age, and disability can affect the allowed income calculation and the resulting amount through the subtractions listed in the state guidance.
The Department of Revenue does not describe the credit as a fixed percentage of every rent payment. Do not rely on the old page’s broad estimates, such as an assumed average refund or a promise that a certain share of rent was property tax. Use the 2025 Schedule M1RENT and the Renter’s Credit table in the 2025 Form M1 instructions for the actual computation.
Documents to collect
Your property owner or managing agent must give you a completed Certificate of Rent Paid for the previous year by January 31. The CRP records the rent information used for the credit. Keep the form and your supporting records, including the lease and payment history, with your tax records.
Check the CRP before filing. If it is wrong, ask the property owner or managing agent for a corrected form. If you did not receive a CRP or it is not corrected by February 1, Minnesota Revenue says you may request a Rent Paid Affidavit (RPA). The Department issues RPAs beginning February 1 each year.
To request an RPA, Revenue asks for your identifying information, landlord or managing-agent information, and unit details such as the address, county, number of renters, dates rented, total rent paid, and rent subsidies received. You can request one by calling 651-296-3781 or 1-800-652-9094, or by emailing [email protected]. If you email, include only the last four digits of Social Security numbers. If you receive an RPA, include it and proof of rent paid with your return, even if the landlord later supplies a CRP.
Roommates should review their CRPs carefully. Minnesota’s Schedule M1RENT instructions generally expect the property owner or managing agent to provide each renter a separate CRP showing that renter’s portion of the unit’s rent. Report only the income and rent information that applies to your filing situation, and follow the schedule’s instructions if the CRP divides rent between roommates or a dependent.
How to claim the 2025 credit
Gather your tax information. Collect your 2025 CRP or RPA, Form W-2s and 1099s, federal return information, Social Security number or ITIN, and information for any dependents. Keep rent-payment records in case Revenue asks you to support the claim.
Prepare Form M1. You claim the current renter’s credit through the Minnesota Individual Income Tax return, Form M1. You must file a Minnesota return to claim the credit even if your income is low enough that you were not otherwise required to file a state or federal return.
Complete Schedule M1RENT. This schedule calculates the renter’s credit for 2025. Enter the household-income information required by the schedule and the rent amounts from your CRP or other approved documentation. If you are claiming a dependent subtraction, complete the related Schedule M1DQC when required.
Complete Schedule M1REF. The renter’s credit is a refundable credit, so include Schedule M1REF with Form M1 and Schedule M1RENT. Tax software normally asks for the CRP information and creates the electronic entries. For a paper return, complete the schedules and include copies of all CRPs used to claim the credit.
File electronically, by mail, or with a preparer. Minnesota Revenue says renters can use tax software, a professional tax preparer, or printed forms. Depending on income, free electronic filing or free tax-preparation help may be available. If you were not required to file a federal return, the Department’s FAQ says to include a copy of your federal return when filing the Minnesota claim.
File as soon as possible. The regular date for the 2025 return was April 15, 2026, and the current late-filing window is still open. Minnesota’s 2025 instructions say most individuals can file by October 15, 2026 without a late-filing penalty, but payment penalties and interest can apply to tax that was due on April 15. If you miss the late-filing date, the general refund-claim period described in the instructions is 3 1/2 years from the original due date, but waiting can create other filing issues.
Amend a return that omitted the credit. If your original Minnesota return has already processed and you failed to claim the Renter’s Credit, Minnesota Revenue says to amend the return with Form M1X and include the updated Form M1, Schedule M1REF, and Schedule M1RENT. Do not submit a second original M1PR for a 2025 renter’s claim.
Situations that often cause errors
The most common mistake is using the old property-tax-refund process. Form M1PR was used for renter claims for 2023 and earlier. Minnesota Revenue says the last day to file the 2023 renter’s property-tax refund was August 15, 2025, and that older claims may still be amended with Form M1PRX. That historical rule does not replace the Form M1 process for tax year 2025.
Another mistake is treating a CRP as optional. Electronic filers enter the CRP information through their tax software, while paper filers must include copies of the CRPs used. Missing or inconsistent documentation can delay or deny the refund. If the landlord’s form is wrong, request a correction or ask Revenue about an RPA before filing.
Do not confuse renting a mobile home with owning one. A renter who pays for the mobile home and lot can use Schedule M1RENT when the property manager issues the appropriate CRP. An owner paying only lot rent follows the homeowner property-tax-refund rules. Also take care with assisted living, nursing-home, adult-foster-care, or subsidized arrangements: the 2025 schedule has specific questions about exempt property, medical assistance, Minnesota Housing Support, and rent shown on the CRP.
Finally, do not assume that every person in a household can file a separate claim for the same rent. Married taxpayers, roommates, dependents, and people who changed homes during 2025 have special reporting rules. Use one claim structure that matches the actual filing situation and keep an explanation with the return when the schedule requires one.
Where to get help
Start with the Minnesota Revenue Renter’s Credit page, the Renter’s Credit FAQs, and the official 2025 Schedule M1RENT. The Department’s individual-income-tax questions line is 651-296-3781 or 1-800-652-9094. For refund-status questions, call 651-296-4444 or 1-800-657-3676.
The practical next step is to locate your 2025 CRP, verify the household-income rules, and file Form M1 with Schedule M1RENT and Schedule M1REF while the 2025 late-filing window remains open. If you already filed without the credit, use the amendment process instead of filing a duplicate original return.