6 Documents Wisconsinites Need to Claim the Homestead Credit

You’d probably expect to need your wage forms for a tax credit.

But you might be surprised by some of the other papers on the list.

Wisconsinites, here’s what to gather before you claim the homestead credit.

Note: This is general information, not tax advice. Credit rules, income limits and filing deadlines are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

Wisconsin Homestead Credit Requirements and Documents

Before you gather documents for the homestead credit, check the department’s main conditions.

The department requires legal Wisconsin residency for all of the tax year, from January 1 through December 31.

You also have to be 18 or older on December 31.

The household income limit is $24,680 for a 2025 claim, and the definition reaches beyond wages.

On top of that, you need earned income, a disability or an age of 62 or older.

The home you own or rent has to be in Wisconsin and subject to property taxes.

Someone who’s claimed as a dependent on another person’s federal income tax return can’t take the credit, unless they were 62 or older on December 31 of the claim year.

A household files one claim, and a married couple living together counts as one household.

Then comes the paper.

1. Rent Certificate

Renters claiming the homestead credit need a rent certificate that the landlord completed and signed, according to the department’s Schedule H instructions.

You attach a separate rent certificate for every home you rented during the year.

If you lived at more than one address, you add a schedule listing each dwelling and the dates you lived there.

Don’t change anything on the rent certificate because the department won’t accept an altered one.

If your landlord needs to fix a mistake, the landlord must prepare a new certificate.

Don’t fix it yourself.

When a landlord won’t sign, you fill in the landlord section of the certificate yourself.

Then you add a copy of each canceled check or bank money order that verifies your rent.

2. Property Tax Bill

Owners claiming the homestead credit need a legible copy of their property tax bill, according to the department’s Schedule H instructions.

That’s the bill for the tax year you’re claiming, the one you pay the following year.

If other names share the bill with yours, you attach a document showing your ownership percentage or life estate.

If you bought your home during the year, you use only that year’s bill to figure your allowable property taxes.

A statement with the date you moved in goes with the bill.

If you rented before you bought, you also attach a rent certificate from your landlord for the first part of the year.

Some buyers need both.

3. Wage Statements

The department’s list of attachments for the homestead credit calls for copies of any wage statements.

That list names Form W-2 and Form W-2G, the form for gambling winnings.

Luck leaves a paper trail.

A Form W-2 from one of your side jobs belongs in the stack, too.

4. Form 1099-R

If you took money from a pension or retirement account, you attach Form 1099-R to your homestead credit claim.

That form is the one for distributions from pensions, annuities, retirement plans and individual retirement accounts.

The Schedule H instructions say to include Forms 1099-R and 1098-T whether or not a Wisconsin return is necessary.

Form 1098-T, the Tuition Statement, is listed right next to it.

Bring both.

5. Disability Statement

When disability is how you qualify, you enclose one of three documents.

You can send a statement from your physician.

Another option is a Veterans Administration statement certifying a disability benefit for 100 percent disability.

The third is a Social Security Administration document that states the date your disability began.

That's the full list.

The department defines disabled as being unable to engage in any substantial gainful employment.

The impairment has to be a medically determinable physical or mental one.

It must have lasted for a continuous period of at least 12 months, or be reasonably expected to.

6. Closing Statement

Sellers add a copy of the home closing statement, according to the Schedule H instructions.

The copy verifies your ownership, the prorated property taxes and the date of sale.

If you figure your property taxes from the closing statement, your move-out date goes on a separate statement.

The department's property tax FAQ also lists Schedule GL, Gain or Loss on the Sale of Your Home.

Selling adds homework.

How to Assemble Your Homestead Credit Documents

Before you assemble your homestead credit documents, make a complete copy of everything.

If you file on paper, you paper clip the homestead credit claim to your Wisconsin income tax return.

The department's Schedule H instructions list your Wisconsin income tax return first, then Schedule H or H-EZ, then your rent certificate or property tax bill.

Wage statements and a copy of your federal income tax return come last.

E-filers follow a different path, according to the department's e-file FAQ: Form W-RA, the Required Attachments for Electronic Filing form, goes in with every attachment.

Include your original rent certificates.

You can mail Form W-RA or submit it through My Tax Account.

Everything is due within 48 hours after you receive your Wisconsin acknowledgment.

That clock moves fast.

Documents for Older Homestead Credit Claims

If you file for an earlier year, you use the documents from that year.

For 2022, the department's instructions call for a completed 2022 rent certificate, a copy of the 2022 property tax bill (payable in 2023) or both.

Your 2024 claim follows the same pattern, with the property tax bill labeled payable in 2025.

Both years also call for Forms 1099-R and 1098-T whether or not a Wisconsin return is necessary.

The pattern holds.

The department's homestead credit page lists an April 15 deadline five years after each claim year for most claimants.

The date for 2021 is April 15, 2026, and it has passed.

Deadlines for 2020 and earlier years are past, so you can't file those claims anymore.

FAQ

What is the income limit for the Wisconsin homestead credit?

Your household income has to come in under $24,680 for a 2025 claim, according to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

Do you need a rent certificate if you own your home?

Not if you owned your home all year.

You attach a copy of your property tax bill instead, but if you rented before you bought, you also attach a rent certificate for that part of the year.

Can someone else's tax return affect your homestead credit?

Yes, it can.

You can't claim the credit if someone else claims you as a dependent on their federal income tax return, unless you were 62 or older on December 31 of the claim year.

What if you lived at more than one address during the year?

The Schedule H instructions say to attach a schedule listing the address of each dwelling and the dates you lived there.

Who answers homestead credit questions?