You or your preparer will need the following items (as they apply to you) before you can file your claim:
The department administers two real estate tax assistance programs for qualified senior citizens and 100 percent disabled individuals, The Missouri Property Tax Credit Claim (MO-PTC) and the Homestead Preservation Credit (HPC). If you own and occupy your home but your income restricts you from qualifying for the MO-PTC, you may be eligible for the HPC. You can only receive ONE of the credits. You should determine which tax credit program is more beneficial to you. Your federal adjusted gross income cannot exceed $70,000 to qualify for the Home Preservation Credit. For more information regarding the HPC, contact (573) 751-3505 or access www.dor.mo.gov/tax/personal/homestead/.
If you plan on filing a paper return, you should consider 2-D Barcode filing. The software encodes all your tax information into a 2-D barcode, which allows your return to be processed in a fraction of the time it takes to process a traditional paper return. If you use software to prepare your return, check our web site for approved 2-D barcode software companies. Also, check out the department’s fill-in forms that calculate that have a 2-D barcode. ALL 2-D barcode returns should be mailed to: Department of Revenue, P.O. Box 3385, Jefferson City, MO 65105-3385.
You MAY USE this tax book to file your 2005 Form MO-PTC, Property Tax Credit Claim if you meet the eligibility requirements on page 1 of the PDF version of these instructions, OR as described in our Frequently Asked Questions, AND are not required to file an individual income tax return.
You cannot use this book if you were required to file a federal return and you were a:
If you meet any of the above qualifications, you cannot file the Form MO-PTC. You must file a Missouri income tax return and attach Form MO-PTS if you qualify for a property tax credit. See information below to obtain the correct form (Form MO-1040 or Form MO-1040P) to file and claim your Property Tax Credit.
Exception: You are not required to file a Missouri income tax return if your standard deduction plus your personal exemption meet or exceed your Missouri adjusted gross income.
If you are a nonresident alien, visit our web site at www.dor.mo.gov/tax for information.
If you anticipate receiving any 1099 or W-2 income, please wait to file this claim until all statements are received. Filing too early may result in a balance due.
This information is for guidance only and does not state the complete law.
The 2005 Form MO-PTC is due April 17, 2006, but you may file up to three years from the due date and still receive your credit.
If your 2002 claim is received by April 17, 2006, but required attachments are received after (or claim is not signed by) April 17, 2006, your claim will be denied.
Mail your completed Form MO-PTC and all attachments to:
Department of Revenue
P.O. Box 2800
Jefferson City, MO 65105-2800
If an individual passed away in 2005, a claim may be filed by the surviving spouse if the filing status is “married filing combined” and all other qualifications are met. If there is no surviving spouse, the estate may file the claim.
A copy of the death certificate must be attached and if the check is to be issued in another name, a Federal Form 1310 must also accompany the claim. To obtain Federal Form 1310, access www.irs.gov/formspubs.
Rounding is required on your Form MO-PTC. Zeros have been placed in the cents column on your return. For 1 cent through 49 cents, round down to the previous whole dollar amount. For 50 cents through 99 cents, round up to the next whole dollar amount.
Example: Round $32.49 down to $32.00 Round $32.50 up to $33.00
Access our web site at www.dor.mo.gov/tax to enter your tax information, and let us do the math for you. No calculation errors means faster processing. Just print, sign, and mail the claim.
The Department of Revenue has an individual income tax return inquiry web site. The site is available 24 hours a day to check on the status of your current year return and can be accessed by visiting our web site at www.dor.mo.gov/tax. The following information is required to obtain the status of the Missouri return: 1) the first social security number on the return; 2) the filing status shown on your return; and 3) the exact amount of the refund in whole dollars.
To obtain a copy of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, you can access our web site at www.dor.mo.gov/tax or call (800) 877-6881.
If all the address information on the label is correct, attach the label to the Form MO-PTC and print or type your social security number(s), birthdate(s), and telephone number in the spaces provided.
If you did not receive a book with a peel-off label or if the label is incorrect, print or type your name(s), address, social security number(s), birthdate(s), and telephone number in the spaces provided. If you or your spouse do not have a social security number, enter "none" in the appropriate space(s). If married, enter both birthdates, even if your spouse died during the calendar year. Only check deceased box if death occurred in 2005. Do not check the box if the claimant was deceased before calendar year 2005.
Check the amended claim box if you are filing an amended claim. Complete the entire claim using the corrected figures.
Check the applicable box to indicate under which qualification you are filing the Form MO-PTC. You must check a qualification box to be eligible for the credit. Check only one box. Attach the appropriate documentation to verify your qualification. (The required documentation is listed behind each qualification on Form MO-PTC.)
Check your filing status. You can check "married -living separate for entire year" only if you and your spouse did not at any time during the year live in the same residence.
Note: If you lived at different addresses for the entire year, you may file a separate claim. You cannot take the $2,000 deduction on Line 7 if you checked "married-living separate for entire year" as your filing status, and you are filing a separate claim. (Example: One spouse lives in a nursing or residential care facility while the other spouse remains in the home the entire year.)
If you are legally married and living together at any time during the year, you must file married filing combined and include all household income.
Household income is all income received by a claimant, spouse, and/or minor children (taxable or nontaxable) and includes all income from sources listed on Lines 1 through 5 of Form MO-PTC.
Enter the amount of social security benefits before any deductions and/or amount of social security equivalent railroad retirement benefits. Attach Form SSA-1099(s) and/or Form RRB-1099(s).
Lump sum distributions must be claimed in the year in which they were received.
Include the amount of all wages, pensions, annuities, dividends, interest income, rental income, or other income. Do not include excludable costs of pensions or annuities. (These are usually the employee's contribution to a retirement program listed separately on Form 1099-R.) Attach Forms W-2(s), 1099(s), 1099-R(s), 1099-DIV, 1099-INT, 1099-MISC, etc.
If your wages, pensions, interest, or annuities are more than $6,000, you probably need to file an individual income tax return. File Form MO-1040P or Form MO-1040 with Form MO-PTS to claim the Property Tax Credit.
Enter the gross distribution amount of railroad retirement benefits (not included in Line 1) before any deductions. This is the amount of annuities and pensions received, not your social security equivalent benefits. Attach Form RRB/1099-R (Tier II).
Include your veteran payments and benefits. Veteran payments and benefits include education or training allowances, disability compensation, grants, and insurance proceeds.
Exceptions: If you are 100 percent disabled as a result of military service, you are not required to include your veteran payments and benefits. You must attach a letter from the Veterans Administration that states that you are 100 percent disabled as a result of military service. To request a copy of the letter, call the Veterans Administration at (800) 827-1000.
If you are a surviving spouse and your spouse was 100 percent disabled as a result of military service, all the veteran payments and benefits must be included.
Include the amount of public assistance, supplemental security income (SSI), child support, unemployment compensation, and Temporary Assistance payments received by you and/or your minor children. Temporary Assistance payments include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) payments. In Missouri, the program is referred to as Temporary Assistance (TA). This includes any governmental cash received. Do not include the value of commodity foods, food stamps, or heating and cooling assistance. Attach a copy of Form SSA-1099(s), a letter from the Social Security Administration and/or Social Services that includes the total amount of assistance received and Employment Security 1099, if applicable.
NOTE: Before you complete this section, you need to make sure all the income (including assistance) you received is reported on Form MO-PTC, Lines 1-5. If you don't report income and include all documentation, your refund will be delayed.
If you owned and occupied your home, include the amount of real estate tax you paid. Do not include special assessments (sewer lateral), penalties, service charges, and interest listed on your tax receipt. You can only claim the taxes on your primary residence that you occupy. Secondary homes don’t apply.
If you submit more than one receipt for a city or county for your residence, please submit a letter of explanation.
Your home or dwelling is the place in which you reside in Missouri, whether owned or rented, and the surrounding land, not to exceed five acres, as is reasonably necessary for use of the dwelling as a home. A home may be part of a larger unit such as a farm or building partly rented or used for business. It may be a room in a nursing home, an apartment, or a mobile home unit.
If your home or farm has more than five acres or you own a mobile home, attach Form 948, Assessor's Certification. Your county assessor will complete this form on your request. If you own a mobile home, the Form 948 must show only the value of the mobile home. Vehicles and other items on the personal property tax receipt are not allowed on the credit.
If you share a home, report only the portion of real estate tax that was actually paid by you.
If you sold your home during the year, attach a copy of the seller's agreement to your claim.
Real estate tax paid for a prior year cannot be claimed on this form. To claim real estate taxes for a prior year, you must file a claim for that year.
If you own your home and other adults (other than spouse) live there and pay rent, the rent must be claimed as income.
The percentage of your home that is used for business purposes must be subtracted from your real estate taxes paid. If you needed to use a Form 948 to calculate the amount of real estate tax, you must subtract the percentage of your home that is used for business purposes from the allowable real estate taxes paid calculated on the Form 948.
Example: Ruth has 10 acres surrounding her house. She needs to use a Form 948, because she is only entitled to receive credit for 5 acres. By her calculations, she enters $500 on Form 948, Line 6. Ruth also uses 15% of her house for her business. She will multiply $500 by 85% and put this figure ($425) on Form MO-PTC, Line 9.
Complete one Form MO-CRP, Certification of Rent Paid, for each rented home (including mobile home and/or lot) you occupied during 2005. The Form MO-CRP is on the back of the Form MO-PTC. If two or more unmarried individuals over 18 years of age share a residence, enter the total rent on Form MO-CRP, Line 6 and mark the appropriate box on Line G. If the rent receipt or statement from the landlord is for the total rent amount, then the percentage on Line G of the Form MO-CRP must be used to determine your credit. Additional persons sharing home/percentage to be entered: (1 person—50%, 2 people—33%, 3 people—25%). Add the totals from Line 8 on all Form MO-CRP(s) completed and enter the amount in the first box on Line 10a. Multiply the total by 20 percent and enter the result on Line 10b.
Attach rent receipt(s) for the whole year or each month or a statement from your landlord, along with Form MO-CRP. Copies of cancelled checks (front and back) will be accepted if your landlord will not provide rent receipts or statement.
You cannot claim returned check fees, late fees, security and cleaning deposits, or any other deposit.
An apartment is a room or suite of rooms with separate facilities for cooking and other normal household functions.
A boarding home is a house that provides meals, lodging, and the residents share common facilities.
Apply amounts from Form MO-PTC, Lines 8 and 11 to the Property Tax Credit Chart in the PDF version of these instructions to determine the amount of your property tax credit. See Helpful Hint below.
If you have another income tax or property tax credit liability, this property tax credit may be applied to that liability in accordance with Section 143.782, RSMo. You will be notified if your credit is offset against any debts.
You must sign your Form MO-PTC. Both spouses must sign a combined claim. If you pay someone to prepare your claim, the preparer must also sign the claim.
If you wish to authorize the Director of Revenue, or delegate, to discuss your tax information with your preparer or any member of your preparer's firm, indicate "yes" by checking the appropriate box.
Important: If the Form MO-PTC is being filed on behalf of a claimant by a nursing home or residential care facility, a statement to that effect from the claimant's legal guardian or power of attorney must be attached to the Form MO-PTC.
Send your claim and all attachments (see checklist) to:
Department of Revenue
P.O. Box 2800
Jefferson City, MO 65105-2800.
Your property tax credit is figured by comparing your total income received to 20 percent of your net rent paid or real estate tax paid. To make the comparison and determine your credit, use the Property Tax Credit Chart in the PDF version of these instructions. Lines are provided on the chart to help you figure this amount.
Example: Ruth paid $800 in real estate tax and her total household income was $14,000. Ruth will apply her tax paid and her total household income to the chart to figure out her credit amount. Even though Ruth paid $800 in real estate tax, she is only allowed to take a credit of $750. Ruth will use $750 as tax paid and her total household income of $14,000 to make the comparison. When using the chart, Ruth finds where $14,000 and $750 "meet" to figure her credit. The two numbers "meet" on the chart where the credit amount is $702. Ruth will get a $702 credit for the real estate tax she paid.
Send your claim and all attachments to: Department of Revenue, P.O. Box 2800, Jefferson City, MO 65105-2800.
STEP 1
Enter all information requested on Lines 1-5. If rent is paid to a relative, the relationship to the landlord must be indicated on Line 1.
STEP 2
Enter on Line 6 the gross rent paid. Exclude rent paid for any portion of your home used in the production of income, and the rent paid for surrounding land with attachments not necessary nor maintained for homestead purposes. Also, exclude any rent paid to your landlord on your behalf by any organization or agency.
STEP 3
If you were a resident of a nursing home or boarding home during 2005, use the applicable percentage in Line 7. If you live in a hotel and meals are included in your rent payment, enter 50 percent; otherwise enter 100 percent. If two or more unmarried individuals over 18 years of age share a residence and each pay part of the rent, enter the total rent on Form MO-CRP, Line 6 and mark the appropriate box on Line G. If the rent receipt is for the total rent amount, then the percentage on Line G of the Form MO-CRP must be used to determine your credit. If none of the reductions apply to you, enter 100 percent on Line 7.
STEP 4
Multiply Line 6 by the percentage on Line 7. Enter this amount on Form MO-CRP, Line 8 and on Form MO-PTC, Line 10a.
Please be sure to review the final checklist below before mailing your claim.
If you need to file an income tax return, Form MO-1040 or Form MO-1040P, you must use Form MO-PTS to claim a property tax credit and attach it to the Form MO-1040 or Form MO-1040P. Do not use Form MO-PTC if you need to file an income tax return.
Failure to include required documentation and/or information, may reduce or delay your refund.
NOTE: Be sure you and your spouse are eligible to claim the property tax credit.
Please read instructions if you have any doubt about what is required.
NOTE: Copies of cancelled checks are not acceptable for your real estate tax receipt.
Important: Attach your Form MO-PTC and supporting documentation and mail to:
Department of Revenue
P.O. Box 2800
Jefferson City, MO 65105-2800