Minnesota Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) Guide
Minnesota landlords must file a Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) with the Department of Revenue for each adult renter and give it to them by January 31, 2027. CRP Butler does both for you: we generate your CRPs, file them in e-Services on your behalf, deliver them to your renters, and handle any corrections. Below are answers to the questions landlords ask most.
Guides and resources
Free CRP spreadsheet template
An Excel sheet with one row per adult renter: rental dates, rent paid, rent assistance, and owner details. Fill it in and upload it to CRP Butler, or use it to organize your own filing.
Download the template →How to issue Minnesota CRPs
The full walkthrough: who needs a CRP, what to gather, how to calculate rent, filing with CRP Butler or on your own, delivery, corrections, and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Deadlines and filing
When are Minnesota CRPs due?
Certificates of Rent Paid for rent received in 2026 are due January 31, 2027. By that date you must create each CRP in the Minnesota Department of Revenue's e-Services system and give a copy to each renter.
The deadline is January 31 every year, for the rent received during the previous calendar year. CRP Butler covers both halves: we file your CRPs with the state and can deliver them to your renters.
Do I have to file CRPs in e-Services?
Every Minnesota CRP has to be submitted through e-Services, the Department of Revenue's online system. With CRP Butler, you don't have to do that part: we generate your CRPs in the state's format and submit them in e-Services on your behalf.
Landlords who file on their own can enter each CRP by hand in e-Services or import a spreadsheet in the department's file format.
Source: MN Department of Revenue: Create a Certificate of Rent Paid
What's the penalty for not issuing a CRP?
The Department of Revenue can charge $50 for each CRP not submitted through e-Services, plus $50 for each CRP not given to the renter.
Overstating rent carries its own penalty: $100 or 50% of the overstatement, whichever is greater.
When CRP Butler files your CRPs and delivers them by email or mail, both requirements are covered.
How long do I have to keep copies of CRPs?
Keep a copy of every CRP for four years after you issue it.
Using CRP Butler
What does CRP Butler do?
CRP Butler is a Minnesota service that creates, e-files, and delivers Certificates of Rent Paid for landlords and property managers. You upload your rent information. We generate each CRP in the Department of Revenue's format, submit them in e-Services on your behalf, and can email or mail every renter their copy.
You get copies for your records and a confirmation of each delivery. If anything needs to change after filing, tell us: we correct and resubmit the CRP, and resend it to the renter if we handled delivery.
Do I need an e-Services account to use CRP Butler?
No. CRP Butler submits your CRPs in e-Services on your behalf, so you never have to log in, format a file, or enter CRPs yourself.
What information does CRP Butler need?
One row per adult renter: their name, the rental address and unit, the dates they rented, and the rent they paid in 2026. Also include any rent paid by Medical Assistance or Minnesota Housing Support and any caretaking credit. For the property, add the owner's name, address, and phone number, plus the Property ID from your county's website.
Our free template has a column for each of these. Include a renter's email address if you want us to email their CRP.
How much does CRP Butler cost?
$1.99 per renter to create and file each CRP. Delivery is optional: $0.75 per renter by email, or $3.25 per renter by USPS mail.
For example, 10 renters with email delivery costs $27.40. There are no subscriptions or hidden fees.
Who gets a CRP
Who has to issue CRPs?
Anyone who owns, manages, or sublets property in Minnesota and rents living space to someone during the year must issue CRPs, if property tax was payable on the property. Owners of tax-exempt property who made payments in lieu of property taxes must issue them too.
Cooperatives don't issue CRPs. Adult foster care, assisted living, nursing homes, and other health care facilities follow special rules.
Does every adult in the unit get their own CRP?
Yes. Each adult renter who lived in the unit gets a separate CRP, even if their name isn't on the lease. Only one name goes on each CRP.
Married couples get separate CRPs too, each showing an equal share of the rent.
Do I need to give a CRP to a renter who moved out during the year?
Yes. A renter who moved out still gets a CRP for the rent they paid while they lived there. You can give it to them when they move out, if it is available in e-Services, or by January 31 of the following year.
If you don't have a forwarding address, send it to their last known address.
Do mobile home residents get a CRP?
Yes. If the resident owns the mobile home, give each adult living in it a CRP for the lot rent. If the park owns the home, the CRP covers both the lot rent and the home rent.
What if I bought or sold the building during the year?
If you sold it, give each renter a CRP for the months you owned the building, and give the buyer the rent records for that period.
If you bought it and the seller gave you those records, report the renter's rent and months for the whole year. If the seller didn't, report only the rent paid to you and the months you owned the building.
Calculating rent
How do I split rent between roommates on a CRP?
Split the rent evenly among the adults for the months they lived in the unit together. If each roommate has their own agreement with you and pays you directly, report what each one actually paid.
Example: Avery and Riley share a unit, and Avery moves out at the end of June. Avery's CRP shows 50% of the rent for January to June. Riley's CRP shows 50% of the rent for January to June, plus 100% of the rent for July to December.
What counts as rent on a CRP?
Rent is what the renter paid for the right to live in the unit as their main home. It includes a garage, parking, storage, utilities, and pets when they're part of the rental agreement. Deposits, late fees, and rent paid after December 31 don't count.
Include
- Rent paid by Medical Assistance, Minnesota Housing Support (formerly GRH), or state or county vendor payments
- A garage, parking space, or storage locker included in the rental agreement
- Utilities or pets included in the rent
- Rent paid by a city for relocation
Don't include
- Damage deposits, unless used to pay rent
- Late charges and fees
- Rent paid after December 31
- Utilities paid separately
- Section 8, HUD, or other federal housing payments
- Emergency rental assistance and payments from charities
- Rent paid by someone who doesn't live in the unit
- The value of free rent given as a move-in incentive
What if part of the rent was paid by Section 8 or another program?
Leave out rent paid through Section 8 or other federal programs (including HUD), emergency rental assistance, and charities. Include rent paid by Medical Assistance, Minnesota Housing Support, and state or county vendor payments.
Medical Assistance also goes in its own field. If Medical Assistance paid $2,000 and the renter paid $8,000, enter $2,000 as the Medical Assistance amount and $10,000 as the renter's share of rent paid.
What is a caretaker rent reduction?
If a renter paid less rent in exchange for caretaking, report the rent they actually paid and enter the reduction for the year in the Caretaker Rent Reduction field. For example, $200 off per month for 12 months is $2,400.
Split the reduction evenly among all the adults in the unit.
Do I still issue a CRP if the renter owes back rent?
Yes. Issue the CRP for the rent actually paid during the year, even if the renter still owes rent. Don't include unpaid rent or rent paid after December 31.
Delivering and correcting CRPs
Can I email CRPs to my renters?
Yes. You can give each renter an electronic copy or a paper copy of their CRP, as long as they have it by January 31.
CRP Butler can deliver them for you: we email each renter their CRP for $0.75 or mail it by USPS for $3.25, and confirm each delivery.
Source: MN Department of Revenue: Create a Certificate of Rent Paid
How do I correct a CRP after I've filed it?
If CRP Butler filed your CRPs, email us at hello@crpbutler.com with the correction. We change the CRP in e-Services and resubmit it on your behalf, and if we delivered your CRPs to your renters, we send the renter the corrected copy too.
If you filed on your own, search for the CRP in e-Services, select Change, make the correction, then sign and submit it.
Either way, the corrected CRP gets a new Electronic Certificate Number (ECN), so the renter needs the updated copy. Renters should use the CRP with the latest signature date.
Source: MN Department of Revenue: e-Services User Guide for CRPs
What happens if a renter doesn't get their CRP?
A renter who hasn't received a CRP by February 1 can ask the Department of Revenue for a Rent Paid Affidavit (RPA) to use in its place. The landlord can still be charged the $50 penalties for each CRP not filed or not given to the renter.
What do renters use their CRP for?
Renters use their CRP to claim Minnesota's Renter's Credit, a refundable credit on their state income tax return (Form M1 with Schedule M1RENT).
Starting with the 2024 tax year, the Renter's Credit replaced the Renter's Property Tax Refund (Form M1PR).
Have a question that isn't answered here? Email us at hello@crpbutler.com.
Rather not do it yourself?
CRP Butler creates, e-files, and delivers every 2026 CRP for you, from $1.99 per renter.
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