RentCertificate: RentCertificate (2025)
Wisconsin · Wisconsin DOR · Used for tax years 2025
The 2025 Wisconsin Rent Certificate documents rental information for a homestead credit claim. It reports rent paid, your share of rent, and the value of food and services provided by your landlord, and is attached to Schedule H or H-EZ.
Who files this form
This rent certificate is for renters claiming Wisconsin homestead credit for 2025. The rental property must be in Wisconsin.
Attach the certificate only if you are filing a homestead credit claim. You must complete and file Schedule H or H-EZ with it.
What you'll need
- The completed 2025 rent certificate and Schedule H or H-EZ.
- Rental information, including the dates you lived at the property in 2025, rent paid, and whether heat was included.
- If your landlord will not sign: a copy of each canceled check or bank money order you have to verify your rent. Any portion not verified will not be allowed.
- If occupants did not pay equal shares of living expenses: names of the other occupants and the total amounts paid by all occupants and by you for rent, food, utilities, and other shared expenses.
How to file
- Complete the “Renter (Claimant)” section, leaving your Social Security number blank. Give the certificate to your landlord to complete and sign.
- After your landlord returns it, enter your Social Security number and complete line 5b if applicable. If line 5b is “No,” complete every line of the Shared Living Expenses Schedule.
- Enter the allowable amounts from lines 3c and 8a, or line 7 of the Shared Living Expenses Schedule, on Schedule H or H-EZ as appropriate.
- Attach the rent certificate to your completed Schedule H or H-EZ and file them together.
If your landlord will not sign, check the designated box, complete the landlord section and lines 1 through 8, and attach the required rent verification. Do not sign the certificate yourself.
The supplied form does not give a mailing address or e-filing directions.
Common mistakes
- Making corrections on the certificate. Alterations, including whiteouts and erasures, or errors void the certificate.
- Signing as the renter. Only the landlord or an authorized representative may sign. The signature must be handwritten; stamped, typed, and electronic signatures are not accepted.
- Entering your Social Security number too soon. Add it after your landlord completes and signs the certificate.
- Including excluded amounts in rent. Line 4a must not include prior-year rent, late fees, security deposits paid during the year, direct government assistance, or Wisconsin rental assistance program payments. The government-payment exclusion has an exception for amounts an agency paid as the claimant’s representative payee.
- Counting excluded family members on line 5a. Do not count the renter’s spouse or children under age 18 as of December 31, 2025.
- Leaving the shared-expense schedule incomplete. If line 5b is “No,” fill in every line. Otherwise, paid rent will be divided by the number of occupants.
- Completing the certificate for property not subject to property taxes without checking the exception. If line 2a is “No,” the landlord must not complete the certificate unless the municipal housing authority exception on line 2b applies.
Questions people ask
What if my landlord will not sign?
Check the designated box, complete the landlord section and lines 1 through 8, and attach copies of each canceled check or bank money order you have to verify rent. Unverified rent will not be allowed. Do not sign the certificate yourself.
What if I shared living expenses unequally with other occupants?
If line 5a is more than 1, answer line 5b. If your answer is “No,” complete every line of the Shared Living Expenses Schedule on page 2 to calculate your allowable rent.
Does rent include separate charges for parking or utilities?
For line 4a, the landlord must include separate amounts you paid to the landlord for items such as parking, a garage, utilities, appliances, or furnishings.
What if my monthly rent changed during 2025?
Enter the rent paid for each month on line 4c. Do not include security deposits or late fees. If monthly rent did not change, enter the monthly amount on line 4b.
How are food and services provided by the landlord treated?
The landlord enters your share of their value on line 7. Subtract line 7 from your share of total rent on line 6 to find rent paid for occupancy only on line 8a. The Shared Living Expenses Schedule also subtracts the value of food and services when calculating allowable rent.