Section 71.52. Definitions.

  In this subchapter, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1)  “Claimant" means a person who has filed a claim under this subchapter and who was domiciled in this state during the entire calendar year to which the claim for credit under this subchapter relates. When 2 individuals of a household are able to meet the qualifications for a claimant, they may determine between them as to who the claimant is. If they are unable to agree, the matter shall be referred to the secretary of revenue and the secretary's decision is final.

(2)  “Gross rent" means rental paid at arm's length, solely for the right of occupancy of a homestead. “Gross rent" does not include, whether expressly set out in the rental agreement or not, charges for any medical services; other personal services such as laundry, transportation, counseling, grooming, recreational and therapeutic services; shared living expenses, including but not limited to food, supplies and utilities unless utility payments are included in the gross rent paid to the landlord; and food furnished by the landlord as a part of the rental agreement. “Gross rent" includes the rental paid to a landlord for parking of a mobile home or manufactured home, exclusive of any charges for food furnished by the landlord as a part of the rental agreement, plus monthly municipal permit fees paid under s. 66.0435 (3) (c) for a rented mobile home or manufactured home. If a homestead is an integral part of a multipurpose or multidwelling building, “gross rent" is the percentage of the gross rent on that part of the multipurpose or multidwelling building occupied by the household as a principal residence plus the same percentage of the gross rent on the land surrounding it, not exceeding one acre, that is reasonably necessary for use of the multipurpose or multidwelling building as a principal residence, except as the limitations under s. 71.54 (2) (b) apply. If the homestead is part of a farm, “gross rent" is the rent on up to 120 acres of the land contiguous to the claimant's principal residence plus the rent on all improvements to real property on that land, except as the limitations under s. 71.54 (2) (b) apply. If a claimant and persons who are not members of the claimant's household reside in a homestead, the claimant's “gross rent" is the gross rent paid by the claimant to the landlord for the homestead.

(3)  “Homestead" means the dwelling, whether rented or owned, including owned as a joint tenant or tenant in common, or occupied as a buyer in possession under a land contract, and the land surrounding it, not exceeding one acre, that is reasonably necessary for use of the dwelling as a home, and may consist of a part of a multidwelling or multipurpose building and a part of the land upon which it is built.

(4)  “Household" means a claimant and an individual related to the claimant as husband or wife.

(5)  “Household income" means all income received by all persons of a household in a calendar year while members of the household, less $500 for each of the claimant's dependents, as defined in section 152 of the internal revenue code, who have the same principal abode as the claimant for more than 6 months during the year to which the claim relates.

(6)  “Income" means the sum of Wisconsin adjusted gross income and the following amounts, to the extent not included in Wisconsin adjusted gross income: maintenance payments (except foster care maintenance and supplementary payments excludable under section 131 of the internal revenue code), support money, cash public assistance (not including credit granted under this subchapter and amounts under s. 46.27 ), cash benefits paid by counties under s. 59.53 (21) , the gross amount of any pension or annuity (including railroad retirement benefits, all payments received under the federal social security act and veterans disability pensions), nontaxable interest received from the federal government or any of its instrumentalities, nontaxable interest received on state or municipal bonds, worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, the gross amount of “loss of time" insurance, compensation and other cash benefits received from the United States for past or present service in the armed forces, scholarship and fellowship gifts or income, capital gains, gain on the sale of a personal residence excluded under section 121 of the internal revenue code, dividends, income of a nonresident or part-year resident who is married to a full-year resident, housing allowances provided to members of the clergy, the amount by which a resident manager's rent is reduced, nontaxable income of an American Indian, nontaxable income from sources outside this state and nontaxable deferred compensation. Intangible drilling costs, depletion allowances and depreciation, including first-year depreciation allowances under section 179 of the internal revenue code, amortization, contributions to individual retirement accounts under section 219 of the internal revenue code, contributions to Keogh plans, net operating loss carry-backs and carry-forwards and capital loss carry-forwards deducted in determining Wisconsin adjusted gross income shall be added to “income". “Income" does not include gifts from natural persons, cash reimbursement payments made under title XX of the federal social security act, surplus food or other relief in kind supplied by a governmental agency, the gain on the sale of a personal residence deferred under section 1034 of the internal revenue code or nonrecognized gain from involuntary conversions under section 1033 of the internal revenue code. Amounts not included in adjusted gross income but added to “income" under this subsection in a previous year and repaid may be subtracted from income for the year during which they are repaid. Scholarship and fellowship gifts or income that are included in Wisconsin adjusted gross income and that were added to household income for purposes of determining the credit under this subchapter in a previous year may be subtracted from income for the current year in determining the credit under this subchapter. A marital property agreement or unilateral statement under ch. 766 has no effect in computing “income" for a person whose homestead is not the same as the homestead of that person's spouse.

(7)  “Property taxes accrued" means real or personal property taxes or monthly municipal permit fees under s. 66.0435 (3) (c) , exclusive of special assessments, delinquent interest and charges for service, levied on a homestead owned by the claimant or a member of the claimant's household. “Real or personal property taxes" means those levied under ch. 70 , less the tax credit, if any, afforded in respect of such property by s. 79.10 . If a homestead is owned by 2 or more persons or entities as joint tenants or tenants in common or is owned as marital property or survivorship marital property and one or more such persons, entities or owners is not a member of the claimant's household, property taxes accrued is that part of property taxes accrued levied on such homestead, reduced by the tax credit under s. 79.10 , that reflects the ownership percentage of the claimant and the claimant's household, except that if a homestead is owned by 2 or more natural persons or if 2 or more natural persons have an interest in a homestead, one or more of whom is not a member of the claimant's household, and the claimant has a present interest, as that term is used in s. 700.03 (1) , in the homestead and is required by the terms of a will that transferred the homestead or interest in the homestead to the claimant to pay the entire amount of property taxes levied on the homestead, property taxes accrued is property taxes accrued levied on such homestead, reduced by the tax credit under s. 79.10 . A marital property agreement or unilateral statement under ch. 766 has no effect in computing property taxes accrued for a person whose homestead is not the same as the homestead of that person's spouse. For purposes of this subsection, property taxes are “levied" when the tax roll is delivered to the local treasurer for collection. If a homestead is sold or purchased during the calendar year of the levy, the property taxes accrued for the seller and the buyer are the amount of the tax levy prorated to each in proportion to the periods of time each both owned and occupied the homestead during the year to which the claim relates. The seller may use the closing agreement pertaining to the sale of the homestead, the property tax bill for the year before the year to which the claim relates or the property tax bill for the year to which the claim relates as the basis for computing property taxes accrued, but those taxes are allowable only for the portion of the year during which the seller owned and occupied the sold homestead. If a household owns and occupies 2 or more homesteads in the same calendar year, property taxes accrued is the sum of the prorated property taxes accrued attributable to the household for each of such homesteads. If the household owns and occupies the homestead for part of the calendar year and rents a homestead for part of the calendar year, it may include both the proration of taxes on the homestead owned and rent constituting property taxes accrued with respect to the months the homestead is rented in computing the amount of the claim under s. 71.54 (1) . If a homestead is an integral part of a multipurpose or multidwelling building, property taxes accrued are the percentage of the property taxes accrued on that part of the multipurpose or multidwelling building occupied by the household as a principal residence plus that same percentage of the property taxes accrued on the land surrounding it, not exceeding one acre, that is reasonably necessary for use of the multipurpose or multidwelling building as a principal residence, except as the limitations of s. 71.54 (2) (b) apply. If the homestead is part of a farm, property taxes accrued are the property taxes accrued on up to 120 acres of the land contiguous to the claimant's principal residence and include the property taxes accrued on all improvements to real property located on such land, except as the limitations of s. 71.54 (2) (b) apply.

(8)  “Rent constituting property taxes accrued", except as provided in ss. 71.54 (2) and 71.55 (8) , means 25 percent, or 20 percent if heat is included, of the gross rent actually paid in cash or its equivalent by a claimant and his or her household solely for the right of occupancy of their Wisconsin homestead during the calendar year to which the claim relates if that rent constitutes the basis, in the succeeding calendar year, of a claim for relief under this subchapter by such claimant. A marital property agreement or unilateral statement under ch. 766 has no effect in computing rent constituting property taxes accrued for a person whose homestead is not the same as the homestead of that person's spouse.

1987 a. 312 , 411 ; 1989 a. 31 , 100 ; 1991 a. 39 , 195 ; 1995 a. 27 , 201 ; 1997 a. 27 , 39 ; 1999 a. 150 s. 672 ; 2007 a. 11 ; 2009 a. 28 ; 2013 a. 145 . Cross-reference: See also ch. Tax 14 , Wis. adm. code.