Don’t leave money on the table. Get an $800 TABOR refund, even if you don’t have enough taxable income to file a state tax return!

People who lack enough taxable income to file a state tax return may still be able to get an $800 TABOR refund this year, but if you want to get it, you have to tell the state Department of Revenue (DOR) where to find you. You do that by filing a state tax return.

Most poor or retired people don’t file tax returns because they don’t have enough taxable income (like wages or tips), but many people who could really use that $800 may not get it because they didn’t file.

Don’t leave money on the table!

The Colorado Department of Revenue says,

Full-year residents who were 18 or older as of Jan. 1, 2023 may file a Colorado Individual Income Tax return to claim the TABOR refund.  If they are not claiming a refund of wage withholding, and do not have a Colorado tax liability to report, they must file the return by April 15, 2024 to claim the TABOR refund. We often encourage those who are not legally required to file a return to file one anyway to ensure they are refunded any wage withholding and receive any refundable credits to which they are entitled. Those who are filing solely to claim the TABOR refund may want to use form DR 0104EZ, which is a short-form version of the Colorado Individual Income Tax Return.

The deadline to fill out the DR 0104EZ form and file it is coming up quickly. The form is here, in a fillable PDF format. Skip right to Page 6 and start filling in the blanks. If you check the box near the top of Page 7, the DOR will also check to see if you qualify for free or reduced cost health coverage if you or someone in your household doesn’t have any health coverage.

But wait! There’s even more financial help available from the state

The DOR also says,

Coloradans who do not plan to file a state income tax return can still receive the refund if they apply for a Property Tax, Rent, Heat (PTC) Rebate by April 15. The PTC Rebate is available to Colorado residents to help with their property tax, rent, and/or heat expenses. The rebate is based on income, and includes people with disabilities and older adults.

The PTC Rebate is a state tax reimbursement that helps defray the cost of housing for Colorado seniors and people with disabilities. The amount of the rebate can be up to $1,044 a year. You may qualify for the PTC Rebate if you are a full-year Colorado resident 65 years of age or older, a surviving spouse 58 years of age or older, or if you are disabled, regardless of your age. The amount of the rebate is based on your income and expenses.

You may qualify for the 2023 PTC rebate if you:

• • • Paid property tax, rent and/or heat expenses in 2023;
    • Lived in Colorado for the entire year during 2023;
    • Are single with a total income of less than $18,026 ORAre married with a total combined income of less than $24,345;

  AND you are

• Are at least 65 years old; OR
• Are a surviving spouse at least 58 years old; OR
• Are disabled for all of 2023, regardless of age and have received benefits for the full year.

To be eligible for the Colorado TABOR refund, you have to be at least 18 years of age on or before January 1, 2023, be a Colorado resident for the entire 2023 income tax year, and either file a Colorado state income tax return for the 2023 income tax year, or apply for the above-mentioned PTC Rebate. 

You don’t need a Social Security or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) number to apply for the PTC Rebate, but you will need to get an Alternate Identification Number.

PTC Rebate applications are now available in Spanish.

Help to navigate the PTC Rebate application is here.