Political Contribution Refund Program

Since the 1992 election cycle, the Minnesota Political Contribution Refund Program has allowed residents of Minnesota to donate $50 a year or $100 per couple to a political party or candidate for state office and receive the money back from the Minnesota Department of Revenue!

Here’s how the program works:

1. Make a contribution to a qualifying party or candidate.

Who qualifies?

• Political parties such as the Minnesota DFL, and eligible party units, such as the College Democrats of Minnesota, Minnesota Young DFL, DFL House Caucus, DFL Senate Caucus, Dollars for Democrats, Congressional District DFL organizations and Senate District/County-Unit DFL organizations. 
• State-level candidates who agree to abide by state spending limits, such as candidates for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, the State Senate and the State House of Representatives.

Who doesn’t qualify?

• National organizations, such as the Democratic National Committee and the Minnesota Victory Fund.
• Federal candidates, such as presidential candidates or candidates for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
• Local candidates, such as candidates for mayor, city council, sheriff, county attorney county commissioner or school board.
• Candidates for state-level office who do not agree to abide by state spending limits.
2. Look for your receipt in the mail.

The political party, party unit, or candidate to whom you contributed will send you a receipt for your donation, along with the Political Contribution Refund Application form from the Minnesota Department of Revenue and instructions on how to complete the form.

If you make a contribution to the Minnesota DFL and do not receive your receipt within six weeks, please call 651-251-6300 to inquire about its status.

3. Fill out the one-page form and send it in with your receipt to the address listed:

Minnesota Revenue
Political Contribution Refund
St. Paul, MN 55146-1800

The deadline for sending in the form is April 15 of the year following your contribution. 

You may only send in one form per year, so if you make several contributions during the course of a calendar year that total $50, save the receipts and file them together using a single form.

4. Look for your check from the Minnesota Department of Revenue in 6-8 weeks!

If you have any questions about the PCR program, or would like to verify the information here, please call the Minnesota Department of Revenue at 651-296-3781 or 800-652-9094. TDD users call 651-297-2196. You can also check the website for the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board at: http://www.cfboard.state.mn.us/publicsubsidy/conrefund.htm