If i pay rent but my landlord takes cash and wont sign a legal lease agreement how should i file my taxes?

[ichigo-tj92]

We have a basic hand written paper that say my name will pay $XXX a month for rent and that’s basically our rent agreement. We don’t really have any legal documentation stating he is receiving the money from me. I just have transactions of my withdrawals of rent money when it is due to be given to him. Will this make things different when i file? I know it asks for a renters paper while filing but I don’t have one and he wont provide me with one to use.

[xmasbaby0]

You do not mention what state you are in.   It sounds like your landlord is trying to avoid paying tax on the rental income he receives from you by only wanting to be paid in cash and by not having a signed lease agreement with you.   

We do not know if you are even in a state that provides any sort of renter credit or what your state requires if you are.

There is not a rent deduction or credit on your Federal return.  If your state has anything for renters you will be prompted to enter your rent info when you complete your state return.  As far as I know, the states that have anything for rent are Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington DC, and Wisconsin.

We cannot provide legal advice  here---but hang on to that "handwritten paper" you have in case you ever need it to seek legal help with the landlord.

[ichigo-tj92]

My apologies, I’m located in Wisconsin. When I filed my state it went through some renters stuff but I wasn’t exactly sure if I put the information i knew in correctly. I have the paper in a folder locked in my safe so it doesn’t get lost. I appreciate your time, thank you very much!