The Integrity fee is a monthly fee that certain participants of the Montana Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership (HELP) program must pay in addition to their premiums. If you are enrolled in the program, you are required to pay this fee if your equity in real property and/or improvements, or your equity in vehicles, or the taxable value of agricultural land you own, is above a certain limit.
Complete the Asset Test
This asset test questionnaire is available at Integrityfee.mt.gov. If you would like a paper questionnaire, please call (406) 444-6900.
If at least one of the three asset tests below show a result of more than zero, you are required to pay the integrity fee.
The three tests are:
- Test 1: Your equity in the real property and improvements you own is more than $255,000:
- Test 2: You own more than one light vehicle, with a combined MSRP greater than $20,000, and your total equity in these vehicles is greater than $25,000;
- Test 3: The taxable value of agricultural land you own is more than $1,500.
Calculation of the Fee
You do not need to calculate the Integrity Fee. Instead, the Department of Revenue will calculate the fee based upon the values reported in all three tests.
The integrity fee is $100 a month, plus:
- $4 for every $1,000 above the thresholds in Test 1 and 2, plus
- $4 for every $100 above the threshold in Test 3.
Changes to Assets/End of Coverage
If there are changes to your assets after you complete the tests, such as the sell of a home or car, please update your information at Integrityfee.mt.gov.
If you are no longer a member of the HELP program, notify the Montana Department of Revenue by updating your information at Integrityfee.mt.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
This was passed in the 2015 Montana Legislative session. Changes to the language and requirement were passed by the 2019 Legislature.
It will not affect your coverage.
Once the asset test has been submitted, and evaluation completed, a bill will be mailed within 30 days. We will begin this process in September 2020.
All payments concerning the Integrity Fee should be directed to the Department of Revenue.
You can visit your county’s web page, search for either Treasurer or Property Taxes, and follow prompts or instructions on locating your personal property tax information.
You can also use Montana Cadastral.
You should submit your asset test for the assets you owned as of July 1, 2020.
If you sell your home of any vehicles, you can submit an amended asset test.
No.
The definition of light vehicle does not include Motorcycles, RVs, or ATVs.
A light vehicle is a motor vehicle commonly referred to as an automobile, van, sport utility vehicle, or truck having a manufacturer’s rated capacity of 1 ton or less. (61-1-101 (31), MCA)
You may choose to use the following websites or similar websites to find that information:
Include just the personal use vehicle. We are reviewing personal assets, not business assets. If the business vehicles are driven for personal use, we will need to know the percentage of the personal use to calculate the fee.
All funds collected will be deposited into the Montana HELP Act Special Revenue Account to help cover the costs of the Montana HELP Program.
We strongly encourage participants to complete the worksheet using their current information.
If the first worksheet is not completed within 30 days, a second request will be mailed.
If we receive no response to the second request, we will use the information available to complete the form on behalf of the participant. Our information may not be current.
We will not manually assess the fee until September, although the fee is effective as of July 1, 2020. It is in your best interest to complete the asset test. They may not owe as much as the department assesses, or anything at all, depending on your responses.
We can set up payment plans and work with the individuals. No, you will not lose coverage. No, there is not penalties and interest.
Please notify us about the deceased individual. We will update our records.
Per House Bill 658 passed by the 2019 Montana Legislature, the Department of Revenue shall assess and collect the Integrity Fee.
For joint ownership where two names are recorded on a title, the participant can report 50% of the property value and 50% of mortgage debt. The participant can report 50% of MSRP on vehicles and 50% of amount owed, not including interest. The participant can report 50% of the taxable value of the agricultural land. Remember this only pertains to land, not to buildings on the agricultural land.
