CHRIS RICKERT

If you're writing out a check this week for the first installment of your local property taxes, due Sunday, beware that you might be paying more than you owe.>

Based on a review of Dane County property records, treasurer David Worzala in November said there were about 14,000 homeowners who were likely eligible for the state's lottery tax credit, but not getting it because they never applied.

State officials do not track a similar, statewide number, according to fiscal analyst Al Runde, who administers the credit for the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. But if the trend in Dane County holds true in Wisconsin's 71 other counties, tens of thousands of homeowners could be forgoing millions in property tax relief.

The credit returns a portion of lottery revenues to homeowners. The only requirement for getting it is that your home be your "primary residence" on Jan. 1 of the tax year.

It's not a lot of money, and the amount changes from year to year based on lottery revenues and what school district you live in. But recently it's been about $75 to $100 per property owner, enough for a dinner at a swank restaurant. For 2008 taxes, the state set aside $117.8 million for the credit, Runde said, out of gross lottery revenues of about $474 million.