Eligible Older Pennsylvanians, People with Disabilities Urged to Apply by Dec. 31 for Property Tax, Rent Rebates

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 20, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eligible older adults and residents with disabilities have until Dec. 31 to apply for rebates of up to $975 from Pennsylvania's Property Tax/Rent Rebate program, but tens of thousands of those eligible may not be aware of the program.

"We need to spread the word that about 88,000 Pennsylvanians who qualify for Property Tax/Rent Rebates have not yet applied," said Secretary of Revenue C. Daniel Hassell. "Time remains for residents to review the program's requirements to see if they could benefit, just like the more than 592,000 people who already received rebates this year."

Applications are available online at www.papropertytaxrelief.com; forms and free assistance are available at Revenue district offices, legislators' offices, area agencies on aging, and senior centers. Assistance is also available by calling, toll-free, 1-888-222-9190, Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. State offices will close at 3 p.m. on Dec. 23 and reopen at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 27.

To speed processing, claimants are reminded to provide all required income, property tax or rent information. Applications must be postmarked by Thursday, Dec. 31.  

The rebate program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The income limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters, and half of Social Security income is excluded.

The maximum standard rebate is $650, but supplemental rebates for qualifying homeowners can boost rebates to $975.

Pennsylvania is providing $772.5 million in property tax relief this year, including expanded rebates from the state's Property Tax/Rent Rebate program and general property tax relief for all homeowners distributed through school districts last summer. As a result, school property tax bills were completely eliminated for about 120,000 residents this year.

Last year, 592,000 seniors received $277 million in rebates. So far this year, more than 619,000 people have applied for rebates, and as of Dec. 10, rebates totaling $275.9 million have been sent to more than 592,000 homeowners and renters.

The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program is one of five programs supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery. Since the program's 1971 inception, older adults and adults with disabilities have received $4.5 billion worth of property tax and rent rebates. The expanded portion of the rebate program is being paid for with revenue from slots gaming.

Media contact:  Elizabeth Brassell, 717-787-6960

Editor's Note: Following is a county-by-county list of the estimated number of people who have had school property taxes eliminated and the number of people who are eligible for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program, but have not yet applied.

Property Tax/Rent Rebate Statistics by County

(as of Nov. 29)

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Revenue