Philipsburg, PA — Today, Governor Josh Shapiro and Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich visited the Philipsburg Senior Resource Center in Centre County to announce that rebates on property taxes and rent paid in 2023 as part of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program will start to be distributed on Monday, July 1, 2024, as required by law.
While campaigning and in his first budget address, Governor Shapiro made a commitment to Pennsylvania seniors to ease the burden of rising costs – and the Governor delivered on that promise in August, signing into law a historic expansion of the PTRR program.
This initial distribution will include approximately 442,000 rebates totaling $266 million — critical relief that is going to older homeowners, renters, and people with disabilities across Pennsylvania. This is a significant increase from last year, when 283,468 homeowners and renters were issued rebates totaling nearly $132 million as part of the initial July 1, 2023, distribution.
“This year as of July 1, over 442,000 Pennsylvanians will receive $266 million – including over 3,300 people here in Centre County – to help make their ends meet and ease the burden of rising costs,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “The Property Tax Rent Rebate program is a lifeline for many Pennsylvanians – and we worked together in a bipartisan manner to deliver for our seniors and people with disabilities and put money back in their pockets. But our work isn’t done – we want the 125,000 more Pennsylvanians who are eligible but haven’t yet applied to get this money, so we’re encouraging them to go to pa.gov/PTRR to apply now .”
Pennsylvanians who submitted their bank account information on their application forms will receive their rebates through direct deposit. Pennsylvanians who requested a paper check to be mailed to them should expect to receive their payment in the mail.
After the initial distribution of rebates on July 1, rebates will be distributed as claims are received and processed. Governor Shapiro also recently announced that the deadline for older adults and Pennsylvanians with disabilities to apply for rebates on rent and property taxes paid in 2023 has been extended to December 31, 2024.
The Department of Revenue (DOR) has already processed and approved 93% of PTRR applications for payment. The remaining claims yet to be approved either have errors or may require more information – if you receive outreach from DOR, Pennsylvanians are encouraged to respond as soon as possible in order to get their application approved so they can receive their rebate in a timely manner.
Governor Shapiro and Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich heard directly from older Pennsylvanians about the challenges they face and how the PTRR program will support them. In coordination with Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne, Secretary Kavulich has helped to engage with older Pennsylvanians who will benefit from the expansion of the PTRR program and help eligible seniors understand how to apply.
“Thanks to Governor Shapiro, a long overdue focus on the needs of older Pennsylvanians is happening. From the historic expansion of the Property Tax Rent Rebate to the signing of Aging Our Way, PA – a 10-year, strategic plan for older Pennsylvanians – this Administration is keeping its word to work hard to get things done that make a difference,” said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. “As we engaged communities across Pennsylvania in the creation of Aging Our Way, PA, we heard overwhelmingly that housing was the single biggest concern older adults had. Whether it be their taxes or their roofs, this is what they told us we needed to focus on – and the PTRR expansion is a big step for our older adults and disabled neighbors.”
Governor Shapiro and Secretary Kavulich were joined by Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins, Centre County Office of Aging volunteer Brian Meader, and first-time PTRR recipient Darlene Harper.
“This is the first time I was qualified to receive the rent rebate because they raised the earning limit this year. This will relieve some of the pressure of my financial burden and then for the quality of my life,” said first-time PTRR recipient Darlene Harper. “I will use that money for groceries and medicine and to relieve the stress of any emergency that may come up. Also, I will use some of the money on my two grandchildren for Christmas. The Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is how senior citizens supplement their income. This allows them to pay their expenses without worrying where they will get the money. I want to thank Governor Shapiro here and his Administration for raising the income level. It will give us peace of mind, which is precious to us.”
“We'd like to thank Governor Shapiro and his team for joining us in Centre County to make this announcement. You're warmly welcomed to the Philipsburg Senior Center – one of six senior centers that the Centre County government operates. This complex houses many people who are eligible for the Pennsylvania Property Tax/Rent Rebate program, making it an easy choice of location for the event,” said Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins. “For years, the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program has offered assistance and relief to seniors in Centre County and throughout all of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And recently, thanks to the Governor's efforts, more people are eligible for the program. It's a breath of fresh air to bring additional well-deserved attention to our senior population, which is one of the goals of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program.”
“The Office of Aging of Centre County has about 30 volunteers that do taxes six days a week in five different locations in Centre County – and last year, we did over 1,900 tax returns for individuals, including the Property Tax/Rent Rebate people we worked with last year,” said Centre County Office of Aging volunteer Brian Meader. “It's especially rewarding to me and all of our volunteers that this PTRR program has lifted the income requirements for property owners after so many years. There was a big gap of people that were left out of the program – and we really feel good about the expansion that has changed under the Governor and this legislature.”
“Since the inception of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, I cannot recall a Governor more dedicated to enhancing this program so that it may benefit more citizens of our state,” said Representative Scott Conklin.
PTRR Eligibility/How to File
The PTRR program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The table below shows how much homeowners and renters who fit this criteria are eligible for, depending on their income:
INCOME | MAX STANDARD REBATE |
$0 - $8000 | $1,000 |
$8,001 - $15,000 | $770 |
$15,001 - $18,000 | $460 |
$18,001 - $45,000 | $380 |
Submitting your application through myPATH is easy and does not require you to sign up for an account. Filing online gives you instant confirmation that your claim has been successfully filed. Applicants also will have access to automatic calculators and other helpful features that are not available through the paper application. DOR also launched an online Spanish application on myPATH for Spanish-speaking applicants in January.
It's free to apply for a rebate and assistance is available at hundreds of locations across the state: DOR district offices, local Area Agencies on Aging, and state legislators' offices. DOR worked with the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA) to create a new lookup tool on its website to help applicants find in-person assistance in their communities.
The easiest way to check the status of your rebate is to use the Where's My Rebate? tool. To check on the status of your claim, you will need your Social Security number, claim year, and date of birth. You must reapply for a rebate every year as they are based on annual income and property taxes or rent paid during the prior year.
For more information and to access PTRR forms/instructions, visit pa.gov/ptrr or call 1-888-222-9190 for assistance and click here to view the new lookup tool to find in-person assistance.
Cutting Costs for Pennsylvanians
Thanks to the expansion of the PTRR program signed into law by Governor Shapiro, more Pennsylvanians now qualify and the vast majority who qualified in prior years will see their rebates increase. The expansion:
- Increases the maximum standard rebate to $1,000.
- Increases the income cap for both homeowners and renters to $45,000.
- Increases the income cap to grow with inflation each year moving forward.
In addition to expanding the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program in his first year, Governor Shapiro secured a major expansion of the Pennsylvania Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit, helping to make childcare more affordable for over 200,000 Pennsylvania families and increasing the maximum state credit from $315 to $1,050 for Pennsylvania families with one child and $630 to $2,100 for Pennsylvania families with two or more children. The state tax credit received bipartisan support from the House and the Senate as part of the fiscal code bill that built on the commonsense, bipartisan 2023-24 budget.
For more information on how Governor Shapiro’s budget will cut costs for Pennsylvanians, click here.
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