Older and disabled Pennsylvanians now eligible for $1,000 property tax and rent rebate

Older and disabled Pennsylvanians are set to receive more money from the commonwealth through a property tax and rent rebate program. The program’s expansion means 175,000 residents are now eligible for the rebate.

Hundreds of thousands of older Pennsylvanians and residents living with disabilities from across the commonwealth are eligible to apply for a rebate up to $1,000 through the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program. 

House Bill 1100, which was passed by Pennsylvania the House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro, increased the rebates for eligible recipients from $650 to $1,000 and increased the income limits to $45,000 for renters and homeowners. 

Renters who meet the state’s criteria for this program are set to benefit the most from the income limit increase. They were originally capped at $15,000, while the income eligibility for homeowners was capped at $35,000. 

This was the first since 2006 that the program’s income limits were increased, and according to a cosponsor memo from the bill’s prime sponsor, State Rep. Steve Samuelson (D-Northampton), the income limit increase will bring more people into the program after the number of participants dropped from around 600,000 in 2007 to roughly 398,000 in 2023.

The expansion will benefit 175,000 Pennsylvanians. 

“We increased the income limits for the first time in 17 years and we are providing larger maximum rebates for those who qualify,” Samuelson said in a statement.  “More than 170,000 additional people now qualify for this vital program. The expansion of the PTRR helps homeowners and renters all across Pennsylvania.”

Those eligible for the program include Pennsylvanians over the age of 65, widows or widowers over the age of 50 or residents who have disabilities and are over the age of 18. 

The following breaks down how much homeowners and renters who fit the criteria are eligible for based on their income: 

• Residents making $0 to $8,000 are eligible for a rebate up to $1,000
• Residents making $8,001 to $15,000 are eligible for a rebate up to $770
• Residents making $15,001 to $18,000 are eligible for a rebate up to $460
• Residents making $18,001 to $45,000 are eligible for a rebate up to $380

Eligible residents are encouraged to use myPATH, the Department of Revuenue’s online filing system, to apply for rebates. The rebates will be distributed starting Jul 1, 2024 and residents have until Jun 30, 2024 to apply for the rebate.

“The Property Tax/Rent Rebate program has long been a lifeline for our seniors – especially those on a fixed income – and that’s why my Administration brought together folks on both sides of the aisle to expand this tax rebate to an additional 175,000 Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said in a statement.