close

Tax rebate deadline nears

2 min read

Dec. 31 is the deadline for senior citizens and people with disabilities to apply for rebates of as much as $975 from the state’s property tax and rent rebate program.

A spokesman for the Department of Revenue said there is free application assistance available.

More than a half-million Pennsylvanians already have received rebates this year, said Dan Meuser, revenue secretary.

In response to continued inquiries and complaints regarding fee-based application filing services offered privately, the department reminds residents that free filing help is available at hundreds of locations across the state.

Application forms and assistance are available at no cost from Department of Revenue district offices, local Area Agencies on Aging, senior citizen centers and state legislators’ offices.

Assistance is also available by calling 1-888-222-9190 between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Requests for applications by telephone or mail can no longer be considered because of the approaching deadline, but Property Tax/Rent Rebate claim forms (PA-1000) and information are also available online at www.revenue.state.pa.us.

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

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

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

The state is providing $782.5 million in property tax relief this year, including expanded rebates from the state’s property tax and rent rebate program and general property tax relief for all homeowners distributed through school districts last summer.

In 2011, more than 604,000 seniors received $284.1 million in rebates. So far this year, more than 617,000 rebate applications have been received, and as of Dec. 13, rebates totaling $278.7 million have been sent to more than 588,000 homeowners and renters.

The property tax and rent rebate program is one of five programs supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery. The expanded portion of the rebate program is being paid for with revenue from slots gaming.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today