The application forms for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program of the Department of Revenue are now available for qualified residents, to commence claiming rebates for property taxes or rent paid in 2015.
According to the press release of Pennsylvania's Department of Revenue in PR NewsWire, Pennsylvania residents who filed a paper rebate form last year should have received an application for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program by now, while renters who prepared or filed claims last year using computer software rather than the PA-1000 booklet were reminded by mail to apply for 2015 rebates and to provide copies of the PA-1000 Rent Certificate.
Applications for a rebate and filing help are available for free in the Department of Revenue district offices, local Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers, and state legislators' offices.
Pennsylvanians age 65 and older, widows and widowers age 50 and older, and people with disabilities age 18 and older, are all eligible for the benefit of the rebate program. The income limit of homeowners to be eligible for the rebate program is $35,000 a year, while the income limit for renters is $15,000 annually, and half of the Social Security income is excluded.
The maximum standard rebate is $650, but supplemental rebates for some homeowners who meet the criteria can increase the rebates to $975. Supplemental rebates for homeowners who meet the requirements were automatically calculated by the Revenue Department.
Since being founded in 1971, $5.9 billion were spent in property tax and rent relief for the older and disabled adults. In 2014, $269 million in property tax and rent rebates were sent to more than 564,000 homeowners and renters across the state. The Pennsylvania Lottery and revenue from slots gaming, are being used to fund the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program.
The deadline for the application for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program is June 30, 2016, and the distribution of the rebates will begin in July 1, 2016.
Applications are also available online at www.revenue.pa.gov, or by calling1-888-222-9190 for free.
