Pennsylvania is extending its deadline for its property tax and rent rebate program until the end of the year.
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue said Monday that it has extended the deadline for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program from June 30 until Dec. 31, 2023.
According to the department, the program is available for older Pennsylvanians aged 65 and older, widows and widowers age 50 and older, and people with disabilities age 18 and older.
The current income limit is $35,000 per year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters. Half of social security income is excluded.
Rebates will be distributed beginning July 1, as required by law. The current maximum standard rebate is $650, but supplemental rebates for certain qualifying homeowners can boost the total to $975.
Acting Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne said in a statement that more than 50,000 rebate applicants have already filed their applications online this year, and he encouraged claimants to file their rebate applications online at mypath.pa.gov.
The extension comes as Gov. Josh Shapiro is calling for an expansion of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program in his budget proposal, which would include an increase to the income limits and the maximum standard rebate.
A bill sponsored by Northampton County State Rep. Steve Samuelson matches Shapiro’s proposals.
It would raise the income limits to $45,000 for both renters and homeowners and tie them to the cost of living. The bill would also increase the maximum standard revenue to $1,000.
Shapiro and Samuelson said the expanded program would cover nearly 175,000 additional Pennsylvanians. The Department of Revenue also estimates that 86% of the 430,000 claimants who already qualify would see their rebates increase.
The legislation, HB 1100, was recently passed by the state House and has moved to the state Senate for consideration.
Samuelson has previously said the bill would mark the first expansion of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program in over 16 years.
(Original air-date: 6/14/23)
