The significant jump in new applicants follows Governor Shapiro’s work to expand the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The deadline to apply is December 31, 2024 – all eligible Pennsylvanians are encouraged to apply at www.pa.gov/ptrr.

Harrisburg, PA — Following his work to expand the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program(opens in a new tab) for the first time in nearly 20 years, Governor Josh Shapiro on Aug 7th, announced that more than 100,000 first-time filers of the program have already submitted their rebate applications this year. That means that a sizable group of older Pennsylvanians and residents with disabilities will be receiving critical relief from the PTRR program for the very first time thanks to the bipartisan expansion passed last year. 

In total, as of Aug 7th, the Department of Revenue has received more than 515,000 rebate applications applying for relief on property taxes and rent paid in the prior year. That represents a 22 percent increase in applications from the same time period last year — and nearly 94 percent of rebates received to date have already been approved for payment.

“After hearing from seniors across the Commonwealth that they were struggling with rising costs, we took action in my first year in office to expand the Property Tax Rent Rebate program to ensure that it continues to serve as a lifeline for older Pennsylvanians. We are now seeing the impact of that important work — more than 100,000 Pennsylvanians who missed out on this benefit in the past have submitted their rebate applications this year,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “At the same time, there are many more Pennsylvanians who are eligible for a rebate but have not yet submitted an application. I want everyone to know that they can go to pa.gov/PTRR today to check their eligibility and learn how to apply for a rebate. You still have plenty of time before the December 31 deadline.” 

“Our agency has administered the PTRR program for more than 50 years, so we know firsthand how important these rebates are to older Pennsylvanians and residents with disabilities. We are thrilled to see that Governor Shapiro’s work to expand the program is making a significant difference and opening the door to so many new applicants,” said Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne. “Our employees have been working extremely hard throughout the first seven months of the year to ensure that we’re providing as much customer support as we can to the people who benefit from this program. We are going to keep that up through the remainder of the year so that we can help as many eligible Pennsylvanians as possible.” 

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: 

Submitting your application online through?myPATH(opens in a new tab) — in English or Spanish — 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. 

It's free to apply for a rebate and assistance is available at hundreds of locations across the state: Department of Revenue district offices(opens in a new tab), local Area Agencies on Aging(opens in a new tab), and state legislators' offices. 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.

The easiest way to check the status of your rebate is to use the Where's My Rebate? tool(opens in a new tab) on myPATH. To check on the status of your claim, you will need your Social Security number, claim year, and date of birth. 

About the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program

Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law a historic expansion of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program(opens in a new tab), which means more Pennsylvanians now qualify — and at the same time — the vast majority who qualified in prior years will see their rebates increase. This was the first time the program has been expanded since 2006. 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.

To raise awareness of the expanded program and help eligible Pennsylvanians complete their rebate applications, the Department of Revenue held nearly 300 events at senior/community centers to provide in-person filing assistance. This is in addition to the support that is available at Revenue district offices(opens in a new tab) and other locations.  

Since its inception in 1971, the PTRR program has delivered more than $8 billion in property tax and rent relief to some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents. The PTRR program is supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery and receives funding from gaming.