Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program Deadline Extended to Dec. 31
The deadline for Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program has been extended to Dec. 31, giving eligible Pennsylvanians additional time to apply for rebates on property taxes or rent paid in 2025.
The extension ensures eligible Pennsylvanians — including older adults, widows and widowers, and individuals with disabilities — have more time to apply for a rebate at a time when rising costs are impacting people across the Commonwealth.
Eligible Pennsylvanians can receive a rebate of up to $1,000.
The rebate amount was increased as part of an expansion of the program that took place under Gov. Josh Shapiro’s leadership.
It’s free to apply for a rebate and assistance is available at hundreds of locations across the state: Department of Revenue district offices, local Area Agencies on Aging, and state legislators’ offices. Applicants must reapply for a rebate every year as they are based on annual income and property taxes or rent paid during the prior year.
More information about the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, including how to apply, is available on the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue website.
PA CareKit Reaches Thousands of Pennsylvanians with Support and Resources for Unpaid Caregivers
Since the Department launched the PA CareKit in May 2025, more than 315,000 people have taken advantage of the tailored services on the Department’s website. Following the launch, nearly 10,000 Pennsylvanians have visited the PA CareKit Caregiver Quiz, a tool that helps them understand their needs and receive tailored support and resources based on their caregiving situation.
The PA CareKit – an innovative resource to support the Commonwealth’s nearly 2.4 million unpaid caregivers – provides training, connection to respite services, and personalized tools to help caregivers like spouses, adult children, and grandparents raising grandchildren address their unique situations.
Department Launches Statewide Tour Highlighting Modernized Tool Keeping Older Adults Safe and Boosting Oversight, Accountability of Local Aging Agencies
The Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation (CAPE) allows the Department to do away with a simple pass/fail scoring system, and comprehensively ask “what does this local agency specifically need to improve?”
One day after Governor Josh Shapiro signed the 2026-27 budget into law, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) kicked off a statewide tour highlighting how the Department’s new approach to evaluating the performance of older adult protective services is delivering better results in keeping older adults safe, leaving behind a prior ineffective pass/fail system that did not provide adequate oversight of local aging agencies.
That tool, the Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation (CAPE), is also providing historic levels of transparency and accountability of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) network that provides an array of services to support older adults, including protective services. In the 26-27 budget, Governor Shapiro secured a $1 million increase for CAPE so the Department can continue to improve AAA oversight and accountability.
Through CAPE, monitoring results are now routinely posted to the Department’s website for the first time ever, with clearly defined, simple key categories for each AAA. For the first time in the Department’s history, the public can see exactly how well their local AAA is doing in programs including Protective Services, OPTIONs (help at home) services and Caregiver Support Program services.
Be Wary of Phone Scams about Loans and Taxes
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning people to be alert for phone scams involving callers who pretend to be banks or loan processing centers, and another one where callers claim recipients owe money in back taxes or are carrying an unpaid balance. The calls often come from people posing as representatives from legitimate banks or government agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They often claim additional personal information is required to finalize a loan application, verify an account or determine program eligibility.
BBB reports consumers have received multiple calls on a single day from various phone numbers with nearly identical messages. To appear legitimate and convincing, the scammers often provide an agent ID number, application number or callback phone number.
The scammers often try to impose a sense of urgency, hoping people will feel pressured to respond without questioning or verifying the source of the call.
The callers are trying to obtain personal information – including Social Security numbers, banking details other account data – they can use to commit identity theft or make fraudulent transactions.
BBB offers several tips to avoid becoming the victim of a phone scam:
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Verify before you respond: Individuals who receive unexpected calls about loans should hang up and reach out to their personal financial institution using trustworthy contact information, such as a phone number from the official company website, to determine if the offer is legitimate. Government agencies rarely call individuals, so someone who receives a call purporting to be from the IRS is advised to hang up and call the IRS directly to determine the legitimacy of the call.
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Be wary of urgency: Scammers often attempt to create a false sense of urgency. Real banks and government agencies will not demand immediate action or payment in non-traceable methods, and they’re unlikely to threaten call recipients with consequences.
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Don’t overshare: Individuals should never share their personal and sensitive information – including Social Security Number, bank account details or other financial data – unless they were the ones who initiated the call.
More information about preventing and reporting identity theft is available on the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General website.
HB 2109: Dubbed as the “Golden Girls” Act, it prevents municipalities from arbitrarily limiting the number of unrelated members of a household with the intent of increasing shared living.
HB 2186: Provides a right to site an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in single-family zoned areas with safety restrictions.
HB 1522: Mandates the installation and maintenance of fuel gas detectors in residential and commercial buildings.
HB 1528: Establishes the Grand-Family Assistance Program to be administered by PDA/AAAs and funded through the Opioid Settlement Restricted Account.
HB 1894: Ensures IEB provides individuals with a LIFE program option and requires the individual to attest to receiving and understanding that option for long-term care.
HB 79: Establishes a hospital assistance program to provide medical debt relief.
HB 1611: House version of updating OAPSA (includes fatality review teams).
SB 1100: Authorizing the development of AAA fatality review teams.
HB 2106: Expands the list of persons to be notified when a guardianship request is initiated.
SB 1376: “Coleman Bill,” establishes proper safeguards for PDA and AAAs in OAPSA.
SB 738: Senate version of updating OAPSA.
SB 756: Senate leadership version of skill game licensing with 35% tax deposited to a Skill Games Fund for legislative distribution
SESSION SCHEDULE
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House
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October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21
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November 9, 10
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Senate
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October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21
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November 17, 18
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