The department encourages surviving spouses, personal representatives and estates of residents who lived at least one day in 2013 to explore other rebate program criteria and claim rebates on behalf of eligible decedents by the Dec. 31 program application deadline.
Claims already filed on behalf of deceased claimants will be reopened by the department, and claims will be reviewed under the new eligibility rules.
The department will automatically annualize income and prorate property taxes based upon the number of days the claimant lived during the claim year, and rent rebate claims filed on behalf of deceased claimants will now be paid based upon the amount of rent paid during the claim year.
Property Tax/Rent Rebate claim forms (PA-1000) and related information is available online at www.revenue.state.pa.us or by calling, toll-free, 1-888-222-
9190.
The department will revise the PA-1000 application for the 2014 claim year to include a schedule and instructions to facilitate processing of claims made on behalf of deceased claimants who lived part of a claim year.
About the Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program:
The Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The income limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters, and 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 Revenue Department automatically calculates supplemental rebates for qualifying homeowners.
The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program is one of five programs supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery. Since the program’s 1971 inception, older and disabled adults have received more than $5.6 billion in property tax and rent relief. The expanded portion of the rebate program is paid for with revenue from slots gaming.