Senior Citizens Information

PA’s Expanded Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program

Pennsylvania’s Property Tax and Rent Rebate (PTRR) Program underwent a $200-million expansion in 2006 — the largest expansion in the program’s history. The income eligibility guidelines for the PTRR Program were more than doubled for Pennsylvania homeowners 65 and older, widows and widowers 50 and older, and disabled adults. The new guidelines have allowed hundreds of thousands of additional Pennsylvania households to qualify for the program. The maximum regular property tax or rent rebate under the program was boosted from $500 to $650, but supplemental rebates for qualifying homeowners can boost rebates to $975. The deadline to file for rebates on taxes paid in 2011 is June 30, 2012.

  • DOWNLOAD PTRR FORMS
  • The latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader© is recommended to view or print the forms, instructions, and publications in PDF format. Adobe Acrobat Reader© is available free of charge for DOS, Windows, Macintosh, and Sun SPARC workstations at Adobe’s website at http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/readstep.html.
  • CHECK THE STATUS OF A PTRR CLAIM

Program Expansion Details
The income eligibility limit for qualifying homeowners was increased from $15,000 to $35,000* and the maximum rebate was increased from $500 to $650.

Homeowners
Rebate		 Renters
Rebate
$0 – $8,000 $650 $650
$8,001- $15,000 $500 $500
$15,001 – $18,000 $300  —-
$18,001 – $35,000 $250  —-

*IMPORTANT NOTE: 1/2 of Social Security, Supplemental Security and/or Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits are excluded from the income eligibility calculation.

Supplemental Assistance
A rebate supplement of up to an additional $325 (or 50% of the base rebate) is now available to eligible PTRR homeowner claimants whose household incomes are under $30,000* and who spend more than 15 percent of their income on property taxes. As long as you’ve applied for the base rebate, the Department of Revenue calculates whether you qualify for the supplement and, if you do, automatically sends it to you.

Before filing a rebate claim, please read the instructions carefully and include all required forms and documentation as they may pertain to you.

Before you mail your completed claim form, please follow the checklist below:

  • Claim form is signed;
  • Proof documents to verify income are enclosed;
  • Social Security Number is printed on all proof documents;
  • If a property owner, tax receipts are enclosed;
  • If a renter, Rent Certificate is enclosed;
  • If filing for the first time, proof of age and, if applicable, proof of permanent disability are enclosed.

MAIL (with proper postage) to:
PA Department of Revenue
Property Tax or Rent Rebate Program
P.O. Box 280503
Harrisburg, PA 17128-0503

PACE PLUS MEDICARE

Pennsylvania enacted legislation (SB 1188, Act 111/2006) – co-sponsored by Senator O’Pake — meshing the state’s landmark PACE/PACENET prescription assistance program with the federal government’s Medicare Part D.

For those who qualify, the state PACE/PACENET wrap-around does the following:

  • 1/ cover gaps in Medicare prescription plan (Part D) co-pays;
  • 2/ includes coverage for drugs not covered by Medicare prescription plan (Part D);
  • 3/ pays all or part of Medicare prescription plan (Part D) monthly premiums; and
  • 4/ eliminates the previous $40 per month PACENET deductible with consumers instead paying the Part D premium which is lower.

The income eligibility limit for PACE is $14,500 for a single person and $17,700 for a married couple. The PACENET income limit is $23,500 for an individual and $31,500 for a married couple.

For more information — and/or help on current state and federal prescription drug coverage — you may wish to contact one or more of the following:

PACE/PACENET — 1-800-225-7223
MEDICARE – 1-800-MEDICARE (633-4227)
PA’s APPRISE counseling service – 1-800-783-7067
Medical Assistance Call Center – 1-866-542-3015

For more about PACE/PACENET, click here or on card below.

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