‘Real relief’ coming with expanded property tax, rent rebates program, Shapiro says in Philipsburg

Gov. Josh Shapiro traveled to Philipsburg Thursday afternoon to spread the word about the new expanded Property Tax/Rent Rebate program that’s expected to help thousands of Centre County residents.

The Democratic governor was joined at the Philipsburg Towers Senior Living Center by Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins, Centre County Office of the Aging volunteer Brian Meader, Philipsburg Towers resident Darlene Harper and Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich to announce that rebates will begin to be distributed next week.

The expansion was signed into law last August and will allow senior citizens across the state to gain more financial aid than previously available, with the aid being mailed to homes as soon as July 1.

Under this program expansion, older adults over the age of 65, disabled Pennsylvanians over the age of 18 and widows/widowers over the age of 50 are eligible for the funding. Those applying for the funding must have a household income of less than $45,000 a year.

According to the PTRR program website, individuals that make up to $8,000 a year can receive up to $1,000 in funding. The maximum rebate decreases as annual income increases, with individuals making $8,001 to $15,000 yearly potentially receiving up to $770, individuals making $15,001 to $18,000 yearly potentially receiving up to $460 and individuals making $18,001 to $45,000 yearly potentially receiving up to $380.

This program expansion comes after Shapiro promised early in his campaign to bring more aid and assistance to older residents in the commonwealth.

“I made a promise when I was campaigning that we were going to deliver real relief,” Shapiro said in Philipsburg. “We went to work to try and deliver meaningful relief to our seniors, and the most impactful, direct way we can help our seniors with rising costs is to be able to expand what’s known as the Property Tax/Rent Rebate here in Pennsylvania.”

Shapiro, who was elected in 2022, said that throughout his campaign and visits in towns across the commonwealth, he heard stories from Pennsylvania’s senior citizens, telling him how much of a struggle it is to survive on a fixed income.

The expansion of the PTRR program was seen as one solution. The program was originally created in 1971, but was left untouched until as recently as 2006, meaning that as taxes and costs continued to rise, many seniors were left unable to pay for necessities.

The initial distribution on July 1 will include about 442,000 rebates, and includes 3,300 people in Centre County, according to a news release. But there are more than 9,000 county residents eligible and approved to receive the rebate, given that they apply, Higgins said.

“It’s a breath of fresh air to bring additional, well-deserved attention to our senior population, which is one of the goals of the rent rebate program,” Higgins said. “Over 9,000 Centre County citizens have been approved to receive the rebate. I want to close by reiterating for those eligible; apply for the program — and if any assistance is needed in that process, feel free to reach out to the Centre County Office of Aging.”

Shapiro also noted that despite a political split in Harrisburg, this issue was one that garnered bipartisan attention.

“Our House is led by Democrats, our Senate is led by Republicans and in these hyper-polarized times nationally, I know it’s hard to find ways to bring Democrats and Republicans together,” he said. “I always believed that it was common sense and the right thing to do to stand up for our seniors, and we were able to bring Democrats and Republicans together to get this done.”

Harper, a first-time recipient of the rebate, said that the additional funds will help her tremendously.

“This is the first time I was called to receive the rent rebate and it will relieve some of the pressure off my financial burden,” Harper said. “I will use this money to pay for groceries and medicine, and it will relieve the stress of any emergencies that also come up. Also, I will use some of the money on my two grandchildren for Christmas.”

How to apply

Those eligible to apply for the rebate can do so three different ways:

• Downloading and printing a paper application from the PTRR application website and submitting the claim form, proof of income and other required documentation through the mail, addressed to PA Department of Revenue Property Tax Rent Rebate Program, P.O. Box 280503, Harrisburg, PA 17128-0503.

• Applying in-person at your local county commissioner’s office, state representative’s office or local office of aging.

• Applying online through myPATH. This is the state’s recommended application method for those seeing the fastest, most secure route.

After applying for the funding, rebate checks will be sent to the applicants as soon as possible. The deadline to apply for the rebates is Dec. 31.