Pennsylvania’s rebate program for older homeowners and renters takes its last applications for the 2025 claim year on December 31, 2026. The Department of Revenue says more than 513,000 people shared over $315 million from the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program last year.

The program is for Pennsylvanians who are 65 or older, widows and widowers 50 or older, and people with disabilities 18 or older, and who live in the state as homeowners or renters. Household income has to be $48,110 or less. Anyone in those groups who has not yet filed for 2025 has under three months, and the state’s page says applications postmarked by that date will be accepted for processing.

For Pennsylvania homeowners and renters 65 and older, the December 31 cutoff is the last day to file for a rebate that tops out at $1,000. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit explains the 5 kinds of property-tax relief and the circuit-breaker credit that includes renters, and gives an application log and renewal calendar to track the filing.

See five kinds of property-tax relief in the Relief Kit before Pennsylvania’s December 31 cutoff →

How much the rebate pays

The size of the rebate depends on household income, and the top payment goes only to the lowest-income band. According to the Department of Revenue’s rebate page, the standard rebates are:

• $1,000 for household income of $0 to $8,550
• $770 for income of $8,551 to $16,040
• $460 for income of $16,041 to $19,240
• $380 for income of $19,241 to $48,110

So the $1,000 is a maximum, not what each applicant gets. Property owners with income of $32,070 or less whose property taxes exceed 15% of income, or who live in Philadelphia, Scranton or Pittsburgh, may also receive a supplemental rebate of $190 to $500, and the state says that supplement is calculated automatically.

In practice, a household with $12,000 of income falls in the $770 band, one with $18,000 falls in the $460 band, and one with $30,000 falls in the $380 band. Anyone near an edge of a band should check the exact income figure carefully, since a few dollars either way can move a rebate by hundreds. Renters and homeowners use the same income table.

What last year’s numbers show

The department put out its participation figures when it extended the deadline to the end of 2026. In that May 2026 announcement, Revenue reported that more than 513,000 applicants shared over $315 million in rebates last year. Those are results from a past year, not a forecast of what will be paid this time, and the amount any one household gets still follows the income table above.

The extension itself is worth knowing about. The deadline for 2025 claims moved to December 31, 2026, which gives late filers extra months compared with the usual calendar.

Who counts as eligible

Three groups can apply. Pennsylvanians 65 and older qualify by age. Widows and widowers qualify from age 50. People with disabilities qualify from age 18. In each case the household income cap of $48,110 a year applies, and the program covers both people who own their homes and people who rent.

The state’s page says applicants must reapply each year, so a rebate received for one year does not carry forward on its own. Someone who filed for 2024 still has to file again for 2025.

Filing the Pennsylvania rebate before December 31

The Department of Revenue accepts applications online through myPATH, in English or Spanish. Applications can also be sent by mail or taken in person, and in-person help is available at locations across the state. The department’s phone line for questions is 1-888-222-9190.

Before sitting down to file, gather the household’s income figures for 2025 and the records of property tax paid or rent paid, since the income band decides which of the four rebate amounts applies. A renter should check the same page, because the program includes renters and not only homeowners. Someone who has missed past years should look at the 2025 claim first, since that is the one the extended deadline covers.

The state says applicants must reapply every year, so keeping a simple file with this year’s confirmation and the amounts received makes next year’s filing quicker. A calendar note for next spring is enough, since the state will set the new year’s deadline in its own announcement.

If mailing, allow time. The state says applications postmarked by December 31, 2026 will be accepted for processing, so the postmark date is what counts.

Rent or own, the rebate is only one relief

Pennsylvania’s rebate pays between $380 and $1,000 depending on income, but it is one of several breaks aimed at older homeowners and renters. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit walks through the 5 kinds of property-tax relief, including the circuit-breaker credit that includes renters, and keeps an application log and renewal calendar so the yearly reapplication is not forgotten.

Put Pennsylvania’s yearly rebate filing on the Relief Kit’s renewal calendar →

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.