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HARRISBURG – Application forms for rebates on property taxes or rent paid in 2010 are now available, the Department of Revenue said Thursday.
All residents who received rebates last year should have received 2010 application forms in the mail by now.
Applications are also available online at www.revenue.state.pa.us or by calling 1-888-222-9190.
Additionally, forms and assistance are available at Department of Revenue district offices (listed in the government section of local telephone directories), local area agencies on aging offices, senior centers and state legislators’ offices.
Older adults must reapply for rebates by June 30 every year because rebates are based on property taxes or rent paid each year and annual income.
More than $281 million in property tax and rent rebates have been sent to a record 603,098 homeowners and renters across the state for taxes and rent paid in 2009.
About 120,000 homeowners had school property taxes eliminated last year when rebates combined with general property tax relief provided to all homeowners through slots revenue.
The 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 deadline to apply is June 30. Rebates will be distributed beginning on July 1, as specified by law.
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 $4.7 billion worth of property tax and rent relief. The expanded portion of the rebate program is paid for with revenue from slots gaming.