HARRISBURG, April 28 – State Rep. Steve Samuelson introduced legislation this week that would double existing Property Tax/Rent Rebates for thousands of homeowners and renters.

“By providing a one-time infusion of $204 million into the existing Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, we could provide additional relief to people across the state. This investment would allow the commonwealth to double existing rebates this year which is expected to benefit an estimated 477,000 Pennsylvanians,” said Samuelson, Democratic chair of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee.

Samuelson said that as part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to allocate funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, this one-time cash infusion would create a bonus rebate for eligible PTRR applicants.

“Under my legislation, program guidelines and the application process would remain the same. The additional rebate would be distributed automatically to people who submit a PTRR application this year and who have been approved for their Property Tax/ Rent Rebate,” Samuelson said.

Samuelson’s bill (H.B. 2560) has 86 co-sponsors and was referred to the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee for consideration. Sen. Maria Collett has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.

PTRR benefits eligible Pennsylvanians 65 or older, widows and widowers 50 or older, people with disabilities 18 or older, with income limits of $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters, excluding half of Social Security income.

Since the program’s inception, older adults and people with disabilities have received more than $7.1 billion in property tax and rent relief.

Property Tax/Rent Rebate application assistance is available free from Department of Revenue district offices, local Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers and state legislators’ offices.

Information provided to TVL by:
Tom Andrews
House Democratic Communications Office

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