|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
Rep.
Peter J. Daley |
  
|
Property Tax/Rent Rebate deadline extended to end of year
HARRISBURG, June 16 – State Rep. Peter J. Daley, D-Fayette/Washington, announced that the deadline for the state's Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program has been extended to Dec. 31, 2008.
To be eligible for the program, residents must be 65 or older, a widow or widower 50 or older, or 18 or older with a permanent disability. Based on the property taxes or rent they paid in 2007, eligible Pennsylvanians can receive rebates of up to $650.
To qualify, household income cannot exceed $35,000; the income limit is $15,000 for renters. However, applicants may exclude half of their Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, or federal railroad retirement benefits when determining eligibility, which allows some people with higher incomes to still qualify.
This year, qualifying seniors may receive an even larger rebate. Senior citizen homeowners who are eligible for the program and whose income is less than $30,000 will receive an additional 50 percent rebate if the property taxes they paid in 2007 were at least 15 percent of their income. Those seniors may qualify for a property tax rebate of up to $975.
The state will begin mailing out rebate checks after July 1 and any claims received after June 30 will be distributed as they are received and approved. Recipients also have the option of having their rebate deposited directly into their checking or savings account.
To check on the status of a claim, residents may call the Department of Revenue’s FACT and Information Line at 1-888-PATAXES (1-888-728-2937) after July 1. Touch-tone telephone service is required. Callers will need their Social Security number and the amount of their rebate. People without touch-tone telephone service may call 1-888-222-9190 between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. for help.
Property Tax/Rent Rebate forms are available online at www.PaPropertyTaxRelief.com and by calling 1-888-222-9190. Forms are also available at Revenue Department district offices (listed in the blue pages of local telephone directories), local Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers and Daley’s district office.
For more information or for help applying to the program, contact one of Daley’s constituent service offices: 657 McKean Ave., Donora, phone 724-379-5540; 256-A Main St., Claysville, phone 724-663-4727; and 113A Thornton Road, Brownsville, phone 724-785-1201.
The program is one of five supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery. Since the program's inception, seniors and disabled adults have received $4 billion worth of property tax and rent rebates.
###dz/2008/bt l:'print'releases'ptaxextension08.049
|
CONTACT: Destiny Zeiders |