Property tax relief for seniors in Pennsylvania

Who qualifies

For the 2025 claim year (filed in 2026), you must be one of these on December 31, 2025:

• 65 or older, or under 65 with a spouse 65 or older who lived with you
• A widow or widower 50 or older
• 18 or older and permanently disabled, unable to work because of a medical condition expected to last indefinitely

And:

• Homeowners owned and lived in their main home and paid their 2025 property taxes.
• Renters rented and lived in a Pennsylvania home, paid rent, and had a landlord who paid property taxes (or payments in place of taxes). You get no rebate for months you received cash public assistance.
• Total household income was $48,110 or less. This limit now rises with inflation each year.

What counts as income

Half counts: Social Security, SSI, the State Supplementary Payment and Railroad Retirement Tier 1. Only half of these is added in.

Counts in full: pensions, IRA payments, interest, dividends, capital gains, wages, rental and business income, gambling winnings, inheritances, alimony, unemployment, workers' compensation, cash assistance, and gifts over $300.

Does not count: Medicare reimbursements, SNAP and other non-cash help, last year's rebate, LIHEAP, child support, federal veterans' disability payments, personal injury awards, federal stimulus payments, and IRA or pension rollovers.

How much you can get

• Homeowners get the table amount or the property tax they paid, whichever is less.
• Renters: 20% of the rent you paid (after any rent help) is treated as property tax. You get the table amount or that figure, whichever is less.
• If you both owned and rented during the year, the two are figured separately and added together, up to the table amount.
• Co-op and condo stockholders in a cooperative housing corporation may get more by filing as renters or owner-renters. Read the instructions before choosing.

Supplemental rebate (homeowners only)

If your eligibility income is $32,070 or less, you may get an extra 50% of your rebate (up to $500) if:

• you live in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or Scranton, or
• you live elsewhere and your property taxes are more than 15% of your income.

The Department of Revenue figures this for you. You do not apply separately.

How to apply, step by step

1. Choose how to file. Online through myPATH (mypath.pa.gov) is free, faster, and lets you upload documents and get direct deposit. Or file the paper form PA-1000.
2. Gather proof of age. A copy of your birth certificate, driver's license or PA ID, Medicare card or passport. A Social Security card is not accepted.
3. Gather proof of income if Social Security does not have your Pennsylvania address. A Form SSA-1099 or a bank statement works.
4. Homeowners: your 2025 property tax bills marked "paid," a year-end mortgage statement, or a letter from your tax collector. Philadelphia homeowners who paid by December 31, 2025, do not need to send bills.
5. Renters: a Rent Certificate (PA-1000 RC) signed by your landlord. If your landlord will not sign, use a notarized Occupancy Affidavit with signed rent receipts. Cancelled checks are not accepted.
6. If you claim as a widow or widower, include a copy of the death certificate. If you claim by disability, include a Social Security award letter or a Physician's Statement (PA-1000 PS).
7. Put your Social Security number on every page and send copies, not originals, of your documents.
8. Mailing a paper form? Send one original form, in black ink, with no staples, to: PA Department of Revenue, Property Tax or Rent Rebate Program, PO Box 280503, Harrisburg, PA 17128-0503.

Deadline: The booklet gave June 30, 2026, but the Department of Revenue has extended the 2025 claim deadline to December 31, 2026.

After you apply

• When rebates are paid: rebates for on-time claims began in early July 2026.
• Check your status on myPATH or by calling 1-888-PATAXES (1-888-728-2937).
• Apply every year. Each claim covers one year.
• Missing papers slow it down. Incomplete claims delay your rebate.

Common mistakes

• Not applying because you rent. Renters qualify too.
• Counting all of your Social Security. Only half counts.
• Using red ink, pencil or gel pen on the paper form.
• Sending a Social Security card as proof of age.
• Paying someone to file. Filing is free, with free help from the Department of Revenue.

Free help

• Property Tax/Rent Rebate questions: 1-888-222-9190
• Claim status: 1-888-728-2937
• Area Agency on Aging: call the Department of Aging at 717-783-1550 to find yours.

See all benefits in Pennsylvania.

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Pennsylvania agencies

Check what you may qualify for