Allentown, PA — With applications now open for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program, Pennsylvania Department of Revenue Secretary Pat Browne, Representative Peter Schweyer, and Senator Nick Miller today visited the Casa Guadalupe Center in Lehigh County to encourage eligible seniors, people with disabilities, and widows and widowers across the Commonwealth to apply for relief through the PTRR program. The Department of Revenue recently started accepting applications for rebates on property taxes or rent paid in 2025.
Secretary Browne explained that Governor Josh Shapiro’s work to expand the PTRR program for the first time in nearly 20 years has been a gamechanger for the older Pennsylvanians, widows and widowers, and residents with disabilities who benefit from the program. The expansion increased the maximum standard rebate to $1,000 (up from the prior $650 max), raised income eligibility limits for homeowners and renters, and tied the income limits to cost-of-living adjustments.
Thanks to those critical changes, the Department of Revenue distributed $314 million to approximately 512,000 Pennsylvanians who applied last year for a rebate on property taxes or rent paid in 2024. That total includes roughly 13,800 Lehigh County residents who received a total of nearly $9 million. Casa Guadalupe, which was founded in 1969 to primarily meet the needs of Latino residents in the Lehigh Valley, is where many seniors come to find assistance filing their PTRR applications.
“Before Governor Shapiro took action and worked to secure a bipartisan solution, we were seeing more and more Pennsylvanians losing access to this critical program and missing out on their rebate. Many were losing their eligibility solely due to increases to their Social Security payments, which was an unfortunate byproduct of the program’s income limits not being increased for nearly 20 years,” said Secretary Browne. “With the changes the expansion has made, the PTRR program is in a much better place to continue serving as a lifeline for people in need for years to come. If you think you might be eligible for a rebate, you can visit our website, at pa.gov/ptrr, to check the program guidelines and find helpful tips to apply. There are also a number of options where you can find in-person filing support, including at Department of Revenue district offices.”
The expansion of the PTRR is one of seven tax cuts under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, including the new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit (WPTC) signed into law by the Governor in the 2025-26 budget that goes into effect this tax season — delivering $193 million in tax relief to approximately 940,000 Pennsylvanians.
“As many legislators will tell you, it’s common in my district for seniors to come to our office and tell my team that they need just a little bit of help to get by and make ends meet. These are people living on a fixed income who got up every day, worked extremely hard, played by the rules — but have struggled to stay in their homes because of rising property taxes, increasing rent, and a higher cost of living,” said Representative Schweyer. “I’m proud to say that I helped introduce and later voted for legislation to address this problem by expanding the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program for the first time in nearly 20 years. By taking this historic step and rallying behind the leadership of Governor Shapiro, we have put a much improved program in place to help older Pennsylvanians, widows and widowers, and people with disabilities. This is really a basic function of state government — to help people in need continue living safely in the homes where many have raised their families.”
“My staff and I have seen firsthand the impact that the expansion of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program has made for Lehigh Valley residents. Last year alone we assisted nearly 1,200 of our constituents with their applications for this program, returning more than $475,000 back to their wallets. These dollars go a long way at a time when housing costs and other bills are going up,” said Sen. Miller. “I’m grateful that Governor Shapiro made it a priority to find a solution to deliver more support for seniors and the other Pennsylvanians who benefit from this important program. Together we are helping homeowners and renters stay in their homes.”
“The Department of Aging has heard from many older adults and our aging network partners across the Commonwealth that affordable housing solutions for older adults remains one of our greatest challenges. We want to see older adults stay in their homes and communities for as long as they are able. Programs like the popular Property Tax/Rent Rebate can help ease the burden of paying mortgage or rent along with the high costs of just about everything while putting money back into older adults’ pockets,” said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. “I urge any older adult who has applied in the past to do so now or who thinks they may not be qualified to reach out to their local Area Agency on Aging, senior center, or local state official to learn if they are eligible to receive a rebate.”
“Casa Guadalupe not only provides meals to seniors in the Lehigh Valley but offers programming for our older residents to help them stay educated and live healthy and productive lives,” said Giselle Espada, Coordinator of the Jesus Ramos Senior Center at Casa Guadalupe. “The Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is one program that we are continually making our seniors aware of because it can deliver financial support that can make a real difference. Especially now that the rebate amount and the income limits have increased, we want to see everyone who is eligible take advantage of this program.”
Founded in 1969, Casa Guadalupe is a non-profit, community-based organization. The Jesus Ramos Senior Center at Casa Guadalupe annually serves more than 20,000 meals, offers more than 9,000 hours of recreational and educational activities, and provides many other services.
Eligibility/How to File
The PTRR program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The table below shows how much homeowners and renters who fit this criteria are eligible for, depending on their income in 2025:
INCOME | MAX STANDARD REBATE |
$0 - $8,550 | $1,000 |
$8,551 - $16,040 | $770 |
$16,041 - $19,240 | $460 |
$19,241 - $48,110 | $380 |
Submitting your application online through myPATH — in English or Spanish — is easy and does not require you to sign up for an account. Filing online gives you instant confirmation that your claim has been successfully filed. Applicants also will have access to automatic calculators and other helpful features that are not available through the paper application.
It's free to apply for a rebate and assistance is available at hundreds of locations across the state: Department of Revenue district offices, local Area Agencies on Aging, and state legislators' offices. You must reapply for a rebate every year as they are based on annual income and property taxes or rent paid during the prior year.
The easiest way to check the status of your rebate is to use the Where's My Rebate? tool on myPATH. To check on the status of your claim, you will need your Social Security number, claim year, and date of birth.
About the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program
During his first year in office, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law a historic expansion of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program, which means more Pennsylvanians now qualify — and at the same time — the vast majority who qualified in prior years have seen their rebates increase. This was the first time the program was expanded since 2006. The expansion:
- Increased the maximum standard rebate to $1,000.
- Increased the income cap for both homeowners and renters.
- Increased the income cap to grow with inflation each year moving forward.
Since its inception in 1971, the PTRR program has delivered nearly $9 billion in property tax and rent relief to some of Pennsylvania's most vulnerable residents. The PTRR program is funded with revenue from gaming.
