Long-awaited updates to Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program are now law

Hill-Evans was prime co-sponsor of H.B. 1100, now Act 7 of 2023

Rep. Carol Hill-Evans    August 9, 2023 | 3:12 PM

YORK, Aug. 9 – Legislation that expands the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program to benefit hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians was signed into law Aug. 4 by Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was joined at the event by state Rep. Carol Hill-Evans and the bill’s additional prime co-sponsors.

Act 7 of 2023, which enjoyed broad bipartisan support as H.B. 1100, will provide approximately 175,000 new Property Tax/Rent Rebate recipients starting in 2024 with the financial relief they need to be able to remain in their homes and communities without worry of eviction.

Hill-Evans’ district office in York has completed 15% more Property Tax/Rent Rebate applications this year than they did in 2021, she said, with a lot of those increases coming from people who have only recently heard about the program.

Before this expansion, the income limits for the program, which benefits seniors and adults with disabilities, hadn’t been revised to keep up with inflation and rising costs of living since 2007.

“It’s encouraging to know we’ll no longer have to turn down so many lower income retired or disabled renters who should’ve qualified for this program but didn’t, due to its outdated eligibility requirements,” said Hill-Evans, chair of the Central PA Delegation. “Nobody wants to see their mom, dad, or even neighbors in their late 70s and 80s have to keep working just to cover the normal cost of living. Pennsylvania is better than that.”

Act 7 made the following changes:

  • The income limit is now $45,000 for both homeowners and renters. The previous limits were $35,000 for homeowners and $15,000 for renters.
    • Applicants can exclude half of their Social Security income when determining eligibility.
  • The maximum rebate is now $1,000. The previous maximum was $650.
  • An annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment was added so that in future years, eligibility guidelines will automatically keep pace with inflation, and income adjustments such as a modest increase to Social Security benefits won’t render recipients ineligible.

The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery, began in 1971.