Holiday season visits provide a great opportunity to remind older family members and friends about the Property Tax/Rent Program, one of the Pennsylvania Lottery's key benefit programs for older adults.

                Earlier this year the Department of Revenue extended the application deadline to Dec. 31, 2016, the date by which applications must be postmarked. The program provides rebates of up to $975 on property tax or rent paid during 2015. It costs nothing to apply for a rebate.

                "Holiday gatherings are a great opportunity to remind family and friends to apply for a rebate on their property taxes or rent before the upcoming deadline," said Secretary of Revenue Eileen McNulty. "The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program helps more than half-a-million Pennsylvanians save money. The deadline is quickly approaching so I encourage all of those eligible to apply."

                Applications and free filing help is available at hundreds of locations across the state, including Department of Revenue district offices, local Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers and state legislators' offices. Property Tax/Rent Rebate claim forms (PA-1000) and information are also available online at www.revenue.pa.gov and by calling, toll free, 1-888-222-9190, between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

                To speed processing, claimants are reminded to provide all required income, property tax or rent information.

                Last year, more than 565,000 households received more than $269 million in rebates. So far this year, more than 566,000 households have applied for rebates. As of mid-November, rebates totaling $257.1 million have been sent to more than 540,000 homeowners and renters.

                About the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program:

                The Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The income limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters. Half of Social Security income is excluded. Spouses, personal representatives or estates may also file rebate claims on behalf of claimants who lived at least one day in 2015 and meet all other eligibility criteria.

                The maximum standard rebate is $650, but supplemental rebates for qualifying homeowners can boost rebates to $975. The department automatically calculates supplemental rebates for qualifying homeowners.

                Some applicants who previously received rebates may continue to qualify despite Social Security cost-of-living adjustments that may have pushed their income past the eligibility limits. This is explained in the instructions for the claim form.

                The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program is one of five programs supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery. Since the program's 1971 inception, older and disabled adults have received more than $6.1 billion in property tax and rent relief. The expanded portion of the rebate program is paid for with revenue from slots gaming.