End-of-Year Checkup: Don’t Miss Your Deadline to Apply for Property Tax Rebates

Paying property tax isn’t getting easier. Taxable home values have shot up. Home equity appreciation is nice, but it also comes with a downside: higher taxes.

Let’s not miss any rebates that could be available for the asking.   

Senior or Disabled Pennsylvania Residents: Remember Your Property Tax and Rent Rebates.

Living in Pennsylvania? Don’t forget to apply by the end of this month for real estate tax relief funds. If you’re a senior or have a disability, you’re entitled to a small property tax refund in most states across the country. Pennsylvania is one state where the dollar amounts have just gone up.

Available rebates range from $380 to $1,000 (depending on income levels) for Pennsylvania deed holders and for renters (in apartments or senior care). The maximum rebate of $1,000 is only for people who earn $8K or less. Earning up to $15K? You can apply for a $770 rebate. Earning above $15K but no more than $45K? You can get up to $460. (The income cap for both renters and deed holders is $45K a year.)

As in most states with refunds for renters, the renters need to get a rent certificate from the owner that shows the monthly rent bill.

Pennsylvania has opened a rebate application period involving property taxes or rent paid in 2023. Check for the form at Revenue.PA.gov/ptrr if you’re a first-time applicant.

You’re eligible to request a rebate if you’re a:

• Pennsylvanian aged 65+.

• Surviving spouse aged 50+.

• Person with a disability, aged 18+.

Mark your calendar and reapply each year. The income cap will go up yearly as Pennsylvania residents’ cost of living rises. Supplemental tax assistance is available to residents of the most expensive cities: Philly, ​Pittsburgh, and Scranton.

Submit applications for last year’s Property Tax/Rent Rebates to Pennsylvania by December 31, 2024. Applications must be postmarked before New Year’s Day. Apply through the portal to Pennsylvania’s property tax rebate. You’ll find a how-to-apply video and an application status tracker on the site.

Got questions? Call the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program at 888.222.9190.

Idaho Property Taxes Due Dec. 20; Some Relief Is Available.

Idaho offers a Property Tax Reduction of between $250 and $1,500. County tax offices have the information. Or call the state’s help line at (208) 334‑7736.

Will you qualify in 2025? Yes, if you’re earning $37,810 or less, minus medical expenses, or you are 65+, a vet, or a person with certain disabilities, or if you’re under 18 and have lost a parent. Make sure your residence first gets the current homeowner’s exemption. Apply here.

Idaho deed holders can pay property taxes fully, or pay half by Dec. 20, then the rest by June 20, 2025.

Since Idaho enacted House Bill 292, deed holders who received the homeowner’s exemption in July of this year will get an automatic credit on their property taxes.

Deed holders, check with your local treasurer’s office to confirm credits and payment options.

Maryland Seniors: Don’t Miss Your Property Tax Credit.

Maryland caps taxes per income level. The state offers property tax credits to households earning $60K or under, with $200K or less in assets. This saves deed holders, mostly seniors, tens of millions collectively each year.

Renters can get credits, too.

You may look online to learn about the benefit, and prepare to apply in 2025. The normal deadline is April 15, tax day.

For Maryland’s homestead tax credit, a deed holder may apply any time during the year.

Iowa Residents: Get What’s Coming to You.

Iowans aged 70+ get special credits. File your Iowa property tax credit claim with your county treasurer’s office (lookup tool: IowaTreasurers.org) between New Year’s Day and June 1.

File annually to get the highest possible break under the state’s recent credit revisions.

Iowans, check with your counties for additional breaks. Don’t overlook the veteran’s homestead exemption, and tax breaks for geothermal heat pumps. You’ve earned them.

Massachusetts Property Tax Credits: Come Get ‘Em.

Massachusetts deed holders may qualify for credits on your state income tax return. Credits are available for:

• Lead paint removal: up to  $3,000.

• Septic/sewer system connection or replacement to meet state requirements: up to $18,000. Note: For tax years from January 1, 2024 on, credits for these repairs have risen.

• Solar or wind installations also qualify for credits.

For help, call the Massachusetts tax office at (800) 392-6089.

Late Applicants in North Carolina Could Get an Extended Deadline.

North Carolina offers relief for seniors with modest earnings. It also assists disabled homeowners, including disabled veterans and their surviving spouses.

Deed holders who are 65+ or 100% disabled can subtract up to half off their home value, up to a certain income cap. Vets (and surviving spouses) with a total disabilities can subtract $45,000 off their home’s value, regardless of income. Alternatively, seniors and those 100% disabled can opt to cap their property tax (on primary residences owned for 5+ years) at 5% of their income.

Missed North Carolina’s June 1 application deadline? File a late application by the end of this year. State the reason for delay on the application — such as illness, death in the family, or military service.

Minnesota’s Property Tax and Renter Refunds: Coming Right Up.

Seniors, disabled people and dependents in Minnesota can request a subtraction from household earnings to expand their property tax refunds. Eligible residents must meet one of these criteria:

• The applicant or spouse turns 65 by Jan. 1, 2025.

• The applicant or spouse has a permanent, total disability by Dec. 31, 2024.

• The applicant could claim at least one dependent (not applicant or spouse) for federal tax purposes.

Don’t overlook the Minnesota homeowner’s homestead refund for those whose homes are classified as homesteads.

And renters also can qualify for refund assistance.

Don’t See Your State Here? Check Your Local Tax Assessor’s Site.

Look for your county’s revenue department online. It explains what’s available from the state when you pay property taxes to the local collectors. Some local governments offer their residents additional breaks. For example, Cook County, Illinois gives residents who make home upgrades a few years’ worth of relief from tax hikes.

For the 2023 tax year in Illinois, the Village of Montgomery, Illinois takes applications for property tax rebates through Dec. 31, 2024. For the 2024 tax year, residents may apply in late 2025.

Your state might allow seniors, people with significant recent tax hikes, people of modest incomes, or others “defer” property taxes. This is essentially a low-interest secured loan on the home.

As Property Values Stay Sky-High, and Taxes Rise…

At least some states are increasing their refunds and credits. Veterans can receive additional benefits. For some deed holders, states are paying whole property tax bills.

So, have you checked your home state’s revenue department for the latest? In these times, deed holders need to know about every break that’s available.