The ERA filing deadline. The deadline for filing your 2012 ERA claim (Form 90R) is July 1, 2013.

If you file Form 90R after July 1, 2013, your claim will be processed the following year. Your ERA check also will be issued the following year—in mid-November 2014.

You must meet all of the following requirements:

• You or your spouse/RDP was age 58 or older on December 31, 2012, and
• Your total household income was less than $10,000, and
• You paid more than 20 percent of your household income for rent, fuel, and utilities, and
• If you and your spouse/RDP are under 65, the value of your household assets is not more than $25,000. If you or your spouse/RDP are age 65 or older, there is no limit on the value of your household assets, and
• You paid rent in Oregon in 2012, and
• The property you rented was subject to property tax, and
• You lived in Oregon on December 31, 2012, and
• You didn't own your residence and land on December 31, 2012. You did not have to be renting on that date to qualify for a rent refund. But you cannot claim an ERA refund if you owned your home and land on December 31, 2012.

If you amend your Form 90R, Oregon Elderly Rental Assistance, and the correct amount of assistance is less than you have already received, the department will calculate your reduced benefit and interest due and send you a bill. Interest on ERA checks is figured from the date the check was issued to the date you repay it.

If you file a false Elderly Rental Assistance (ERA) Form 90R, you could be charged with a class C felony. You could be fined up to $125,000, serve a jail sentence, or both. In addition, you would have to pay back twice the amount of the assistance check you received plus interest.