Do you own and live in your Philly home and still haven’t signed up for the City’s Homestead Exemption program? You’re missing out on big property tax savings.

The Homestead Exemption program reduces the taxable portion of your property’s value. It is currently helping thousands of Philadelphia homeowners get up to $629 in property tax savings each year, but that amount is changing soon. A recent bill passed by City Council raises the exemption amount from $45,000 to $80,000.

Here’s what this means for you:

If you already have Homestead, $80,000 of your property’s value will now be exempted from property taxes, lowering your Real Estate Tax bill by about $1,119 yearly. This change becomes effective starting in 2023.

Homeowners currently enrolled in the program don’t have to do anything to see the change reflected on their bills. Starting next year, we will automatically increase your property tax savings from $629 to $1,119.

Got Homestead?

You can use the Real Estate Tax estimator recently launched on the property.phila.gov website to search your home, confirm if you have Homestead, and estimate the effect of the latest exemption amount on your next property tax bill.

If you are not currently enrolled in the program but think you may qualify, it’s easy to apply. You can either apply:

• Online– by filling out an electronic application at the Philadelphia Tax Center. You don’t need to create a username and password to submit an electronic application to this program.
• By phone– by calling the Homestead hotline at (215) 686-9200, or
• Bymail – by printing out and completing this paper application. Send your completed paper application to:

City of Philadelphia
Department of Revenue
P.O. Box 52817
Philadelphia, PA 19115

This one-time application is all you need. If approved, you never have to reapply for the exemption unless there’s a change to your deed. You will automatically receive property tax savings yearly, as long as you continue to own and live in your Philly home.

The best part? There are no age or income requirements for enrollment in the program. If you own a home in Philadelphia and live in it as your primary residence, you qualify! You may even qualify for a conditional exemption if your name is not on the property’s deed.

Remember, unlike other City programs, Homestead doesn’t have open enrollment. You must apply by September 13 to see the exemption reflected on your next property tax bill. The final due date for the Homestead application is December 1.

For more information, please call (215) 686-9200.