Good news for Philadelphia senior citizens: you can now retroactively enroll in the City’s Senior Tax Freeze program. This program allows qualifying Philly seniors to permanently ‘freeze’ their property tax bill at the current amount—meaning your property tax bill will never increase, even if the assessment or tax rate increases.
Thanks to a new bill recently passed by City Council, qualifying seniors now have a five-year window to retroactively lock in their Real Estate Tax bills, going as far back as 2018. Here’s what this means for you:
You can now ‘freeze’ your property tax at the amount it was for any year between 2018 and 2022 (or 2023) if that’s when you first became eligible. For example, if you are 70 years old and believe you qualified when you were 65, you can apply to freeze your property value at the amount it was when you were 65. In other words, if accepted into the program, you will only pay taxes on your assessment from the year you first became eligible or any year after that if your property has since been reassessed at a lower rate.
Age and income criteria
Participation in the Senior Tax Freeze program is age and income based. The age requirement stays the same regardless of recent changes to the program. You should apply if you are:
- 65 or older,
- 50 or older and a widow of a deceased spouse who was 65 before passing away, or
- Living in the same home with a spouse who is 65 or older.
Nevertheless, the income requirement varies depending on what year you are applying for. For example, if applying for 2022, you must be a:
- A single resident earning less than $33,500 a year, or
- Married and making less than $41,500 yearly.
Please be aware that in addition to age, we’re now requesting proof of income for the year you are applying. Please review the complete list of income and age requirements on our Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Freeze web page.
Unlike previously, you must now apply to the program no later than September 30 of the year your bill is due. Once approved, you will receive a second bill with any adjustments.
Apply now
The fastest and easiest way to apply is online through the “Search for a property” link on the Philadelphia Tax Center’s homepage, under the “Property” panel. You don’t need to create a username and password to submit your application electronically.
You can also complete this two-page application form and return it with your proof of age and income. A proof of age could be a birth certificate, marriage certificate, driver’s license, social security award letter, or any document that clearly shows a date of birth.
You can drop off your application at the Municipal Services Building (MSB) in center city, across from City Hall, or mail it to:
Philadelphia Department of Revenue
P.O. Box 53190
Philadelphia, PA 19105
You don’t have to reapply if approved; we will automatically enroll you each year. Program participants will only have to reapply if there’s a change to their income or deed (for any reason).
