Since pennies are phasing out, Philadelphia tax and water customers want to know if they will still receive pennies as change from the Department of Revenue—the answer is no.
The federal government recently announced it will no longer make pennies. As a result, banks nationwide are ending penny distribution. To be specific, our banking partners will stop sending us pennies this month—making it harder for us to give back exact change.
What this means
The Department of Revenue will stop giving back pennies as change in early 2026. You can still pay your tax or water bill in cash. We only ask that you bring exact change.
What to expect
Our cashiers will round your payment up or down if you don’t have exact change. We’ll round down payments ending in 1, 2, 6, or 7 cents and round up payments ending in 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents. This way, neither you nor the City will be affected when pennies aren’t available. Any balance remaining on your account from rounding will not incur penalty, fees, or interest.
Here’s an example:
If your January water bill is $50.02 and you pay in cash, we’ll round it down, so you only pay $50. Your 2-cent balance stays on your account until the next month. Let’s say your water bill for February is $50.02. We’ll add the 2 cents on your January bill, so your February bill will be $50.04. If you pay cash, we’ll round up to $50.05. This will give you a 1-cent credit, which will stay on your account.
Keep in mind that we only accept cash payments at the Municipal Services Building.
Skip rounding, pay online
You can avoid rounding by paying your taxes or water bills online. Customers paying their tax bills through the Philadelphia Tax Center or their water bills through the online payment website won’t have to worry about rounding because electronic payments use exact change. In essence, rounding doesn’t affect electronic payments.
You can pay online without a username and password, or over the phone for Real Estate Tax. Just dial (833) 913-0795 and follow the automated voice prompts to complete your payment. You can pay your water bill by phone by calling (877) 309-3709.
