Every buyer, seller, homeowner, and investor needs the consolidated Real Estate Tax, the homestead exemption, abatement math, and the 4.578% transfer tax in view before trusting the monthly number.
Philadelphia is a consolidated city-county, so property owners receive one Real Estate Tax bill — 1.3998% of assessed value in 2026, split between the City (0.6159%) and the School District of Philadelphia (0.7839%) and billed by the Department of Revenue. The numbers that actually move your cost are the assessment (set by the Office of Property Assessment, appealable each year), the homestead exemption ($100,000 off assessed value for owner-occupants), and any tax abatement on the property. At purchase, budget for the city's Realty Transfer Tax — 4.578% of the sale price combined (3.578% city + 1% Pennsylvania).
Each layer of Philadelphia housing intelligence connects to the next. Use these entry points before you act on a single number.
1.3998% of assessed value — 0.6159% city + 0.7839% school district — billed together by the Department of Revenue.
Open →4.578% of the sale price combined (3.578% city + 1% PA) — one of the biggest closing-cost lines in any Philadelphia deal.
Open →The $100,000 homestead exemption, LOOP, the senior freeze, and OOPA can materially change the bill.
Open →Current rates, due dates, payment options, and relief programs.
Open source →Assessed value, property characteristics, and abatement status by address.
Open source →Removes $100,000 of assessed value for owner-occupants — about $1,399 off the annual bill.
Open source →Formal assessment appeals — filed by the first Monday of October for the following tax year.
Open source →Philadelphia's 2026 Real Estate Tax rate is 1.3998% of assessed value — 0.6159% to the City and 0.7839% to the School District of Philadelphia, billed together on one bill by the Department of Revenue. A home assessed at $300,000 owes about $4,199 before exemptions; with the $100,000 homestead exemption, about $2,800.
The combined Realty Transfer Tax is 4.578% of the sale price — 3.578% City of Philadelphia plus 1% Pennsylvania (the city portion rose from 3.278% on July 1, 2025). Buyers and sellers customarily split it 50/50 in Philadelphia, but the split is negotiable in the agreement of sale. On a $300,000 sale that is $13,734 in total transfer tax.
If you own and live in your Philadelphia home, the homestead exemption removes $100,000 from your assessed value before the 1.3998% rate is applied — saving most owners about $1,399 per year. There is no income requirement and no fee; apply once through the Department of Revenue and it renews automatically. Homes assessed at $100,000 or less pay no Real Estate Tax at all with the exemption.
Two paths: an informal First Level Review with the Office of Property Assessment (typically due in late summer — September 1 for 2027 assessments), and a formal appeal to the Board of Revision of Taxes, due by the first Monday of October of the year before the tax year. You can file the BRT appeal without doing a First Level Review first.
For new residential construction permitted after January 1, 2022, the abatement starts at 100% of the improvement value in year one and steps down 10% each year over the 10-year term. Rehab abatements on existing residential structures still run at 100% for 10 years. Abatements attach to the property — always check remaining years and the post-abatement tax bill before buying an abated home.
Beyond the homestead exemption: LOOP (Longtime Owner Occupants Program) caps assessment increases for eligible long-term owners whose assessments jumped sharply; the Senior Tax Freeze locks the bill for income-eligible homeowners 65+; and OOPA (Owner-Occupied Payment Agreement) puts past-due Real Estate Taxes on an income-based monthly plan with no down payment. All route through the Department of Revenue.
Open the neighborhood profile for context, then confirm assessment, homestead, and abatement records on property.phila.gov.
Family favorites
