Save Money on Pennsylvania Property Taxes

Ownwell currently files property tax appeals in Allegheny County and Philadelphia County. However, we may serve other Pennsylvania counties in the future.

Pennsylvania appeals turn on a single question: What is your property worth today? In most counties, including Allegheny, you establish current market value, multiply it by the county's Common Level Ratio, and compare the result to your current assessment. If your assessment is higher, you are over-assessed.

In Philadelphia, the City already assesses at full market value, so you skip the ratio and argue directly that the City's number is wrong. Either way you file with the county board, present comparable sales evidence, and receive a decision. If the board rules against you, you may appeal to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days.

The Common Level Ratio is the bridge between a county's frozen base-year assessments and today's market. The State Tax Equalization Board publishes one for each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties every July.

Multiply your home's current market value by your county's ratio, and you get what your assessment should be. Allegheny County's ratio for tax year 2027 is 49.3%, down from 54.5% in 2024, and every year it falls, more properties become appealable.

Because in most of Pennsylvania, it is supposed to be. Your assessed value is not an estimate of today's market value. It's an estimate of what your home was worth in your county's base year. Allegheny County's base year is 2012.

That does not mean your assessment is correct. The whole point of an appeal is that base-year values drift unevenly. Neighborhoods that appreciated quickly end up badly over-assessed relative to those that did not, and the only way to fix it is to file.

September 1, 2026 for tax year 2027. Allegheny restructured its calendar under County Council Ordinance 06-24-OR to move appeals into the year before the tax year, so the window that is open now — July 1 through September 1, 2026 — determines your 2027 bill. There is no filing fee.

October 5, 2026 for a formal appeal to the Board of Revision of Taxes, and September 1, 2026 for an informal First Level Review with the Office of Property Assessment. The two are separate deadlines on separate tracks.

A First Level Review is an informal desk review conducted by the Office of Property Assessment; the application comes with your Notice of Valuation. A Board of Revision of Taxes appeal is a formal, independent hearing.

The critical detail: filing a First Level Review does not preserve your BRT rights. If you want the formal appeal, you must file it separately by October 5. The two tracks can be pursued at the same time.

Pennsylvania works differently from states where an appeal can only go one direction. A Pennsylvania board reviews your property's value, and separately, school districts and municipalities can file their own appeals to raise assessments. They routinely target homes that recently sold well above their assessed value.

This is why Ownwell evaluates your property before filing anything. We only pursue an appeal when the evidence supports a reduction, and we will tell you when it does not.

In Allegheny County, generally no. Because the county has no scheduled reassessment, a reduction won on appeal carries forward until the county changes your value or reassesses countywide — so the savings repeat annually.

In Philadelphia, the City revalues on a regular cycle, so a new assessment can arrive in a future year. Ownwell continues to monitor your property either way and will file again if your assessment looks unfair.

Pennsylvania has no single universal statewide homestead exemption. Instead, counties, municipalities, and school districts each adopt their own, which is why the amount varies enormously depending on where you live.

These programs are separate from an assessment appeal, and they stack: reducing your assessed value saves you money on top of any exemption you already have.

Statewide

Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion

Removes a fixed dollar amount of assessed value from an owner-occupied home. Amounts range from a few thousand dollars in many school districts to Philadelphia's $100,000. Apply through your county assessment office; the standard deadline is March 1 for the following tax year. Once approved, it continues until ownership changes or the home stops being your primary residence.

Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program (PTRR)

Pennsylvania's largest relief program. For property taxes or rent paid in 2025, the household income limit is $48,110, with only half of Social Security income counted.

Eligible claimants are age 65 or older, widows and widowers age 50 or older, and people with disabilities age 18 or older. Standard rebates run $380 to $1,000, and residents of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton with high tax-to-income ratios may qualify for supplemental rebates.

File Form PA-1000 with the Department of Revenue. The deadline for 2025 claims has been extended to December 31, 2026.

Disabled Veterans Real Estate Tax Exemption

Veterans with a 100% permanent service-connected disability may qualify for a total exemption on their primary residence, subject to a financial need determination. Apply through your County Director of Veterans Affairs. Surviving spouses may retain the exemption.

Allegheny County

• Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion (Act 50): Reduces assessed value by $18,000 for county real property tax only. Apply through the Office of Property Assessments by March 1. Individual municipalities and school districts may adopt additional exclusions.
• Act 77 Senior Citizen Tax Relief: A flat 30% discount on county real estate tax. Requires age 60 or older (or widow/widower 50-60, or permanently disabled and 18-60), ten continuous years of ownership and occupancy in the county, and gross household income of $30,000 or less. Administered by the County Treasurer.
• City of Pittsburgh Act 77: Pittsburgh administers its own parallel program with a 40% discount on the city portion of the bill for qualifying owners.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia offers the deepest set of relief programs in the state.

• Homestead Exemption: Reduces taxable assessed value by $100,000 for 2027, saving most homeowners about $1,399 a year. Every owner-occupant is eligible regardless of income. Applications due December 1, 2026. No need to reapply unless ownership changes.
• Senior Citizen and Low-Income Real Estate Tax Freeze: Freezes your Real Estate Tax so it will not rise even if the rate or your assessment does. Income limit is $33,500 single or $41,500 married. Applications due September 30, 2027.
• Longtime Owner Occupants Program (LOOP): For owners of at least ten years who saw an assessment increase of 50% or more year-over-year, or 75% or more over five years, and who meet income limits. Caps the taxable portion of the assessment. Applications due September 30, 2027.
• Real Estate Tax Installment Plan: Seniors and income-qualified homeowners can pay in eleven monthly installments instead of a lump sum. Applications due March 31, 2027.
• Owner-Occupied Payment Agreement (OOPA): Monthly payment plans for past-due Real Estate Tax, with some homeowners qualifying for $0 per month. Accepted year-round.
• Active Duty Reserve and National Guard Tax Credit: A credit against the City portion of Real Estate Tax for eligible members called to active duty.

Philadelphia's Real Estate Tax rate is 1.3998% of assessed value, split between the City (0.6159%) and the School District of Philadelphia (0.7839%).

Exemptions and appeals stack. Lowering your assessed value saves you money on top of any exemption you already receive.

The strongest evidence is comparable sales: Three to five recent sales of genuinely similar homes — same size, age, condition, and school district, ideally within half a mile — that closed below your indicated market value.

Beyond that, documented condition problems with photographs and contractor estimates, and factual errors in your property record.

Mass appraisal systems propagate data errors for years, and a factual error is the easiest appeal to win.

Ownwell specializes in property tax reduction for homeowners, small businesses, and real estate investors. We evaluate your current assessed value, perform a comparative market analysis, and prepare and file the evidence on your behalf.

We represent you at hearings before the county board. In Allegheny, hearings are commonly conducted by telephone, so you do not need to take time off work. After your appeal, we continue monitoring your assessment and will file again if your taxes look unfair.

There are no upfront costs. Ownwell charges a 35% contingency fee on your first-year savings. If we don't reduce your property's assessed value, you pay nothing. Sign up takes about three minutes; no credit card is required.