Philadelphia property tax: bills, assessments and official appeal resources
For a balance or payment, start with Revenue. For property details and assessed value, start with OPA. BRT handles assessment appeals. Relief applications have separate rules and deadlines.
Sources checked . General information maintained by Philadelphia Tax with AI assistance. We are an independent directory, not a government agency or tax adviser. Verify the instructions for your tax year and circumstances.
Where should I start with Philadelphia property tax?
| Your task | Official starting point | Have ready privately |
|---|---|---|
| Check a bill, balance or payment | City balance lookup instructions and Real Estate Tax payment options | Property address or OPA number; bill year; payment confirmation |
| Check property details or assessed value | Office of Property Assessment (OPA), including its Property application link | Notice of Valuation and the year it takes effect |
| Find homeowner relief | Homestead Exemption and other City relief programmes | Ownership/occupancy questions and the programme’s required records |
| Understand an assessment appeal | Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) and its appeal instructions | Tax year, notice, issue being disputed and any filing receipt |
These links lead to City instructions. This independent directory cannot look up your account, receive a tax payment or file an appeal. Enter property and account information only in the official service you choose.
A valuation notice is different from a tax bill
OPA determines assessed values. Its assessment guidance explains that a Notice of Valuation reports a change in value and is not a bill. Follow OPA’s Property application link to compare the notice with recorded property details and the applicable year.
For the amount owed or a payment question, use Revenue’s balance lookup instructions. The Real Estate Tax page provides payment methods and the annual March 31 payment date. Check the year on your bill and any later notice; a future assessment year and an outstanding balance are different records.
If a mortgage servicer pays from escrow, reconcile the bill with the servicer’s payment record and the City balance. Keep confirmations. An assessment figure alone does not show whether a payment was received or relief applied. This page does not calculate a bill from a rate or predict savings.
Check Homestead Exemption and payment help separately
The City’s Homestead Exemption instructions describe relief for a home you own and live in, application channels and exceptions such as residential abatements. Use that programme’s current instructions to check eligibility and the applicable bill year. Do not assume an exemption transfers automatically because a prior owner had it.
As checked on , the instructions list October 1 as the annual early application date and December 1 as the annual final date. In the 2026 application calendar, October 1 has passed and December 1 is still ahead of this source check. These are homestead application dates, not the BRT market-value appeal deadline. Confirm which bill year an application will affect before relying on a reduction.
The City relief directory also links to tax freezes, the Longtime Owner Occupants Program (LOOP), installment arrangements and payment agreements, including owner-occupied past-due balances. Each route has its own conditions. If the immediate problem is paying a balance, review payment assistance as well as any question about value; this guide does not decide which programme you qualify for.
The regular 2027 assessment-appeal deadline has passed
Source status checked : BRT lists October 5, 2026 as the deadline for a 2027 market-value appeal. That regular deadline is already past. This is not an invitation to file within an open annual window.
OPA’s First Level Review (FLR) and a formal BRT appeal are separate processes. OPA’s current FLR instructions also display October 5, 2026, already past at this check. Do not assume an FLR request or pending response substitutes for a formal appeal or extends its deadline.
Start with the BRT department page and year-specific appeal instructions. Match the property, tax year and type of decision to the form. A hearing date is not an application deadline. A denial letter or other matter may carry a separate period; read that notice instead of reusing the annual market-value date.
If you missed a date or already filed, ask BRT or an appropriately qualified adviser about your exact procedural position. Do not assume a late filing will be accepted, that a pending matter changes payment responsibilities, or that this guide establishes a right to appeal. We have not announced a later year’s filing window.
Prepare a focused set of records and questions
Keep your working records private. Before contacting the relevant office or engaging help, make a short timeline so the person reviewing the matter can distinguish the bill from the valuation and any decision.
- Record the property address, OPA number, owner/occupancy situation and tax year involved.
- Keep the valuation notice, tax bill, relief decision and correspondence together, with their dates.
- Identify the specific issue: recorded property details, assessed value, missing relief, payment allocation or a past-due balance.
- Keep prior submission receipts, payment confirmations and any hearing or decision notice.
- Ask the office which form, supporting records, deadline and submission channel apply to that issue.
For paid help, agree who checks the procedural deadline, who prepares and submits material, and whether representation or later proceedings are included. Ask how fees and secure document exchange work. No general directory category guarantees experience with Philadelphia assessments.
BRT is not BIRT
BRT is the Board of Revision of Taxes, which handles property-assessment appeals. BIRT means Business Income & Receipts Tax. A property owner or business may encounter both names, but the forms and tasks are different. If your notice concerns business activity rather than assessed property value, start with the Philadelphia BIRT and NPT guide.
Ask a professional about your situation
For an assessment dispute, ask specifically about Philadelphia property-assessment appeal experience, the procedural stage and any deadline on your notice. Confirm the named professional’s credentials and written scope. A general tax or accountant listing does not establish assessment-appeal expertise.
Compare professional qualifications and questions to ask. Keep personal tax documents private; this directory does not receive returns, identity documents or portal credentials.
Related guides
Official sources and applicability
- Philadelphia Real Estate Tax — Bill and payment responsibilities, annual payment date and official payment access; use the applicable year’s instructions.
Current official guidance. Checked 2026-10-23. - Official property-tax balance lookup instructions — Address or OPA-number lookup, balances, payment options and vouchers; no property records republished here.
Current official guidance. Checked 2026-10-23. - OPA property assessments and First Level Review — Valuation notice versus bill, property lookup, FLR and formal-appeal distinction.
Current OPA instructions; displayed FLR deadline October 5, 2026 has passed. Checked 2026-10-23. - Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes — BRT assessment-appeal role and the 2027 regular market-value appeal deadline.
2027 market-value appeal deadline October 5, 2026; closed as of 2026-10-23. Checked 2026-10-23. - BRT appeal forms and instructions — Year-specific formal-appeal instructions; no late-appeal eligibility determination.
2027 market-value appeal deadline October 5, 2026; check instructions for the exact matter. Checked 2026-10-23. - Philadelphia Real Estate Tax relief programmes — Official routes for homestead, freezes, LOOP and payment assistance; each has its own conditions.
Current official guidance. Checked 2026-10-23. - Get the Philadelphia Homestead Exemption — Owner-occupancy conditions, application channels, annual application dates and separate denial-letter appeal instructions.
Annual October 1 early / December 1 final application dates in instructions checked 2026-10-23; confirm the bill year. Checked 2026-10-23.
Next source review due 2026-11-22, and before promotion for a new tax year. To report an outdated resource, contact the directory without sending personal tax information.