If you own and live in a Philadelphia home, the Homestead Exemption is one of the most valuable tax breaks available to you — and one of the most underused. It reduces your assessed value by $80,000, saving most homeowners roughly $1,100 per year. There is no income limit, no age requirement, and the application takes about five minutes online. The deadline is September 13.
This guide covers exactly what the exemption is, who qualifies, how to apply, what the LOOP program adds for long-term residents, and how to verify whether a property already has the exemption active before you close.
The Homestead Exemption is a Philadelphia property tax benefit that reduces the taxable assessed value of your home by $80,000. Because Philadelphia sets its property tax rate against assessed value, a lower assessed value means a lower annual tax bill — dollar for dollar, every year you maintain the exemption.
As of 2026, Philadelphia's combined property tax rate (city + school district) is approximately 1.3998% of assessed value. Applied to an $80,000 reduction, the math works out like this:
Savings calculation:
$80,000 × 1.3998% = ~$1,120 per year in property tax savings for most homeowners.
On a $300,000 assessed home, the exemption effectively drops your taxable value to $220,000 — cutting roughly 27% off your annual bill.
The exemption is permanent once approved — you do not need to reapply each year as long as you continue to own and occupy the property as your primary residence. If your situation changes (you move out, rent it, or sell), you are responsible for notifying the Office of Property Assessment (OPA) to remove the exemption.
The Homestead Exemption has intentionally broad eligibility. There is no income limit, no age limit, and no minimum length of ownership. The single requirement is this:
That's it. It does not matter whether you bought last year or thirty years ago, whether you have a mortgage or own outright, or how much your home is worth.
OPA has made the Homestead Exemption application straightforward. There are two ways to apply:
You only need to apply once. If you have owned and occupied your home for years and never applied, your savings have been sitting on the table — apply now and the exemption takes effect for the next tax year following approval. You cannot collect retroactive savings for prior years, which makes applying sooner better than later.
Annual deadline: Applications for the Homestead Exemption must be received by September 13 of a given year to take effect for the following tax year. An application filed on September 14 goes into the queue for the year after that. Mark the date.
The Longtime Owner Occupants Program (LOOP) is a separate but related benefit available to Philadelphia homeowners who have owned and occupied their property for at least ten consecutive years and meet income eligibility requirements. LOOP caps the increase in your property tax bill if OPA raises your assessed value in a given year.
Here is why it matters: Philadelphia periodically reassesses all properties, and in a rising market, reassessments can spike assessed values sharply — sometimes doubling or tripling a homeowner's tax bill in a single cycle. LOOP limits how much your bill can increase in any year in which your property is reassessed upward.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ownership duration | Must own and occupy the property as primary residence for at least 10 consecutive years |
| Homestead Exemption | Must also have the Homestead Exemption active — LOOP is an add-on, not a standalone benefit |
| Income limit | Household income must not exceed 150% of Philadelphia's Area Median Income (AMI) — approximately $100,000–$130,000 depending on household size in recent years; check opa.phila.gov for current limits |
| Assessment increase trigger | LOOP only applies if your assessed value increases in a given reassessment cycle. If there's no increase, LOOP has no effect that year. |
LOOP does not reduce your tax bill outright — it protects you from sudden spikes. For long-term owners in appreciating neighborhoods (South Philadelphia, Fishtown, Kensington, Port Richmond), it can be the difference between being able to afford to stay and being pushed out by a reassessment. The application process mirrors the Homestead Exemption — apply through OPA, same deadline applies.
Run a free Flagstone report to see OPA assessed value, homestead exemption status, abatement status, tax delinquency, and open violations — all in under 60 seconds.
Run a free report →Before buying a Philadelphia property, you should always verify whether the Homestead Exemption is currently active. Here is why it matters for buyers: if the prior owner had the exemption and you do not apply after purchase, your tax bill will be higher than what they were paying — sometimes significantly higher. It is a common source of surprise for first-time buyers who underestimate their post-purchase tax obligation.
You can also check OPA's online portal directly at opa.phila.gov by searching the property address. The portal shows assessed value, exemptions, and tax balances in one view.
When a property sells, the Homestead Exemption does not automatically transfer to the new owner. As the buyer, you must apply fresh after taking title. The good news: if you close before September 13, you can apply that same year and the exemption will take effect for the following tax year. If you close after the deadline, your first year with the exemption will be the year after that.
This is worth doing on day one after settlement — do not let it sit in a to-do pile.
The Homestead Exemption and a property tax assessment appeal are two separate tools that work together. The exemption reduces your taxable assessed value by $80,000. An appeal argues that OPA's assessed value itself is too high relative to market value. If you believe your property is over-assessed — and many are — filing both an exemption application and an appeal can compound your savings significantly.
You can pursue both at the same time. The exemption application goes to OPA. An assessment appeal goes to OPA first (First Level Review) and then to the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) if you want to escalate. They move through separate tracks. The October 1 BRT appeal deadline and the September 13 exemption deadline are close together, so fall is the right time to address both.
If you are evaluating a property as an investor, understanding its current exemption status gives you a cleaner picture of what the carrying cost will be under your ownership:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Assessment reduction | $80,000 off taxable assessed value |
| Annual savings (approx.) | ~$1,120/year at current 1.3998% combined rate |
| Income limit | None (Homestead Exemption only — LOOP has an income cap) |
| Age limit | None |
| Ownership minimum | None — can apply right after purchase |
| Annual deadline | September 13 to take effect for the following tax year |
| Re-application required? | No — exemption is permanent until ownership or occupancy changes |
| Where to apply | opa.phila.gov (online) or OPA at 601 Walnut St, Suite 300W |
| Where to verify | atlas.phila.gov → property record → OPA details |
First-time buyers: The Homestead Exemption stacks with other benefits. If you are buying with PHFA assistance, using down payment grants, or taking advantage of the transfer tax first-time buyer exemption, the Homestead Exemption is an additional ongoing savings layer — not an either/or choice. See our complete first-time homebuyer program guide for the full picture.
Flagstone pulls OPA assessed value, exemption status, abatement status, open tax liens, and violation history on any Philadelphia address — for free.
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