Cost to Own
United States › Pennsylvania › Exemptions Programs 2 Avg effective rate 1.317%
Money that stays yours only if you claim it Most of these take a single filing with the county assessor. Homeowners who never file simply pay the full bill, every year, forever.

Statewide relief programs

Property Tax Exemptions in Pennsylvania

These are the major statewide programs. Counties and cities often layer their own on top, and dollar amounts change with legislation, so each entry tells you what the program is and who it is for, and the official Pennsylvania source carries the current numbers.

What you may be able to claim

Property Tax/Rent Rebate Who: 65+, widowed 50+, disabled, under income limits. Annual rebate; expanded income limits in recent years.
Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion Who: Owner-occupants who file with the county. School-district assessed-value exclusion funded by gaming revenue, requires the one-time application many skip.

Current amounts, income limits and forms: official Pennsylvania property tax site. Filing itself happens at your county assessor's office.

Common questions

What property tax exemptions does Pennsylvania offer?

Pennsylvania offers 2 major statewide relief programs: Property Tax/Rent Rebate; Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion. Details and current amounts are on the official state site, and claims go through your county assessor.

Do property tax exemptions renew automatically?

Some do, many do not. Homestead-type filings usually persist once made, while income-tested programs typically require an annual application. The safe habit is one call to the county assessor each year.

How much can an exemption save?

It depends on the program, your home's value and the current statutory amounts, which change. On this site's data, the average Pennsylvania homeowner pays an effective 1.317% of home value in property tax each year, any exemption comes off that bill.

Keep going

Down payment help in Pennsylvania · Every Pennsylvania county's full ownership cost · The state's lowest-tax counties