Property tax rates in Delaware County, PA come from three separate taxing bodies, and the total depends on where in the county your property sits. For 2026, the county itself levies 4.609 mills on every property. On top of that, you pay a municipal rate set by your township or borough and a school district rate set by one of fifteen districts. Municipal rates for 2026 run from 0.0000 mills in Thornbury Township to 18.4000 mills in Darby Borough, and school district rates run from 11.3681 mills in the West Chester Area School District to 32.86 mills in the William Penn School District.1Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 2026 Tax Rates
Three Bills, Three Taxing Bodies
Every Delaware County property owner receives tax obligations from three independent governments. The county funds regional services like courts, human services, and parks. Your municipality funds local roads, police, and fire. Your school district funds education, which almost always accounts for the largest share of the total bill. In many parts of the county, the school portion alone exceeds the county and municipal portions combined.
Each body adopts its rate annually based on its own budget, which is why your total can change year to year even when your assessment doesn’t. The 2026 county rate of 4.609 mills is itself a 19 percent increase over the prior year, adding roughly $185 to the average homeowner’s county bill.2Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Budget Management
2026 Millage Rates
A mill equals one dollar of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. The three layers for 2026:
- County: 4.609 mills, applied uniformly to every property.
- Municipal: 0.0000 to 18.4000 mills, depending on the township or borough.
- School district: 11.3681 to 32.86 mills, across the county’s fifteen public school districts.3Delaware County Intermediate Unit. Our Districts
The spread between municipalities is enormous. Some fund services almost entirely through non-property-tax revenue; others rely heavily on the property tax. For the exact combined rate at your address, consult the county’s published tax rate tables, which list every municipality and its applicable school district side by side.1Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 2026 Tax Rates
How to Calculate Your Bill
The formula is simple. Multiply your assessed value by the combined millage rate, then divide by 1,000.4Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Delaware County Current Year Taxes
Take a home assessed at $250,000 in a municipality with a 5.0-mill local rate and a school district charging 25.0 mills. Add the 4.609-mill county rate for a combined rate of 34.609 mills. Multiply $250,000 by 34.609 and divide by 1,000: the annual bill comes to $8,652. The same home in a low-tax township with a combined rate near 16 mills would owe roughly $4,000, less than half.
If your mortgage includes an escrow account, the lender divides your annual tax liability by twelve and collects that amount with each monthly payment.
The Assessed Value Your Rate Applies To
Millage rates aren’t applied to what you paid for the house or what it would sell for today. They’re applied to the assessed value set by the Delaware County Board of Assessment Appeals.5Granicus. Board of Assessment Appeals
Delaware County completed a countywide reassessment effective January 1, 2021, its first since 2000. Before that, values were based on 1998 market conditions, which had drifted far from actual sale prices. The 2021 reassessment brought all properties to fair market value as of that date. That value remains your taxable base until the county conducts another reassessment or you successfully appeal.
Payment Schedule and the Early-Pay Discount
County tax bills follow a three-tier schedule tied to the mailing date:4Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Delaware County Current Year Taxes
- Pay within 60 days of the bill’s mailing (by April 1) and take a 2 percent discount.
- Pay from April 2 through June 1 at the full face amount, with no discount and no penalty.
- Pay from June 2 through December 31 and a 10 percent penalty is added.
On a $6,000 county bill, the early discount saves $120 and missing the June 1 deadline costs an extra $600. Municipal and school district bills follow their own schedules, so read each bill’s instructions separately. The dates don’t always align.
Ways to Lower What You Owe
Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion
Pennsylvania’s Taxpayer Relief Act lets school districts reduce the assessed value of owner-occupied homes before calculating the school tax.6Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Property Tax Relief Through Homestead Exclusion The reduction amount depends on how much state funding your district receives. To qualify, the property must be your primary residence; vacation homes, rentals, and commercial properties are not eligible. Apply through the county assessor’s office by March 1.7Pennsylvania General Assembly. Taxpayer Relief Act – Act 1 of Special Session 1 of 2006 Once approved, you generally reapply only every three years unless your circumstances change. The farmstead exclusion extends similar relief to buildings on farms of at least ten contiguous acres used for commercial agricultural production, where the farm also serves as the owner’s home.
Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
Pennsylvania runs a separate state rebate for older adults and people with disabilities. You may qualify if you are 65 or older, a widow or widower age 50 or older, or a person with a disability age 18 or older, with household income of $48,110 or less.8Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program The standard rebate scales from $380 at the top of the income range up to $1,000 for income of $8,550 or less. Homeowners with income of $32,070 or less whose property taxes exceed 15 percent of total income may receive a supplemental rebate, raising the maximum to $1,500.
Appealing Your Assessment
If you believe your assessed value is too high, you can file an appeal with the Delaware County Board of Assessment Appeals. The board requires an original signature; faxed or electronic submissions are not accepted.9Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Board of Assessment You can hand-deliver the appeal to the Government Center at 201 West Front Street in Media, or mail it. If mailing, the postmark controls timeliness, so the county recommends a hand-cancellation or certificate of mailing at the post office counter.
Successful appeals typically rest on evidence that market value is lower than the assessed figure: recent comparable sales, a professional appraisal, or documentation of defects that reduce value. If the board rules against you, you have 30 days to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas through the Office of Judicial Support, which charges a filing fee.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
Unpaid property taxes in Pennsylvania don’t just generate penalties. They can cost you the property. Under the Real Estate Tax Sale Law, taxes become delinquent on December 31. By the following April, tax collectors return unpaid accounts to the county tax claim bureau, which files a formal claim by June 30 and sends notice by July 31.10Pennsylvania General Assembly. Real Estate Tax Sale Law – Act of Jul 7 1947 The owner has until December 31 of that year to pay in full. If the claim remains unpaid, it becomes absolute on January 1. Properties delinquent for two or more years become eligible for an upset sale, typically held between the second Monday in September and the end of the calendar year. If a property doesn’t sell at the upset sale, the bureau can petition for a judicial sale, which wipes out most liens and transfers clear title to the buyer.