Philadelphia property tax records are free to search online through two city portals. Use the Property App at property.phila.gov for ownership, assessed value, sales history, and physical details, and use the Philadelphia Tax Center for current balances, payoff statements, and tax clearance. Both accept a street address or the nine-digit OPA account number, and neither requires a login for a basic lookup.
Where to Search and How to Enter the Address
The Property App, run by the Office of Property Assessment, is the right starting point when you want to know what the city thinks a parcel is: who owns it, what it last sold for, how it is classified, and what value the assessor has placed on it.1City of Philadelphia. Property
The Philadelphia Tax Center handles money. Go there to see whether taxes are paid, what is owed, and to pull a payoff statement for a closing or refinance.2City of Philadelphia. Look Up Your Property Tax Balance
One practical warning about the search box. The database is fussy about address formatting. Drop punctuation, use the standard abbreviations (ST, AVE, BLVD), and skip directional prefixes the record doesn’t expect. A stray period after “St.” can return no results for a property that clearly exists. If the address search fails, switch to the OPA account number; it’s a cleaner match.
What a Philadelphia Property Tax Record Shows
Every record carries two values that people often confuse. The market value is what the city estimates the property would sell for. The assessed value is the number that actually drives your tax bill, and it can differ from market value once exemptions or abatements are applied.3American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 19-1301 – Real Estate Taxes Most billing disputes start with the gap between the two.
Alongside the numbers, the record shows lot dimensions, building type, number of stories, livable area, year built, current owner, and the chain of title transfers. On the Tax Center side you’ll see the current balance, any delinquent amounts, whether the Homestead Exemption is active, and whether the parcel carries a tax abatement.
Checking the Balance and Reading What’s Owed
Philadelphia’s combined real estate tax rate is 1.3998% of assessed value, split between the city (0.6159%) and the School District of Philadelphia (0.7839%).4City of Philadelphia. Real Estate Tax On a $200,000 assessment that’s about $2,800 a year before any exemption.
The bill is due March 31 each year.4City of Philadelphia. Real Estate Tax There is no early-payment discount. If the record shows a balance after that date, the additions have already started running.
What Late Looks Like on the Record
Starting April 1, the city adds 1.5% of the unpaid balance per month. By December the accumulated additions reach 13.5%. If the bill is still unpaid on January 1 of the following year, the taxes are registered as delinquent, a flat 15% is added to the principal, a $106.45 lien charge is applied, and collection fees follow (18% if handled by an outside firm, 6% if the city collects directly). Interest then runs at 0.75% monthly on the principal, with an additional 1% monthly penalty from February through August.5City of Philadelphia. Interest, Penalties, and Fees
At the far end of that escalation, a property with unresolved delinquent taxes can be pushed to a Sheriff Sale, with opening bids for tax-delinquent parcels starting at $1,600.6Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office. Conditions of Sale for Tax Sales For a buyer, the takeaway is simple: any delinquent balance shown on a record can follow the parcel, so the balance tab matters as much as the assessment tab.
Payoff Statements and Tax Clearance Certificates
A screenshot of the balance page usually will not satisfy a title company. What they want is a payoff statement, which lists all outstanding real estate tax, commercial trash fees, and any Licenses and Inspections abatement invoices tied to the property. You can generate one through the Philadelphia Tax Center with just the address or OPA number and the name of the requester; no login required.7Philadelphia Department of Revenue. Philadelphia Tax Center – What to Do
A tax clearance certificate is a different document. It confirms your overall Philadelphia tax account is in good standing, and you can check status and request one through the Tax Center as well.8City of Philadelphia. Get Tax Clearance If the system can’t issue it online, email tax.clearance@phila.gov; responses usually come within three to five business days.9City of Philadelphia. Request Philadelphia Tax Clearance Certificate Online
If Something in the Record Is Wrong
Two different problems, two different fixes. Wrong facts (misspelled owner name, incorrect lot size, a building characteristic that doesn’t match reality) go to the Office of Property Assessment for correction. Submit an official inquiry or call OPA at (215) 686-4334.1City of Philadelphia. Property Incorrect square footage or building details can quietly inflate an assessed value, and an ownership error can complicate a future sale, so it’s worth fixing on sight.
A value you believe is too high is a separate process.
First Level Review
When OPA sends a Notice of Proposed Valuation, it includes a form to request a First Level Review. This is the informal step. You can argue that the market value is wrong, the recorded characteristics are wrong, or the valuation is out of line with similar nearby properties, and you can submit photos, an independent appraisal, or comparable sales as evidence.10City of Philadelphia. Office of Property Assessment – Property Assessments The FLR won’t consider the financial impact on your household or the size of the percentage change on its own. Lost the form? Call OPA at (215) 686-9200 for a replacement.
Formal Appeal to the Board of Revision of Taxes
If the First Level Review doesn’t resolve it, file a formal appeal with the Board of Revision of Taxes. You need to show at least one of three things: the estimated market value is too high or too low, the valuation isn’t uniform with similar surrounding properties, or the property characteristics are substantially wrong.11City of Philadelphia. Property Assessment Appeals
The deadline to file a market value appeal for the 2027 tax year is October 5, 2026.12City of Philadelphia. Property Assessment Appeal Documents and Forms Miss it and you’re locked into the assessed value for another year. One protection while the appeal is pending: no penalties or interest accrue on the disputed portion, as long as you paid at least the prior year’s tax amount by March 31.13American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code Title 19 – Finance, Taxes and Collections
Relief Programs That Change What Your Record Shows
Several programs alter the assessed value or the amount owed. If you own and occupy the home and haven’t looked into them, it’s worth a few minutes.
Homestead Exemption
The Homestead Exemption reduces the assessed value of a primary residence by $100,000 before tax is calculated.14City of Philadelphia. Get the Homestead Exemption At the current 1.3998% rate, that’s roughly $1,399 in annual savings.15City of Philadelphia. Get $100K Off Your Home’s Assessed Value with Homestead One catch: you can’t stack Homestead with a 10-year residential tax abatement. If your property has an active abatement, you’re ineligible for Homestead until it expires, and once an abatement is cancelled it cannot be reinstated.
Owner-Occupied Payment Agreement
If you own and live in the home and have fallen behind, OOPA sets up an income-based monthly payment plan with no required down payment. Payment amounts are based on household size and income, and some low-income or senior residents qualify for a $0 minimum monthly payment. You still need to keep up with new bills as they come due, though some participants can roll new taxes into the existing agreement.16City of Philadelphia. Set Up an Owner-Occupied Real Estate Tax Payment Agreement (OOPA)
Longtime Owner Occupants Program
LOOP targets homeowners hit by sharp reassessments. You qualify if you’ve lived in the home for at least 10 years and the assessment has jumped at least 50% over the prior year or 75% over the past five. The 2026 application deadline is September 30, 2026.17City of Philadelphia. Apply for the Longtime Owner Occupants Program (LOOP)
Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Freeze
If you or your spouse is 65 or older and household income is $33,500 or less (single) or $41,500 or less (married), you can freeze your real estate tax bill at its current amount so future reassessments don’t raise it, as long as you remain eligible.18City of Philadelphia. Apply for the Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Freeze
Real Estate Tax Installment Plan
Low-income homeowners and all seniors who own and occupy their homes can split the current-year bill into monthly installments instead of paying the lump sum by March 31. Applications must be received by March 31 each year.19City of Philadelphia. Set Up a Real Estate Tax Installment Plan