Philadelphia, PA Property Tax Appeal

Philadelphia reassesses every property every year and values them at 100% of market value, which means there is no built-in cushion between your assessment and what your home would actually sell for. When the Office of Property Assessment gets a block wrong, the whole block pays for it until somebody appeals.

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How the BRT appeal works

In Philadelphia, the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) is the local review board for homeowners who want to challenge the value on a property tax notice. Your filing deadline is the first Monday in October — October 5, 2026 for tax year 2027, so the date printed on your notice controls when you need to act. The Property Assessment Appeal Application petition is filed with the Board of Revision of Taxes, while the Office of Property Assessment (OPA) remains the office that set the value you are challenging. The market-value argument is grounded in 72 P.S. § 5341.1 et seq. (Act 404 of 1939) — assessment appeals in cities of the first class, which means the packet should explain why local comparable sales, property condition, or assessment facts support a lower value. For homes around Philadelphia and neighborhoods such as Fishtown, Manayunk, and Roxborough, the strongest appeal is specific to the assessor's own record and the neighborhood evidence rather than a generic tax complaint.

What you get for $39.99

Start with a free estimate for your property. We use local assessment data to identify whether your value appears high enough to justify preparing an appeal packet, so you can decide before paying anything.

If the estimate shows a reasonable case, the $39.99 upgrade turns that analysis into a ready-to-file packet for your Philadelphia property tax appeal. The packet is built around the local filing path, the required petition form, comparable-property support, and plain-English filing notes that help you move from estimate to submission.

The fee is flat: no commission, no percentage of savings, and no surprise charge if your appeal lowers your tax bill. You keep any savings from the appeal, and you pay only for the document-preparation packet.

Philadelphia property tax appeal FAQ

What is the deadline to appeal my Philadelphia assessment?

The formal appeal to the Board of Revision of Taxes is due the first Monday in October — October 5, 2026 for the 2027 tax year. A separate, informal First Level Review with the Office of Property Assessment is due September 1, 2026. You can do both, and neither costs anything.

Does appealing cost money or require a lawyer?

No on both counts. The First Level Review and the BRT appeal are free, and Philadelphia homeowners routinely handle BRT hearings themselves. What most people lack is the evidence, which is what our $39.99 packet supplies: comparable sales and assessments drawn from the city's own records.

What grounds can I appeal on?

The BRT accepts three: that the market value is too high, that your assessment is not uniform with similar surrounding properties, or that the recorded characteristics of your property are wrong. Our analysis tests the first two and builds whichever case is stronger for your home.

How does the homestead exemption affect my savings?

The exemption removes $100,000 from your taxable value before the 1.3998% rate is applied, and it is separate from any appeal. Lowering your assessment lowers the taxable amount on top of the exemption, so the two stack rather than cancelling out.

Helpful property tax appeal resources

Use these pages to compare the Philadelphia appeal workflow with the broader Simple Appraisal Protest process.