The Homestead Exemption is a flat reduction in the taxable assessed value of an owner-occupied home. Every eligible owner-occupant gets the same fixed cut, regardless of how big or expensive the property is — it lowers the value the City's tax rate is applied to, so your bill comes down. Because the amount is a set dollar figure the City can adjust, we won't quote it here; check the current amount and application details at phila.gov. It's typically claimed once and then carries forward into future years automatically.
Your name is on the deed for the property.
You live in it as your main home — eligibility turns on ownership and occupancy, not income.
In most cases it carries into future years automatically once it's on your account.
The Homestead Exemption and an assessment appeal act on different parts of the same math, so they stack. An appeal lowers the assessed value itself when the City's number is higher than what comparable homes actually sell for. The Homestead Exemption then subtracts its fixed amount from the taxable value that remains. One argues the starting number is wrong; the other is a standing deduction on top of the result. We break the comparison down in Homestead Exemption vs. appeal, and cover the other levers in the Philadelphia tax relief programs guide.
The exemption is worth real money every year, but plenty of eligible owners never get around to claiming it — the form falls to the bottom of the list. ALKARTIS is building a done-for-you homestead service: we confirm you're eligible, prepare the application from your public property record, and hand you a clean, ready-to-submit filing — so a discount you're already owed actually lands on your account. It's in development now. You can always file the exemption yourself, free, directly with the City at phila.gov — what we're building is the convenience of not having to.
The exemption trims your taxable value, but it does nothing about an assessment that's inflated in the first place. That's live today: TaxAssessmentIQ checks your Office of Property Assessment value against real comparable sales, for free, and tells you whether an appeal is worth filing — then builds a ready-to-file appeal packet if it is. Fix the underlying number with an appeal, and the Homestead Exemption comes off the corrected value later.
It's a flat reduction in the taxable assessed value of an owner-occupied home. Every eligible owner-occupant gets the same fixed cut, which lowers the value the City's tax rate is applied to. The exact amount is set by the City and changes over time, so confirm the current figure at phila.gov.
Owners who live in the property as their primary residence. Eligibility turns on ownership and occupancy, not income. In most cases it's claimed once and then carries into future years automatically.
It's a fixed reduction in taxable value rather than a percentage, and the City sets and revises the amount — so the savings depend on that year's exemption and tax rate. We don't quote a figure here; check the current amount at phila.gov.
Yes. They work on different parts of the same calculation, so they stack. An appeal lowers the assessed value itself; the exemption subtracts a fixed amount from the taxable value afterward. The owners who pay the least use both.
Yes — you can file it directly with the City at phila.gov at no charge. ALKARTIS is building a done-for-you option for owners who'd rather have the application prepared and handled for them; that convenience is a separate, paid service.
No. ALKARTIS is an independent company and is not affiliated with the City. You can always file the Homestead Exemption directly with the City of Philadelphia at phila.gov.