Tax appeal deadlines are approaching for the filing of tax appeals throughout Pennsylvania. Make sure you know when your appeal must be submitted to be considered for the 2021 tax year.
PA County Important Dates
Montgomery County: The official deadline for filing appeals in Montgomery County is August 1 – since that date falls on a Saturday this year, applicants would be advised to submit their application by July 31.
Chester County and Bucks County: Both use the first business day in August as the deadline, which this year will be August 3.
Delaware County has undergone a countywide reassessment for 2021 (read more about that process here) and will allow appeals to be filed until September 1. This deadline was pushed from the original date of August 10 pursuant to an emergency order of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.
Philadelphia County: appeals are due no later than the first Monday in October, which falls on October 5.
Deadlines in most other counties throughout Pennsylvania are between August 1 and October 1.
Property assessments - and the tax bills that are calculated from them - are often very difficult for property owners to interpret and fully understand. Assessments are often some percentage of actual fair market value, and determining your property’s actual fair market value can be a bit complex.
A challenge to your property’s assessment is usually best supported for residential properties by evidence such as an appraisal, recent sales data for comparable properties, or other sources of information and support. Several other factors might be considered for commercial or investment properties, like the cost approach or income approach to valuation, each of which can involve compiling significant amounts of data and applying nuanced analysis and legal arguments. Real estate attorney Bill Kerr addresses the questions some commercial property owners may have here.
At High Swartz, our attorneys have many years of experience representing property owners in counties all across the state in appeals on properties ranging from single family homes to high-value commercial properties to multi-million dollar affordable or market rate apartment complexes. In many counties, the reduced assessment we are able to achieve will remain in place for many years, resulting in savings year after year.
