The Homestead / Farmstead tax relief program is a taxpayer relief dollar amount, which is subtracted directly from the school real estate tax bill.  If you have received an application in the mail, you may be eligible for this tax relief.  Simply complete the application and send it to the Homestead Office at:

Homestead Office
633 Court Street
3^rd Floor, Services Center
Reading, PA  19601

You can get an application by either: 

• contacting your school district (telephone numbers for the School Districts); or 
• by clicking this link:  Homestead Property Tax Relief Exclusion Information / Form
  (This link will open to the PA Department of Community and Economic Development web page.  There is more information about the Homestead Tax Relief Program, and under the "Filing Deadline" section, you will find a link to the Homestead / Farmstead form.) 

To qualify for the Homestead tax relief, you must own the property, and it must be your primary residence.  If you own over 10 acres with agricultural out buildings, you may also qualify for Farmstead relief.

After we receive and process your application, you will receive a letter notifying you whether or not you have been accepted.  The deadline to submit your application is March 1st.

After we notify you that your property has been accepted, you do not need to re-apply.  You will continue to receive the tax relief on your school real estate tax bill until the ownership changes or the mailing address changes.

You may only receive the Homestead tax relief on your primary residence, not on all properties that you may own.

NOTE:  As stated above, if you have been approved for the Homestead / Farmstead Tax Relief Program, you do not need to reapply, nor will you receive an application to apply.  

However, if the property is not in the Homestead / Farmstead Tax Relief, you will continue to receive an application each year in the event that circumstances may change making the property eligible.  You do not need to return the form if your property does not meet the program criteria.