Hello,
 
Now that the 2021 filing deadlines have passed, we can all breathe. But most importantly, this is the perfect time to take care of any unresolved tax issues and get your business back on track.
 
We'll share more about this later in this newsletter. But first, we’ll start with a word of appreciation to everyone for being patient with us through the 2022 tax season. We've also included some general tax updates and a quick highlight of the City’s newly released property assessments in this edition. 
Thank you for being patient

This year's tax season was unlike any other. It marked the first year you filed and paid most business taxes on the Philadelphia Tax Center. We would like to thank you for quickly adapting to this change and being patient with us throughout the process. We received 175,925 returns and 20,437 payments through the Tax Center from January 24 through April 18. These figures only cover business taxes currently available on the City's new tax website. 
 
While excited about the overwhelming response, we quickly adjusted to accommodate some taxpayers who needed additional time to get through the filing process. If you haven't done so already, file your 2021 returns and pay any liabilities soon. If you have questions, please call (215) 686-6600. 
 
New property assessments unveiled

Over 580,000 Philly properties will have new property assessments for Tax Year 2023. The Office of Property Assessment (OPA) released the preliminary values online on May 9. But property owners can look forward to receiving written notices with their new assessments by September of this year. Philly's residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional property owners last saw changes to their assessments in 2020. If you have questions about your assessment, visit www.phila.gov/OPA or call (215) 686-9200.
 
The good news is that the new assessments come with expanded Real Estate Tax relief for Philadelphia homeowners. Although legislation is not final, expect to see an expanded Homestead Exemption. Now is the time to enroll in the Senior Tax Freeze program, which helps vulnerable Seniors afford their property tax bills. Not a senior or homeowner yourself? Please let a neighbor or family member know that we have programs that can help. Visit our Real Estate Tax relief webpage to learn more.
 
The City has also launched a Real Estate Tax estimator on the property.phila.gov website. You can search for your property, confirm if you have the Homestead Exemption and estimate the effect of the current and proposed Homestead amounts.
Don't ignore our letters

Got a "Notice of Revocation of City License(s)" in the mail? The City of Philadelphia has resumed its Commercial Activity License (CAL) Revocation program after a long pause due to the pandemic. We recently mailed out warning notices to businesses with unresolved tax debts. You may have received one if you have outstanding business taxes or failed to file missing returns. 
 
Ignoring our letters or your tax debts will only make things worse. You could lose your license and be fined $300 (per day) for operating without a valid license. The best solution is to contact the Department of Revenue if you have trouble resolving your debts. If you need help or have questions, please call (215) 686-6705.
 
Avoid collection and lien charges

If you still owe 2022 Real Estate Taxes, your account may soon be transferred to a collection agency or law firm, limiting your access to some payment agreement options. If you don't pay your bill by December 31 of this year, your account will become delinquent on January 1, 2023. At that point:
 
  • The City can put a lien on your property and add legal fees that sink you further into debt. 
  • Eventually, you could lose your property at a Sheriff's sale. 
 
You can stop the extra charges if you pay your bill in full today. The fastest and easiest way to do this is online at www.phila.gov/pay. If you can't pay the full amount, contact us to arrange a payment plan.

This e-newsletter is produced monthly to provide key updates from the Department of Revenue. It includes many different tax and water collection topics. If you want to get email updates about the Philadelphia Tax Center website specifically, we have an additional list for you to join.
 
Thank you,
The Philadelphia Department of Revenue
Please do not respond to this email message, as this email box is not monitored. If you have questions please email [email protected] or call (215) 686-6600.