Home Owners Important Tax Information Enclosed, Property Tax Relief Application For Homestead And Farmstead Exclusions (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

Instructions

Property Tax Relief

Application for Homestead & Farmstead Exclusions

The Taxpayer Relief Act, Act 1 of Special Session 1 of 2006, was signed into law by Governor Rendell on June 27, 2006. The Taxpayer Relief Act

provides two separate mechanisms to reduce your property tax bill. First, each school district, except the Pittsburgh, Scranton and Philadelphia

School Districts, is required to conduct a voter referendum in 2007 to determine whether to impose an additional local income tax to be used to

reduce property taxes. Second, the Taxpayer Relief Act also provides for property tax reduction allocations to be distributed by the Commonwealth

to each school district. Either type of property tax reduction will be through a “homestead or farmstead exclusion.”

Under a homestead or farmstead property tax exclusion, the assessed value of each homestead or farmstead is reduced by the amount of the exclusion

before the property tax is computed. You are not guaranteed a homestead or farmstead exclusion unless and until an additional income tax for

purposes of granting a homestead or farmstead exclusion is approved by voter referendum or sufficient funds have been collected to permit property

tax reduction allocations to be made by the Commonwealth. If an additional income tax is approved by the voters at the 2007 referendum, initial

property tax reductions funded by this mechanism will take effect July 1, 2007. Initial property tax reductions funded by allocations from the

Commonwealth may not take effect until at least July 1, 2008.

To receive school property tax relief for tax years beginning July 1 or January 1, this form must be filed by the preceding March 1. Your school

district is required to notify you by December 31 of each year if your property is not approved for the homestead or farmstead exclusion or if your

approval is due to expire.

BASIC INFORMATION

Fill in your name and the name of other owners, such as a co-owner of the property. The application must be signed by an owner for whom the

property is his or her primary residence. If the property has more than one owner, signatures of additional owners are not required.

Fill in the address of the property for which you are seeking exclusion.

Fill in your municipality. If you are not sure what your municipality is, contact your local tax collector or county assessment office

(610-891-4893).

Fill in your school district. If you are not sure what your school district is, contact your local tax collector or county assessment office

(610-891-4893).

If your mailing address differs from the address of the property for which you are seeking a homestead exclusion, fill in your mailing address.

List phone numbers where you can be reached during the day, and the evening, if you are unavailable during the day.

HOMESTEAD INFORMATION

Only a primary residence of an owner of the property may receive the homestead exclusion. This is where you intend to reside permanently

until you move to another home. You may be asked to provide proof that this property is your primary residence, such as your driver’s license,

your voter registration card, your personal income tax form or your local earned income tax form.

Do you have another residence which you claim as your primary residence? For instance, do you claim another state as your primary residence,

or another county in Pennsylvania? The homestead exclusion can only be claimed once, for a place of primary residence. You may not claim

this property as your primary residence if you claim another property as a primary residence or if you receive a homestead tax abatement or

other homestead benefit from any other county or state.

If you live in a unit of a cooperative and you pay all or a portion of your real property taxes jointly through a management agent or association,

rather than paying your taxes separately from other units, check yes. If you answered yes, please indicate your proportionate share of ownership.

You may be asked to provide a contact to confirm this information.

10. Check yes if the property for which you are seeking a homestead exclusion is used for other purposes, such as a business or rental property. For

example, do you claim part of your home as a home office or deduct expenses for the business use of your home on your state or federal tax? If

you answered yes, please indicate what percentage of the property is used as business or rental property.

11. The parcel number (folio) of the property for which you are seeking a homestead exclusion is listed on the application. You can find the parcel

number (folio) on your real property tax bill. If you do not have a real property tax bill, call your local tax collector or county assessment office

610-891-4893.

FARMSTEAD INFORMATION

(Only applicable to buildings and structures used for commercial agricultural production.)

Only complete this section (questions 12, 13 a, b, and c, and 14) if you are applying for a farmstead exclusion. If you answer yes to questions 13 a, b

and c, you may be asked to provide proof that the buildings and structures are used for commercial agricultural activity, such as the net income or

loss schedule from your state or federal income tax forms.

Instructions Page 1 of 2

Home Owners Important Tax Information Enclosed, Property Tax Relief Application For Homestead And Farmstead Exclusions Page 2

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories