How are Pennsylvania property taxes calculated?

Annual tax = assessed value × (county millage + municipal millage + school district millage) ÷ 1,000. Assessed values sit on county base years — Bucks County still uses 1972 — and the school district portion is typically 60–75% of the total bill.

Why are Zillow's Pennsylvania tax estimates wrong?

Generic calculators multiply home price by a county-average rate. Pennsylvania bills are computed from assessed values on decades-old base years times three separate millage rates that vary by municipality and school district — so the county average can miss by thousands of dollars per year.

Do Pennsylvania property taxes change when a home sells?

Pennsylvania does not reassess on sale — the seller's assessment usually carries over. But if the assessment is far below what the sale price implies at the county's Common Level Ratio, the school district can appeal the assessment after closing, raising the bill.

NookLocal tools

Pennsylvania property tax calculator that actually does the math

Pennsylvania property taxes aren't a single rate — they're your county, municipality, and school district millage applied to an assessed value that can date to a decades-old base year. Generic calculators multiply price by a county average and get it wrong. This one uses the actual 2026 millage for 214 municipalities across 4 counties and the official Common Level Ratio.

Data verified 2026-06-10 from county assessment offices, PA Department of Education certified filings, and the State Tax Equalization Board. Refreshed each January (county/municipal budgets) and July (school budgets + new CLR).

CountyMunicipalityPurchase price

Choose a county and municipality, enter a price, and the full county + municipal + school breakdown appears here.

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How Pennsylvania property taxes actually work

Your bill = assessed value × (county millage + municipal millage + school millage) ÷ 1,000. The school district is typically 60–75% of the total — which is why two similar homes a mile apart can carry tax bills thousands of dollars apart.

Assessed values are not market values. Each county assesses against a base year — Bucks County still uses 1972 — and the state's annual Common Level Ratio translates between the two. Buying an existing home? PA does not reassess on sale, so the seller's assessment — and bill — usually carries over. Every NookLocal listing shows that recomputed bill at current rates.