School Taxes in PA

sxs · Mar 3, 2015

Any place in PA have school taxes that aren't outrageous? I was looking at places to move to when I retire that are a reasonable commute to Central Maryland (my siblings still live here as well as many friend). When looking at houses in PA, it looks like the school taxes can pretty often add up to most of the cost of a mortgage.

reddobie0 · Mar 3, 2015

It is similar to MD but just broken up in to two taxes(school & real estate) while MD just makes it all one. They aren't that much different in taxes compared to some counties in MD. I have properties in Dallastown Area school district and it is a highly well rated district. Taxes total aren't bad at all.

Inigoes · Mar 3, 2015

reddobie0 said:
It is similar to MD but just broken up in to two taxes(school & real estate) while MD just makes it all one. They aren't that much different in taxes compared to some counties in MD. I have properties in Dallastown Area school district and it is a highly well rated district. Taxes total aren't bad at all.

Yep

The combined taxes are about the same between MD and PA

PJDiesel · Mar 3, 2015

Inigoes said:
Yep

The combined taxes are about the same between MD and PA

Not so fast there.....

Chester County is nowhere NEAR the same as the MD county it borders.

My taxes are just under $4K a year here, same house 10 miles north of here is closer to $7K. I know people who are paying $13K a year in West Grove (Avon Grove School district).

Inigoes · Mar 3, 2015

PJDiesel said:
Not so fast there.....

Chester County is nowhere NEAR the same as the MD county it borders.

My taxes are just under $4K a year here, same house 10 miles north of here is closer to $7K. I know people who are paying $13K a year in West Grove (Avon Grove School district).

I pay about the same in combined property taxes for each of my homes :shrug:

reddobie0 · Mar 3, 2015

PJDiesel said:
Not so fast there.....

Chester County is nowhere NEAR the same as the MD county it borders.

My taxes are just under $4K a year here, same house 10 miles north of here is closer to $7K. I know people who are paying $13K a year in West Grove (Avon Grove School district).

Every school district is different just like every county in MD. Try to compare PG to AA and thats why I live in Anne Arundel. Plus PA has lower income tax and doesn't tax retirement another added bonus. Don't get started on their firearm benfits over us.

Jimbob2.0 · Mar 3, 2015

Its PA school taxes will always be super high and they are determined on the district township level so they can go up (many times over when a small district wants to build a new school and its spread over a small number of residents).

BlackBart · Mar 3, 2015

I pay about 4.5 times as much here as in the house in Md. :sad20:

True the house is worth about 3 times more BUT the schools here have overkill for the students. :sad20:

Equestrian Club................. :rolleyes:

Yeah, that's why they're so high.

hdatontodo · Mar 3, 2015

I have a friend in Shrewsbury off I-83 who reportedly pays $500 / mo in school tax.

I've heard some people on fixed income get really jammed by increases in some juristictions.

sxs · Mar 3, 2015

I did a little spot check in the York area and also near Lancaster and saw quite a few houses with school taxes in the 5k - 7k range on a 250k - 300k house. My 300k+ assesed house in AA County is only $2700...garbage collectiojn fee included. Granted, some I've looked at actually look nicer than my 300k house, but those taxes significantly offset income tax savings. I have, however, been told it can vary widely from one area to the next...so I thought I'd just throw this out there and see what would pop up. reddobie (or others...feel free to chime in...), I presume you are saying they don't tax pensions (I'm a couple years away from SS)?

reddobie0 · Mar 3, 2015

Jimbob2.0 said:
Its PA school taxes will always be super high and they are determined on the district township level so they can go up (many times over when a small district wants to build a new school and its spread over a small number of residents).

I have owned one specific property since 1994 and the taxes have gone up marginally over the years. My other properties I have had for over 10 years and taxes have gone up very little also. I would move back to PA in a heartbeat and have a nicer house for a lot less money, but the wife works in DC.

PJDiesel · Mar 3, 2015

Inigoes said:
I pay about the same in combined property taxes for each of my homes

Which one is in Chester County?

I could compare a tax bill for something in rural Lancaster County to something in Kent County MD, schools are probably equally as shitty too.

Saying (with a broad stroke) that PA taxes are very similar to MD is misleading. Most of SEPA has a property/school tax bill that closely resembles NJ.

Jimbob2.0 · Mar 3, 2015

reddobie0 said:
I have owned one specific property since 1994 and the taxes have gone up marginally over the years. My other properties I have had for over 10 years and taxes have gone up very little also. I would move back to PA in a heartbeat and have a nicer house for a lot less money, but the wife works in DC.

As noted varies by district. I pay less for my Moco taxes than my parents do for their hillbilly house. Still worth it for some freedom at least until Philadelphia takes over.

BlackBart · Mar 3, 2015

The new Gov is talking about raising sales taxes BUT lowering RE taxes. I can live with that. Buy used from ME!

alucard0822 · Mar 3, 2015

The taxes are complicated, you basically have to look at a lot of factors to see where the difference is. Cost of living up here is cheaper, cheaper utility rates, lower income tax, lower cost for comparable houses, lower cost of tiling/registration for vehicles. Annual vehicle inspections, split property/school tax combines to be a little higher, annoying $15 per yr capita and occupation taxes, large difference in school/property tax rates and water/sewer/trash by locality. In the end for us it's a lot cheaper, enough to get a decent house on 1/4 acre vs a smaller townhouse most places in MD.

campns · Mar 3, 2015

http://www.openpagov.org/property_taxes.asp

there is a comprehensive list of all the school taxes in PA, where i'm from (Warren County) the school taxes are about 4.5k/yr

gamer_jim · Mar 3, 2015

sxs said:
Any place in PA have school taxes that aren't outrageous? I was looking at places to move to when I retire that are a reasonable commute to Central Maryland (my siblings still live here as well as many friend). When looking at houses in PA, it looks like the school taxes can pretty often add up to most of the cost of a mortgage.

Yes, there is a huge difference between Hanover borough and SW school district.

You can shop around houses in school districts by their tax rate.

We looked at this too and since we don't have kids we personally don't care about the school tax rate. The only thing we would care about is how it would affect the value of our house. A house in a higher tax rate district will have nicer school and demand a better price from a buyer that has school-aged kids.

It's a calculation, either you pay it up front or when you sell your house.

AKbythebay · Mar 3, 2015

If you are looking to save on property/school taxes as compared to Maryland, move to Delaware, not to PA. PA has lower income taxes but you can get hit hard on property taxes. DE property taxes, from what I have seen, are substantially lower than Maryland. Only downside is having to live in Delaware

Kman · Mar 3, 2015

Good luck in PA.

I was listening to a Lancaster area station while on the road yesterday and I heard news about some politician, recently elected on his platform of not increasing taxes, and he was propsing an increase on income and sales tax...claiming it was to avoid an increase in property tax. :sad20:

Because spending the same as before or less is never an option. Shake the money tree.

OrangeSpear · Mar 3, 2015

I pay about the same in taxes for my MD house and my PA house. The difference is my MD house is a townhouse and my PA house is an 80 acre farm.
And gun laws are better.

School Taxes in PA

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Senior Member

Ultimate Member

Head'n for the hills

Banned

Head'n for the hills

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Banned

Ultimate Member

Senior Member

Ultimate Member

Banned

Ultimate Member

Banned

For great Justice

Ultimate Member

Podcaster

Ultimate Member

Blah, blah, blah

NRA Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics