What happens if you don't pay Berks County property taxes

If you stop paying your Berks County property taxes, the unpaid bill is turned over to the county's Tax Claim Bureau, where it collects interest and fees until you pay it or the county sells the property to recover the taxes. That sale comes about 21 months after the bill is turned over, and Berks County has no redemption period: once the property sells, paying the back taxes will not get it back.

Where the bill goes when you don't pay

Your county, municipal, and school real estate taxes are billed separately, but any of them left unpaid at the end of the year is handled the same way. On December 31 an unpaid bill becomes delinquent. The following January it is turned over to the Berks County Tax Claim Bureau, the county office that collects overdue real estate taxes for every municipality in the county and 15 school districts. From that point you pay the bureau, not your original tax collector, and the amount owed grows.

What gets added to the bill

Once the bureau takes over, interest and fees are added to the original tax. The county's published schedule includes:

• A $15 fee for each taxing body whose bill was turned over, charged at turnover.
• A $25 charge for the first notice mailed to you in the spring.
• A $38 fee to file a lien against the property, and interest of 0.75% a month once the lien is filed.
• A 5% operating fee and a 0.5% solicitor fee on the balance.
• If the account heads toward sale, later notice, posting, and advertising costs of roughly $30, $60, and $50.

These figures come from the bureau's timeline sheet, which the county marks as subject to change. Call the bureau for the exact payoff on your parcel rather than relying on an old total.

The 21-month clock to the tax sale

Under Pennsylvania's Real Estate Tax Sale Law, the county cannot sell your property the moment you fall behind. The bureau describes about a 21-month wait from turnover to the first sale. A county bill you leave unpaid through the end of 2026 is turned over in January 2027 and, if it stays unpaid, can be exposed at the upset tax sale around September 2028. During that time the bureau mails and posts several notices and advertises the property in the Reading Eagle, the Berks County Law Journal, and the Merchandiser.

The three sales

Berks County holds three kinds of tax sales, and a property moves through them in order.

Sale	When	What the buyer gets
Upset sale	September	Property sold with all liens and mortgages still attached
Judicial (free and clear) sale	Usually June the next year	Property sold free of most liens
Repository sale	Bids taken March 1 – October 31	Leftover parcels, sealed-bid, sold free and clear

A property goes to the upset sale first. If no one buys it, it moves to the judicial "free and clear" sale the following year, where the court can clear most liens. Anything still unsold lands in the repository, a short standing list that anyone can bid on by mail; the list posted in October 2026 had 22 parcels. The 2026 judicial sale was held June 11 and 12, and the 2026 upset sale closed Sept. 11 after bidding opened Sept. 10. The next upset sale is expected in September 2027 and the next judicial sale in June 2027. The upset and judicial sales run through the county's online auction vendor, Bid4Assets; repository bids are sealed bids delivered to the bureau. New for 2026, buyers at the upset sale and the repository sale also pay a $250 demolition fund fee on top of the bid, under the bureau's 2026 upset sale conditions and its repository bid instructions.

Berks County has no redemption period

This is the fact that catches owners off guard. Some states let you reclaim a sold home by paying the back taxes within a set window. Berks County does not. The bureau states that there is no redemption period and no time limit for challenging a completed sale. Once your property is sold at the upset or judicial sale, paying the taxes will not bring it back. The only reliable time to act is before the sale.

How to keep your property off the sale list

You can stop a sale two ways: pay the delinquent balance in full, or set up a payment agreement with the bureau if you qualify.

1. Call the Tax Claim Bureau at 610-478-6625 and ask for the full payoff and your options. The sooner you call, the smaller the balance.
2. Ask about a payment agreement. The bureau offers installment agreements starting in May of the year a property would go to the upset sale, and you can enter one up until the day before the sale. Its Delinquent Taxpayer Assistance page also describes a hardship agreement for owners facing financial hardship from illness or injury, with 10% down and the rest paid in 23 equal monthly payments, and a tax deferral program for residents 60 and older with household income of $35,000 or less.
3. Pay by check or money order, or by credit card online through the bureau's delinquent tax search and payment page, which adds a vendor service fee. The bureau no longer accepts cash, and a returned check adds a $50 fee.
4. Get the balance to zero before the sale date. A partial payment lowers what you owe, but only paying in full or staying current on an agreement removes the property from the sale.

If a high assessment is part of why the bill is hard to pay, you can appeal your assessment by August 1 to lower future bills, and some owners qualify for the property tax/rent rebate or the homestead exclusion. None of those erase a delinquent balance, but they can keep you from falling behind again.

Where to go

The Berks County Tax Claim Bureau is at the Berks County Services Center, 2nd Floor, 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601. Phone 610-478-6625, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bureau's 2022 sale FAQ lists the email taxclaim@countyofberks.com, while its 2026 tax-deferral application uses taxclaim@berkspa.gov; call if an email bounces. To see how the county, municipal, and school portions of your bill fit together, read how your property tax bill is split; for the payment windows and discount on a current-year bill, see when Berks County property taxes are due.

FAQ

How long can you go without paying property taxes in Berks County before losing your home?

The county describes about a 21-month process from the January your unpaid bill is turned over to the Tax Claim Bureau until the property can be sold at the September upset sale. Interest and fees add up the whole time, and there is no redemption period once the sale happens.

What is the difference between an upset sale and a judicial sale in Berks County?

An upset sale, held each September, sells the property with its existing mortgages and liens still attached. A judicial or "free and clear" sale, usually held the following June, sells the property after the court clears most liens. A property must go through the upset sale before it can reach the judicial sale.

Can I get my property back after a Berks County tax sale?

No. Berks County has no redemption period, so you cannot reclaim the property by paying the taxes after it sells. You have to pay the balance or enter a payment agreement before the sale date.

Can I set up a payment plan for delinquent Berks County taxes?

Yes, if you qualify. The Tax Claim Bureau offers payment agreements starting in May of the year a property is scheduled for the upset sale, and you can enter one up until the day before the sale. Call 610-478-6625 to ask what you owe and whether you are eligible.

Where do I pay delinquent property taxes in Berks County?

Pay the Berks County Tax Claim Bureau at the Berks County Services Center, 633 Court Street, 2nd Floor, Reading, by check or money order, or pay by credit card through the bureau's online delinquent tax search, which charges a vendor service fee. Cash is not accepted. Call 610-478-6625 to confirm your balance first.