Volunteer Emergency Responders Can Save on Property Taxes

Posted onAuthorMichael Pettiti

If you are a vol­un­teer with a local fire com­pa­ny or non­prof­it emer­gency med­ical ser­vice agency, Central Bucks School District wants to thank you for your ser­vice by help­ing reduce your prop­er­ty taxes.

A new­ly enact­ed Volunteer Service Tax Credit Program passed by the CBSD School Board in September 2024 pro­vides a sig­nif­i­cant oppor­tu­ni­ty for vol­un­teer fire­fight­ers, EMTs, and even admin­is­tra­tive vol­un­teers to receive a prop­er­ty tax rebate in recog­ni­tion of their ded­i­cat­ed ser­vice to the peo­ple of Central Bucks. The pro­gram is designed not only to help off­set prop­er­ty tax­es but also to show appre­ci­a­tion for the hours of com­mit­ment vol­un­teers invest in pro­tect­ing local neigh­bors. By offer­ing this tax cred­it, the dis­trict under­scores its sup­port of cit­i­zens who vol­un­teer for local fire com­pa­nies and emer­gency med­ical services.

How It Works

To qual­i­fy for the tax cred­it, vol­un­teers must be active mem­bers of an eli­gi­ble fire or emer­gency med­ical ser­vices agency and earn points based on their ser­vice. Points can be accu­mu­lat­ed for var­i­ous rea­sons, includ­ing by respond­ing to emer­gency calls, par­tic­i­pat­ing in train­ing ses­sions, attend­ing pub­lic out­reach events, and hold­ing lead­er­ship roles with­in their orga­ni­za­tions. Emergency respon­ders who were injured dur­ing their ser­vice are also eligible.

By earn­ing 100 points, vol­un­teers can receive a 25% reduc­tion on their dis­trict prop­er­ty tax­es, up to $250. With 200 points, the cred­it increas­es to 50% (up to $500), and at 400 points, it climbs to 75% (up to $750). Volunteers reach­ing 600 points will be eli­gi­ble for a 100% cred­it, cov­er­ing up to $1,000 in prop­er­ty tax­es. Administrative vol­un­teers can earn up to a 10% tax cred­it (up to $100) with 50 points. Emergency respon­ders who were injured dur­ing ser­vice are also eligible.

Volunteers will be able to apply for the tax cred­it start­ing in July 2025 for tax­es paid in 2024.

“[The Board] con­sid­ers it to be a mat­ter of sound pub­lic pol­i­cy to make spe­cial pro­vi­sions for prop­er­ty tax cred­its for vol­un­teer mem­bers of fire com­pa­nies and non­prof­it emer­gency med­ical ser­vice agen­cies,” the Board’s September 2024 res­o­lu­tion read, in part. 

Learn more about the pro­gram and how to par­tic­i­pate here.