By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
Only if voters say yes on November 3, and even then the Board of Commissioners sets the final rate. The ballot question asks whether Hatfield Township can add up to 0.25% to its earned income tax for open space. That would move the township share from 0.5% to as much as 0.75%.
The Hatfield Township earned income tax increase would cost $125 a year on a $50,000 salary, $250 on $100,000, and $375 on $150,000 at the full rate. The township estimates it would raise about $2 million a year for land preservation.
Who Pays the Hatfield Township Earned Income Tax?
The tax applies to wages, salaries and net profits from a business. Social Security, pensions, investment income, dividends and inheritances are exempt. So what you would pay depends on how your household earns its money, not on what your house is worth. If you live on a pension and Social Security, your bill would not change. If you run a business, your net profits count as earned income.
North Penn School District already levies 0.5%. With the township at the full 0.75%, a Hatfield worker would pay a combined 1.25%. Commissioners could also set the added rate anywhere from 0% to 0.25% each year through the budget.
Will It Change What a Hatfield Home Is Worth?
Homes in Colmar and all of Hatfield Township sold for a median of $520,500 from April through September 2026, with a median of 5 days to contract, per Bright MLS data in our Colmar and Hatfield Township market report.
Our read: buyers comparing Hatfield with a neighboring town will now ask about the wage tax, not just the property tax. At a 5 day median, it will not slow a sale. It does belong in the monthly math a buyer runs before making an offer.
What Would the Money Buy?
Commissioners voted unanimously on July 22, 2026 to put the question on the ballot. Township Manager Aaron Bibro said that vote only lets residents decide. The open space plan behind it dates to 2005.
If it passes, the money goes into a separate open space account. It can buy land from willing sellers, buy conservation or farm easements, and pay down debt taken on to buy land. Up to 25% of each year’s revenue can go to building and keeping up parks and trails. The township says it will not use eminent domain for this program.
No parcel is targeted. The township once listed about 10 priority properties, but officials call that list dated and not binding. The stated goals include protecting the West Branch Neshaminy, Unionville and Lansdale creeks and linking parks together.
Not every commissioner is on board. Commissioner Gerry Andris said he opposes collecting the tax until a specific purchase is close to a sale agreement. Commissioner Tom Zipfel said he is neither for it nor against it, and noted that the earned income tax is the tool state law provides for this kind of referendum.
If voters approve, the township must form an Open Space Review Board of at least five residents within 60 days. Any final land deal still needs a public vote by the commissioners.
If You Own or Are Buying in Hatfield
If you plan to sell, this vote should not change your list price. Expect buyers to ask about it, so have the rate and the exemptions ready. A short answer that Social Security and pensions are not taxed clears up most of the worry. Your agent should have that answer in the listing notes before the first showing.
If you are buying, ask which rate will apply in 2027. The commissioners set it with the budget after the vote, so the number on your first paycheck as a Hatfield resident could be anywhere from 0.5% to 0.75% for the township share. If you want to read the full ballot language before you vote, the township posts it with the cost table on its referendum page. For prices across the rest of the county, see our Montgomery County housing market report.
Thinking about buying or selling in Hatfield Township? Let’s talk.
