live in columbus & work in new albany

[balundy]

hello -

i live in a columbus apartment & work in new albany.  i just moved here in august and have no clue how to do ohio state, work & residency taxes.    there's only state & local taxes to file in pa & it's simple.

can anyone offer guidance on what taxes i'm supposed to file please? or point me to the best place to get guidance?  i hear it's a pain in the ass to do ohio taxes.

[DMarkM1]

The best place to go for guidance is TurboTax.  Follow the prompts available to you in the program interviews and TurboTax will populate all the required forms for you.  It appears from your question you moved from PA to OH in August.  Therefore you will be working part-year returns for each of those states.  

In the federal interview, beginning with the "My Info" section is where you will prompt TurboTax to generate the proper state forms.  You will indicate your resident state is OH and that you lived in another state and select PA as the other state and enter the date you moved.  

After completing the rest of the "MY Info" section you will enter your income.  Entering your W2(s) will separate the income by the state it was earned in according to boxes 16-20.

Once you complete all the federal interviews you will move to the state interviews where you will be asked where you lived and worked to generate the proper local taxes.

Use the "help" and "learn more" links as you progress and don't hesitate to come back here to ask any questions if you get stuck.  

[balundy]

is it an issue if i still have a pa drivers license?  i'm on a 2 year work contract and had to rent an apartment in  columbus for those 2 years and may not stay in columbus after the 2 years are up so i didn't bother with changing my drivers license. 

also on my w-2 my employers address has a po box in columbus but the actual facility i work in is in new albany.  does that make a difference?

thanks

[xmasbaby0]

@balundy The state of Ohio has a complicated and confusing array of local and city taxes, including RITA, city, and/or CCA taxes.   

City Tax Returns

TurboTax only prepares a few city or local tax returns as an extra step in your state return.  For most local tax returns you are on your own.  Your only record of paying your local tax will be your own bank/credit card records

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899325-which-city-tax-returns-can-i-do-in-the-turbotax-state-prog...

Often in Ohio you pay tax to the locality where you work and to the locality you live in.  If the tax rates are the same, it comes out even.  If they are different  (and they can be) you get credit for one against the other.  

Our best authority on Ohio taxes is   Champ @Hal_Al 

[Hal_Al]

Your PA drivers license is meaningless, unless you still maintain a residence in PA. Even then, it's unlikely that you are anything other than a part year resident of both PA & OH.  You may have heard of a reciprocity agreement between PA & OH.  That only applies to full year residents and is not applicable to city income tax.

Some Ohio Cities have an income tax. Any Ohio city, with an income tax, is allowed to have withholding taken out of your pay while you worked in that city. Your employer is required to do that withholding. You can't get a refund unless it was improperly withheld, i.e. you didn't actually work there for all or part of the time that your employer was withholding.  If you live in a city with an income tax, you are subject to that city's tax as well. The city you live in will usually allow a credit or partial credit for the withheld tax you paid to the work location city.

 You normally only have to file a return in the city you live in. It is not necessary to file one in the city you work in, if different. 

You will file a part year Columbus city return.  If your employer did not withhold New Albany tax, you should ask them what's up (e.g., your work location is not in the New Albany City Limits). 

TurboTax can not, officially,  do a Columbus City return.  Columbus Income Tax web site https://www.columbus.gov/incometaxdivision/

[Hal_Al]

There are 2 state wide agencies that help Ohio Cities collect City Income taxes. One is CCA (Central Collection Agency) and the other, larger one, is RITA (Regional Income Tax Agency). There is a pull down list of cities, in Turbo Tax(TT), for both City Tax Forms (CCA) & RITA. TurboTax can only do RITA & CCA cities.  But many  Ohio cities (including Columbus) use neither agency. These cities design their own forms and require you to use them.  You can get paper copies from the individual city. Most are available at the city’s web site. Many cities will prepare the tax return for you, but you have to go to city hall in person. Some may have on line filing (try the city web site). Although they won't usually admit it, some will even accept CCA forms. So you could try filling out a CCA form on TurboTax and mailing it to your city. But, I actually find it easier to fill out a city return by hand or at the city, CCA or RITA web site, than to use TT. Things don't happen automatically and you need to know what you’re doing. The actual  city forms are easier to follow than the TT interview.

TT cannot e-file an Ohio City or RITA return. It must be printed and mailed.

Columbus will accept CCA forms. In the Ohio program, you will reach a screen titled "A few things before we wrap up your state taxes" (Other tax Situations at the Summary Screen). Scroll down to Ohio City Taxes. Press Start or revisit. On the next page select City tax forms. You cannot e-file, but will have to print & mail.

Columbus Income Tax web site https://www.columbus.gov/incometaxdivision/

[balundy]

@Hal_Al  i think i'll ask payroll & a coworker friend that lives in columbus how to do my taxes.  

i appreciate your time, you've been extremely helpful.

[krliu]

I am in the same boat as you - moved to Columbus in September and work in New Albany but am still lost on RITA, CCA and Columbus City taxes.  It looks like the company took out taxes for New Albany, but now what? In Turbotax there are questions about what school district you live in and whether you owe more taxes? Wayyy more complicated than NY.  Have you found out what we need to do?

[Hal_Al]

@krliu 

It matters where you move to Columbus from*.  I'll assume you moved there from out-of-state (you mentioned NY). 

Forget New Albany, forget CCA ** and forget RITA (New Albany is a RITA city),  That's your employer's responsibility to withhold the right amount of work city tax (See explanation above). 

You file a Columbus city return, as a part year resident. Columbus will give you a credit or partial credit, for the tax withheld for New Albany.  TT does not support Columbus city tax forms**.  See the link to the Columbus web site above, for filing instructions.  One option: You can take your W-2 to the city tax dept and they'll do the city return for you. 

*If you moved from another Ohio city, you may have another city return to file. 

** Rumor has it that Columbus will accept CCA forms, in lieu of their own form. In the Ohio program, you will reach a screen titled "A few things before we wrap up your state taxes" (Other tax Situations at the Summary Screen). Scroll down to Ohio City Taxes. Press Start or revisit. On the next page select City tax forms. You cannot e-file, but will have to print & mail.

[balundy · Accepted solution]

We don't need to file Rita taxes.  Go to crisp.columbus.gov to file Columbus local taxes. Create your account & file online there.

I agree - what's with ohio taxes? Seriously, there's no need for it to be so confusing. Pittsburgh local taxes are so simple.

[goku1989]

I recently moved to Columbus, I live in Gahanna and work in New Albany, My pay has deductions for both the municipalities. Is it correct or can I get refund for one. @Hal_Al 

[Hal_Al]

Q. I recently moved to Columbus, I live in Gahanna and work in New Albany, My pay has deductions for both the municipalities. Is it correct or can I get refund for one.

 You say "both" but mention three cities. 

Your employer should have stopped withholding Gahanna tax and started withholding Columbus tax on the date of the move.  If too much Gahanna tax was withheld, you will calculate a refund when you file your Gahanna return.  You will have to file part year resident returns for both Gahanna and Columbus. 

Your employer should also  withhold New Albany tax. That amount will not change because of the change in residence.  You do not need to file a city tax return for New Albany, the work location city (see previous discussion).