Need a refund for your Philly Wage Tax? The Philadelphia Tax Center is the easiest, fastest, and most secure place to submit your request. You don’t need a username and password. Submitting an online petition also ensures fewer errors and faster processing. Keep reading to find out how to use the Philadelphia Tax Center to request your 2023 Wage Tax refunds.
Who’s eligible?
Salaries, wages, commissions, and other compensation earned in Philadelphia are subject to the City’s Wage Tax. Your employer withholds and remits this tax to the City on your behalf. You’re eligible for a refund if you’re:
- A nonresident salaried or hourly employee required to work remotely or outside the City,
- A commissioned or salaried employee with stock options and/or business expenses,
- A low-income taxpayer who qualifies for Pennsylvania tax forgiveness, or
- A Philly resident who paid taxes in another jurisdiction.
What you’ll need
Salaried, commissioned, or hourly employees will need their W-2s, showing local wages paid, and this employer certification letter to accompany their requests. The letter must be signed and on your employer’s letterhead. This employer certification replaces our previous requirement for an employer letter. Make sure to submit the employer certificate without any alterations to the template. If claiming a refund for a partial year, the letter must explain this.
If your employer requires you to work remotely or travel, you must provide us with a complete list of dates and places where you worked. This helps us verify the dates and locations your employer ordered you to work outside Philadelphia. We recommend using this template to capture all the details.
If requesting a refund for business expenses, you must first file PA Schedule UE with the Commonwealth and attach this form to your Philly refund petition.
Taxpayers who qualify for the Income-based refund will need their W-2s, showing local wages paid, and copies of their A-40 Personal Income Tax Return and PA Schedule SP. You must file these first with the Commonwealth and then upload copies to your Philly refund request. We can’t process your refund request without these State forms.
Before you submit
To successfully claim a Philadelphia Wage Tax refund, you must submit the appropriate form. Make sure to carefully read each form before submitting your petition. The City has discontinued its COVID-EZ wage refund petition—meaning, you cannot use this refund petition form for tax year 2023. Also, the Department of Revenue has published new guidelines for non-resident petitioners. We encourage you to review these instructions carefully before starting your request.
Submit online
Once you’ve gathered everything you need, go to tax-services.phila.gov, scroll down to the “Refunds” panel on the homepage, and select “Request Employee Wage Tax refund.” Make sure to read the brief instructions and enter your information, including your mailing address. It’s very important that we have your correct address on file.
Select the refund type that applies to you on the “Tax filing information” screen. For example, low-income refund applicants must choose “I am qualified for the income-based PA tax forgiveness rate” from the menu. Make sure to select the correct year for which you are requesting a refund.
Email your refund-related questions to refund.unit@phila.gov or call us at (215) 686-6574, 6575, or 6578 for help or more information. Meanwhile, you can track a refund petition you submitted to the City using the Where’s My Refund tool on the Philadelphia Tax Center. With it, you can easily track the status of all City refund petitions.
