Local tax returns
Pittsburgh local tax return help, filed with the rest of your taxes.
Your local earned income tax return, prepared from the same papers as your federal and PA-40, and included in every price on our pricing page. Under-withheld, self-employed or owed an LST refund, we handle it.
Here because of a bill?
- A balance due from the local collector in early summer.
- A job outside the City that withheld the wrong rate.
- A form from Jordan Tax Service with a PIN you never used.
Or call (412) 555-0163. January to April: Monday to Friday 9 am to 7 pm, Saturday 9 am to 2 pm.
How it works
Three steps, and the local return is never last.
- Step 1
Bring the February form
The form Jordan Tax Service mails each year has your account number and PIN.
- Step 2
We prepare it with the rest
Same income, same withholding, checked against the federal and PA returns.
- Step 3
We file it for you
Or file with your own municipality if you live outside the City.
Who needs this most
If one of these is you, the local return matters.
- City residents working outside the CityThe most common reason for a surprise local bill.
- Two jobsEach employer may withhold differently.
- The self-employedLocal tax is due quarterly on net profit. See self-employed returns.
- Moved during the yearPart of the year in one place, part in another.
- Earned under $12,000You can ask for the $52 Local Services Tax back.
The rates in one line
What a City resident owes, at a glance.
Collected by Jordan Tax Service for the earned income tax, and by the City Treasurer for the LST. The full detail is in our Pittsburgh earned income tax guide.
3%
Earned income tax for City residents: 1% City, 2% school district.
$52
Local Services Tax a year, withheld from pay.
$12,000
Earn less than this from all sources and the LST can be refunded.
Fair questions
What people say before they book.
“My employer already withholds it.”
Often correctly. Sometimes at the rate for where you work, not where you live. We check, and if a letter has already arrived, that is notice help.
“My software did my state return.”
And probably stopped there. The local return is a separate filing, and we include it in every price.
How we do it
Outside the City? We file there too.
If you live in Dormont, Mt. Lebanon or anywhere outside the City, your local return goes to your own municipality and school district. We file it there, the same way.
Elliot knows the local rules better than anyone in the office. If your return is part of a family return or an amended year, the local return is corrected with it.
Who you will work with
Elliot VargaSenior PreparerElliot leads local returns and writes our earned income tax guide.
Where we work
Brookline first, then the whole city.
Our office is at 1031 Brookline Blvd, Suite 2, Pittsburgh, PA 15226. Most clients live within twenty minutes of it; plenty never visit at all and do everything by secure upload and a phone call.
- Brookline
- Beechview
- Overbrook
- Carrick
- Banksville
- Bon Air
- Dormont
- Mt. Lebanon
- Castle Shannon
- Baldwin
- Whitehall
- Bethel Park
- Green Tree
- Mount Oliver
- Anywhere in Pennsylvania, remotely
Before you book
Local return questions
Something else? Call (412) 555-0163 and a preparer will answer.
Who collects the Pittsburgh earned income tax?
Jordan Tax Service, as agent for the Allegheny County Central Tax District. The City Treasurer collects the Local Services Tax.
What rate do City residents pay?
3% in total: 1% to the City and 2% to the school district.
Why do I owe the local collector money?
Usually because an employer outside the City withheld its own nonresident rate instead of your resident rate. We check and file it correctly.
Can I get my $52 LST back?
If your earned income from all sources was under $12,000, you can request a refund the following year. We file the request at no extra charge.
Is the local return extra?
No. It is included in every tier on our pricing page.
Next step
All three returns, one table.
Book a 30-minute sit-down with last year's return and the February form from Jordan Tax Service.