Philadelphia Department of Revenue notice, submitted to the PICPA by Jonathan Liss, senior revenue policy analyst

The Philadelphia Department of Revenue is excited to announce that our new tax-filing and payment website went live on Nov. 1. The Philadelphia Tax Center will change your online tax-filing and payment experience, and is fully accessible in Spanish.

This blog shares more about the new tax website, upcoming filing deadlines, and a new refuse-fee exemption for duplexes.

The Philadelphia Tax Center

Expect some big changes when filing and paying your Philadelphia taxes online. The new, cloud-based system has been designed to improve taxpayers’ online experience. The Philadelphia Tax Center contains self-service features that give you greater control over your accounts online. The system allows you to do the following:

• Grant account access to third parties, such as accountants
• Review your tax history whenever you want
• eFile certain city taxes that had previously been filed in paper form

One new feature that our old system didn’t have is that you can now pay your bills online as a guest. Check out the Philadelphia Tax Center today and explore the new tools to get familiar with them.

For existing Philadelphia taxpayers, this short video will help you get started. We also published a separate video to guide new taxpayers or tax professionals through the process. Our online tax center guide is another helpful resource, including answers to common questions.

From now on, you must use the Philadelphia Tax Center to electronically file and pay the following taxes: business income and receipts, wage, net profits, earnings, liquor, school income, beverage, and tobacco. All other city taxes must be filed and paid through our eFile/ePay website.

Upcoming Filing Deadline

Nov. 25, 2021, is the due date for the Philadelphia Liquor Tax. You must file and pay this tax in the Philadelphia Tax Center from now on. Read this guide for helpful tips on how to pay and file this tax in the new system.

Refuse-Fee Exemption for Duplexes

Starting in 2022, owners of Philadelphia owner-occupied duplexes will be fully exempt from paying the city’s $500 annual refuse collection fee. Previously, owner-occupied duplexes qualified for a 50% reduction. Nevertheless, you must pay your 2021 bill, which is due Dec. 31, 2021. In 2022, the Philadelphia Department of Revenue will automatically apply a 100% exemption to your bill. If you have questions, please call the Philadelphia Department of Revenue at (215) 686-6600 or send an email to solidresources@phila.gov.

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