I moved from Queens to Jersey City two weeks ago and just got my first paystub with the new address. It still has a line for NYC city tax coming out of my check. I work hybrid in Midtown three days a week, two from home.

I thought once I’m not a city resident, I don’t owe the NYC income tax, just New York State. HR said it can take a pay cycle to update but I’m nervous it won’t get fixed. Do I actually owe this for the pay period? Is it something I just get back at tax time, or do I need to push payroll harder now? I’m new to this and the portal doesn’t let me remove the local withholding myself.

Not a CPA but you shouldn’t be seeing a NYC resident tax line if your home address is Jersey now. HR is probably slow. In the meantime, don’t wait until next April—payroll can usually reverse or offset it in a following check if you point it out.

There's a non-tax city survival thread on Late-afternoon bodega hot plates: who actually keeps the food alive after 3? Late-afternoon bodega hot plates: who actually keeps the food alive after 3? if you need a break.

Hey firstwinter—MorrisPark_M is right that you shouldn’t be paying NYC income tax once you’re no longer a city resident. New York City income tax is imposed on city residents, with part-year rules if you move in or out during the calendar year. Since you were in Queens earlier this year, you’ll likely owe city tax for that portion of the year, but not for the pay periods after you actually moved to Jersey City.

For your current paycheck, the withheld “NYC tax” line should stop once HR changes your locality in the payroll system. I’d confirm which address they have on file: some systems let you update your home address but not your withholding locality, so HR may need to process a separate change. If they over-withhold, it generally gets refundable when you file a part-year resident New York return, but there’s no reason to float the city interest-free until tax time. Ask payroll if they can do a prior period adjustment or at least stop it going forward.

One caveat: New York State tax may still be withheld, and you may still owe state tax on New York-source income for the days you physically work in Midtown. That’s separate from the city tax. Don’t let HR zero out the wrong line. When you file, make sure the part-year/nonresident allocation is based on your actual move date.

One more thing to check: the exact local code on the stub. If it says something like “NYC resident” and your HR address is Jersey, that's the lag. But if the payroll system has you as “work in NYC, live in NYC” because of your work location, it may have defaulted you to the wrong withholding even before you updated your address. Ask them to read back the local withholding code, not just your mailing address.

Also, save your move evidence—lease start date, mover receipt, or change-of-address confirmation. You don't need it for this paycheck dispute if they fix it, but it helps later if your part-year return gets a mismatch with employer withholding. astoria_arch covered the state-level piece well: don't zero out NY state just because you're in Jersey. New York can be weird about remote days, but the city resident tax line should disappear once the borough is out of your file.