Long-time East Harlem renter, first time dealing with this. My company is based in Jersey City and has had me as 'remote first' since 2022. I go into the office maybe one day a week, sometimes less. Paystub from last month has a line for NYC resident tax withheld on top of New York State. I'm not commuting to a city job, so why is the city taking a cut? Is this a payroll mistake, or do I really owe NYC income tax while working from my apartment? Don't want to find out in April that I still owe or that I'm due nothing.

Nah, that's normal. If you're a New York City resident, the city income tax applies to all your wages no matter where the company is based. They're doing you a favor withholding it. The one day a week in Jersey doesn't change your resident status. Check the W-2 at tax time and make sure the local wages match your federal wages; if so, you're square.

Yep. I worked for a Connecticut company while living in Brooklyn and still had the city tax line on every stub. It's based on where you live, not where the boss is. What you actually want to check is whether they also withheld New Jersey tax. If they're taking both, that's when I'd call payroll before the W-2 gets locked in.

Not a payroll error. New York City residents owe NYC personal income tax on effectively all income, regardless of where the employer is located or where the work physically happens. Your apartment in East Harlem counts. The one day a week in Jersey City doesn't erase your city residency.

A few practical checks:

• Verify the withholding on your paystub is labeled as local or NYC resident, not a New Jersey line.
• When you get your W-2, look at boxes 18–20. You want locality name like New York or NYC and local wages that match your state wages. If the locality name is blank or wrong, payroll didn't set up the tax location correctly.
• Don't expect a separate city tax return. For most filers, the city tax is calculated as part of the New York State resident return, so if you're already filing a NY resident return, you're reconciling the city tax on the same form.

The part that can get messy is the Jersey City day. If your employer is withholding New Jersey tax for the days you physically work there, that's not automatically a mistake; New Jersey can tax nonresident wages for services performed in the state. You would then claim a resident credit on your New York return for the New Jersey tax paid on that same income. The NYC tax would still apply to the full amount. If the company is treating you as 100% remote and not taking NJ, you might technically have a small NJ filing obligation for the on-site days, but in practice a lot of employers simply assign everything to your home state. Ask payroll what they're using as your work state in their system before the next pay run.

Just to add to that: the main reason people see weird city tax lines is an HR/payroll system that has your default work location tied to your home address, while the actual state withholding location is something else. If your company uses a big payroll provider, there's usually a field for 'remote work state' and a separate one for 'work state when on site.' If the remote field says NY and you live in East Harlem, the city tax is correct.

The opposite problem is more common: remote employees who move into the city but never update their address, and then their employer keeps withholding for the old state. They file a nonresident return in the old state to claw back the tax, but completely miss that New York wants its share. At the end of the day, your current residence controls the big picture, not the one day a week across the Hudson.

Agree with the W-2 check. If your locality name says 'NYC' and the wages match, you're fine. If it says 'Newark' or something, that's a red flag.

Appreciate the responses. I pulled my last W-2 and boxes 18–20 say New York, wages match. No NJ withholding anywhere. So I'll stop worrying about the city line. The one JC day I'll keep in mind if they ever change payroll systems. This board is honestly faster than calling HR.

Be glad it's being withheld. I had a fully remote Philly-based job and they withheld nothing for NY. I was new to the city and didn't notice until my accountant asked why I had no city payments. Ended up with an underpayment penalty. Your payroll is more on top of it than most.

One more thing if you ever move out of the city mid-year: the city tax gets pro-rated by residency period. When I moved from Queens to Nassau in August, payroll kept withholding NYC tax through the end of the year and I had to reconcile it on the return. Not hard, but don't assume the final paystub is the final word.

While we're on annoying city stuff, my super has a leaf blower going at 7:20 on a 12-foot strip of concrete like clockwork. There's a whole thread on that: Leaf blower at 7:20 a.m. on a 12-foot strip of concrete — is this a block thing?. Otherwise, yeah, the city tax line isn't a scam, it's just the cost of living here.