Been in Astoria forever but we moved to Yonkers in August. I’m still working at a Manhattan office hybrid, three days a week. Checked my paystub today and they’re still taking NYC resident tax out of every check, same as before. HR has my new address on file—I changed it in the portal before the move. Is this one of those “just file and get it back” things, or should payroll have stopped it already? Don’t want to find out in April I’m sitting on an interest-free loan to the city. Also, now Yonkers has its own local tax? Great.

Did this exact move two years ago, but to Jersey City. They kept taking NYC resident tax for maybe a month after I updated HR because the payroll cycle hadn’t caught up. I sent a follow-up to payroll with my utility bill and it stopped. If you’re sure HR has it, ping whoever runs payroll—sometimes the HR system and payroll system don’t talk. For Yonkers, I don’t know if they’ll withhold it automatically; my new company never did.

This is the kind of thing where the city just waits for you to figure it out. It reminds me of that thread about people freezing at the top of the subway stairs Why do people freeze at the top of the subway stairs now?—nobody tells you the rule, they just let you stand there confused until someone else yells at you. I emailed my payroll person about a similar address change and got a one-line answer: “tax will reconcile at filing.” Super helpful. Did they at least update your W-4/NYS withholding form? I think there’s a separate line for city/Yonkers status.

Jay, short version: you should not be having NYC resident tax withheld for pay periods after you actually moved out. NYC resident tax is based on your resident status, not where the office is. Once you leave the five boroughs, the city portion should stop. If HR has the new address and payroll still hasn’t changed it, that’s a payroll-processing problem, not something you should just accept until April.

Longer version: New York State’s return will treat you as a part-year NYC resident for the year you move. You’ll report wages and allocate the city tax to the months you were actually in NYC. Any NYC resident tax withheld after your move date becomes an overpayment, and you can get it back as part of your state/city refund. The W-2 doesn’t need to be corrected if the total withheld is accurate; you’ll reconcile it on the return itself.

The catch is Yonkers does have its own local resident surcharge, though. So don’t assume moving north means no local tax. You may owe Yonkers tax on wages from the date you moved. If your employer won’t withhold Yonkers, set money aside or make estimated payments so you aren’t surprised.

Adding to rent_stab_ric: don’t let payroll keep withholding NYC resident tax just because the Manhattan office is the “work location.” Some payroll departments confuse work location with resident tax jurisdiction. If you’re a Yonkers resident, your wages for those months should not carry NYC resident tax, even if the job is physically in Manhattan.

One practical issue: not every small payroll provider has a Yonkers resident tax code available. If that’s the case, they sometimes leave the old NYC code in place rather than set you to “no city withhold.” That is wrong, but common. Ask for the exact taxable wage detail after your address change so you can see which pay periods still had NYC tax. If they can’t fix it, you can still reconcile at filing, but you’ll need to plan for Yonkers tax separately.

You might also want to submit a new NYS withholding form with your Yonkers address and check the city withholding section. Keep your lease or a dated utility bill.

Thanks, this is basically what I figured. HR confirmed the address is updated, but payroll says they don’t have a Yonkers code set up for me and they kept the NYC code in place “for now.” Annoying but at least I know I’m not losing my mind. I’ll pull the pay period detail and start setting aside a little for Yonkers. Probably won’t bother fighting payroll if it’ll get sorted when I file, but it feels dumb to keep loaning the city money at 0%.

Just tried this with my current job after moving again. I sent HR a copy of my new lease and said “please confirm the local tax jurisdiction is updated.” It took two pay cycles but eventually stopped. Maybe put it in writing so there’s a paper trail. If they won’t fix it, at least you have proof for April.

Wait, so if I live in Jersey City and work fully remote for a NYC-based company, I don’t pay NYC resident tax either? I thought because the employer is in the city I was stuck. I know New York State still takes a bite if I’m assigned to an office here, but I haven’t stepped foot in that office in two years. That’s a separate thing, right? Sorry to hijack, but this stuff is confusing.

To Jay: if payroll won’t add the Yonkers code by the next check, save the difference. You don’t need to wait until April to figure out Yonkers; make a recurring transfer into a separate savings account labeled “Yonkers tax” so it doesn’t feel like free money. You can make estimated payments through the state if the amount is big enough to trigger an underpayment penalty, but for a few months it may not be.

To firstwinter: that’s a separate and more annoying issue. New York has a “convenience of the employer” rule. If you’re a New Jersey resident working remotely for a NY company, and the office is in NY, New York generally still taxes your wages unless your remote work is for the employer’s genuine necessity, not just your preference. NYC resident tax doesn’t apply to you as a NJ resident, but NY State tax often does. Fully remote without stepping foot in the office doesn’t automatically get you out of it. Check with a tax preparer before you assume you don’t owe.

Final thought for Jay: when you file, don’t only look at the W-2 box for NYC tax and assume it’s all refundable. The software may ask for dates of residence and allocate the wages. If the W-2 still shows the full year’s worth of NYC withholding, you’ll need to enter your actual move date so the return prorates correctly. Also make sure payroll didn’t just rename the NYC line to something vague like “local tax.” Some systems do that and it creates a mess at tax time. If it still says NYC after September, I’d push payroll once more.