I'm trying to figure out whether my company is right to keep withholding NYC resident tax from every paycheck. HQ is in FiDi, but I've been fully remote from my apartment in Greenpoint since the pandemic. Fine, I'm a resident, so I assume the city tax is owed on salary. BUT here's the part I can't get a straight answer on: if I pack up and work from my parents' place in Connecticut for five or six weeks in July/August, do I still owe NYC tax for those days? HR says they don't adjust withholding by day, but that seems wrong! I thought there was a rule about days worked outside the city? Or is that only for non-residents? Also if I use a coworking space in Jersey City for a week, does that change anything? What form do I even file? I've seen people mention an allocation schedule on the NY return, but I want the city-level version. Have you tried keeping a day-by-day log and getting it accepted?

Ha, I went down this exact rabbit hole when my office "returned" but my desk stayed in my apartment. For a resident, NYC resident tax generally follows you, not the office. The W-2 withholding being lumpy doesn't determine what you actually owe—you true up on the return. For your Connecticut stretch, you may be able to allocate those days if you're filing as a part-year resident or non-resident? Actually if you keep your Greenpoint apartment, you're probably still a resident, so city tax is on all earnings, unless you can prove you changed domicile. The out-of-city days don't automatically zero it for a resident. That trip to a Jersey City coworking space won't matter either because you're still domiciled in NYC. Have you tried calling the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance? The city tax is administered by the state, so they'll have the instruction book. I'd also check if your employer has a remote work allocation code in payroll—some do, but many just use your home address of record. The daily log is useful if you're claiming non-resident status, not just vacation.

Been around this block enough: if you still get mail, vote, doctor, and your partner's in Greenpoint, you're a city resident, full stop. The couple weeks at your parents' place in CT doesn't make you a part-year resident unless you actually move out and cut ties. HR's not gonna change your withholding for a summer visit, and honestly they're not supposed to be your tax advisor. When I had a summer rental upstate, my city tax didn't move. Just make sure your W-2 box 20 has the right locality. If they overwithheld, you'll get it back, but don't expect day-by-day refund for a vacation.

Wait, so the Connecticut days are just gone? I definitely keep my apartment and vote here. But what about the employer's convenience rule? I keep reading that if the employer is in NYC and I'm working remotely for my own convenience (not theirs), the income is still NYC-sourced! Actually for non-residents, that would mean city tax is due even on days outside the city! So if I moved to Connecticut but kept the same FiDi job, I might still owe NYC tax on my remote days?! I thought that was a New York state convenience rule, but the city has its own version? Does anyone know if the city code mirrors the state convenience rule? I need to find a copy of the city admin code. Have you tried looking at the actual payroll withholding guide from the Department of Finance? There's a whole section on telecommuting! I get too excited, sorry, but this is one of those things where you can be paying for days you don't even step foot in the five boroughs!

greenpoint_guy, yes! The convenience rule absolutely exists for New York state, and the city generally follows the same sourcing rules because the city tax is based on state definitions in most places. So a non-resident who works from Connecticut for their own convenience can still be treated as working for a New York employer and owe NY tax on those days. But as long as you're a resident, the convenience rule is basically beside the point—residents pay on everything anyway. Your summer trip only becomes relevant if you actually break residency and then try to allocate employer work days outside the city. The trick would be moving your primary residence, changing your license/voter ID, getting a new lease, and staying out of the city for more than half the year. The day log then becomes evidence. I'd still keep it—you never know when an auditor asks. Have you tried the Department of Finance's non-resident allocation worksheet? It's clunky but walks through the exact boxes!

Right, but let's be real: nobody at HR is reclassifying you because you're in CT for five weeks. The city return for residents doesn't ask 'days worked in Connecticut' the way nonresident forms do. So keep your lease? You pay city. Move to CT for real and your job won't change your locality, you file a non-resident return and fight about convenience. I had a buddy who did the Jersey City move but kept his kids in a Brooklyn school; he paid city tax. Don't be that guy. If you're just trying to claw back a few weeks, save yourself the headache. Go to CT and log off.