Moreover, it would likely be internally inconsistent, as discussed in the Wynne case (based on a former Maryland taxing scheme), and thus unconstitutional, to deny a credit in this situation, as it would lead to impermissible double taxation. sourcing of New Jersey residents who telecommute. As such, it is imperative to accurately reflect changes in the calculation of apportionment during the tax year, as well as part of the tax compliance process. Therefore, the shifting of employee work locations, whether on a permanent or hybrid basis, has the potential to affect the payroll factor. This article discusses the history of the deduction of business meal expenses and the new rules under the TCJA and the regulations and provides a framework for documenting and substantiating the deduction. This article discusses some procedural and administrative quirks that have emerged with the new tax legislative, regulatory, and procedural guidance related to COVID-19. . Timothy Noonan: Sure, and those cases are 15 or 20 years old at this point. Planning should be done proactively for unforeseen future tax consequences. State and local taxes apply to an employee's state of residence and the state where the employee works. Thursday, June 10, 2021. He appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to grant certiorari.19. Yet, the issues raised in New Hampshire v. Massachusetts are far from settled and are of importance to anyone working in a convenience-of-the-employer jurisdiction. Most of these notices were issued in the form of a desk audit, which is automatically generated when the Departments system notes a discrepancy in a tax return from a prior year filing. (2 minutes) New York state tax officials are scrutinizing refund claims filed by nonresident tax filers who normally commute to jobs in New York . Market-based sourcing may yield the same types of indirect implications seen with sales of tangible personal property, including shifts in where the benefits are received by customers. Field Audit Guidelines. Further, more than 7 out of 10 of the remote workers were unaware that telecommuting from a . 86-272 jurisdictions, and documenting employer requirements to satisfy the convenience-of-the-employer tests. The main principle is that workers pay taxes in the state where they live and work. P.L. Dep't of Fin. Payroll is often the largest single cost component when sourcing under this method, and service businesses are more likely to have remote workers than traditional sellers of tangible personal property. Zelinsky is claiming a refund attributable to the percentage of time spent working from home in Connecticut. Sourcing of payroll for apportionment purposes usually either follows a hierarchy similar to that used for unemployment compensation purposes or is based on employee withholding rules, as discussed in greater detail below. If you would like more information regarding the exception to the New York convenience of the employer rule, or if you have received a desk audit notice or questionnaire from the Department regarding your allocation of income to New York and you need guidance, pleasecontact us. Employers are required to withhold and pay personal income taxes on wages, salaries, bonuses, commissions, and other similar income paid to employees. Turning to the constitutional issues, the court explained that the Due Process Clause is concerned with "fairness." For the last 5 years, I've been living in NY but doing remote work for a company in MD. Working from an out-of-state home does not mean you can skip paying New York taxes. in any city or state. This is particularly true for employees who work in New York but live in another state during the pandemic. ,419 U.S. 560 (1975) (the presence of one employee within the state of Washington was sufficient to subject the company to the state's business and occupation tax without violating due process); See Pa. Dep't of Rev., "Telework Guidance," available, Telework Guidance Updated 08/03/2021," available at, For a further discussion of the erosion of nexus protection and the burden on small businesses, see Stanton, ". For example, John, who effectively changed his domicile to New Jersey in 2020, is working remotely from his home in New Jersey. Check out our answers to the most frequently asked questions about Form-9 completion to secure compliance and improve your I-9 management. 7/22/21) (petition filed). How the great supply chain reset is unfolding. Resources. New York follows the convenience of the employer rule, in which the employer must withhold NY's state income tax from all wages of the employee If the employee spends at least one day in NY, AND they are working from home outside of the state for the employee's convenience. 30, 1124(b); Schedule W, "Apportionment Worksheet," of Delaware Form 200-02 NR. New York also has a convenience rule, under which New York state tax withholding for remote employees must be withheld if an employee works outside New York for their convenience rather than due to employer necessity. The primary factor is that the "home office contains or is near specialized facilities." Policy watcher and bookworm. But in 2017 my contract ended and I went on MD unemployment. However, as Zelinsky points out in his renewed petition, times have changed and they have changed drastically since 2003 due to advances in technology, coupled with the need to quickly pivot to remote work on a large scale because of COVID-19. As businesses enter the clichd "new normal," it may appear everything has changed. How can data and technology help deliver a high-quality audit? Confused about state withholding for remote work and unemployment insurance. 4See N.J. Div. )Resident income tax withholding. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, John has not crossed the Hudson River and set foot in New York at all. If passed, this could help future workers disrupted by lockdowns. For instance, the reciprocal agreement between NJ and PA if you work in NJ and live in PA your wages are only taxed in PA and your employer withholds PA taxes instead of NJ Taxes and vice versa. TSB-M-06(5)I (May 15, 2006). Were keeping the focus and flexibility you value in boutique providers and adding the resources and security of Experian. In addition, Connecticut currently permits non-residents to work up to 15 days per year in the state before becoming subject to the state's income tax. 18In the Matter of Zelinsky, No. The State of New York closed nonessential businesses for much of 2020, beginning in mid-March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to significant uncertainty around whether employees working from home due to government mandates would be taxed under the convenience rule. These types of considerations should be incorporated into the overall analysis of apportionment factors and effective tax rates. Many states have ended COVID-related nexus and withholding relief. So, if your company is based in Michigan, but you're employing a full-time remote employee who lives in New York, you (as the employer) need to register with the relevant tax authorities and deposit taxes in New York. March 12, 2021. For example, some states treat telecommuters as creating a tax nexus, while others have issued guidance stating that a nexus cannot be established solely by employees telecommuting from within the state due to COVID-19. PA Convenience of the Employer Doctrine: Income Tax Withholding Considerations for Partially Remote Workers. 10 The law includes a temporary provision that, for purposes of municipal income tax withholding, treats a day on which an employee works remotely during the period of the state's COVID-19 state of emergency (and 30 days after the . The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately denied a review of New Hampshires lawsuit, meaning that it passed on the opportunity to review the broader issue of whether a state can impose its personal income tax on a nonresident telecommuting employee. This guidance, along with the Divisions general rule of providing a credit for taxes imposed by multiple states, makes it likely that a New Jersey resident employed in New York but working from home in New Jersey would be able to claim a credit for taxes paid to New York, subject to the general credit limitations. If the Court takes this case, we will provide more analysis at that time. , No. DISCLAIMER: This advisory resource is for general information purposes only. To avoid double taxation, most states allow their residents to claim a credit for taxes paid to nonresident states on the same income. As of 2022, 16 statesArizona, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsinand the District of Columbia have reciprocal tax agreements in place. By contrast, New Jersey appears to provide relief for taxpayers who are residents of New Jersey and working from home while assigned to work in New York. For instance, where an employee commuted from her home in Rhode . EY Americas Financial Services Office Indirect Tax, State and Local Tax Leader. Historically, New York has used the convenience of the employer test to determine when withholding tax needs to be collected for employees working remotely. There are two ways to qualify as a resident of a state: The first is domicile, which reflects an individuals primary home it is where you permanently reside and where you intend to return. Payroll requirements (state tax withholding and unemployment taxes for remote employees) . . This could subject taxpayers who work in one state but live in another to personal income taxes in multiple states, more so now than ever before. Act. Before remote work became the new normal, it was easy for employers to comply. State Tax and Withholding Consequences of Remote Work. 9Wilmington Earned Income Tax Regs. remember settings), Performance cookies to measure the website's performance and improve your experience, Marketing/Targeting cookies which are set by third parties with whom we execute marketing campaigns and allow us to provide you with content relevant to you. Here are the new tax brackets for 2021. 2. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. Other states have an income threshold, or a combination of time and income. of Equalization,430 U.S. 551 (1977). 86-272 (the Interstate Income Act of 1959) should pay particular attention to their remote workforce. Generally, your income tax is based on where you're physically located when earning the income. At EY, our purpose is building a better working world. A worker may have tax obligations in any state where they reside and possibly the state where their employer's worksite is located. Similar employment tax, nexus, and apportionment issues exist. IT-2104 Employee's signature Date A Employee claimed more than 14 exemption allowances for New York State A B Employee is a new hire or a rehire . An individual with net-earnings from self-employment must file a reconciliation return, Form MTA-6, Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Return, to reconcile his or her MCTMT . Live in New Jersey and Work in New York: Tax Guide for 2023. During July 2021, in the aftermath of the denial of certiorari in New Hampshire v. Massachusetts, a professor filed suit in New York challenging the state's convenience-of-the-employer rule.18 Professor Edward Zelinsky is a Connecticut resident, employed at a New York university, and working part time from home. & Fin., Technical Memorandum No. The EY Travel Risk and Compliance integration with SAP Concur solutions helps reduce risk. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. So, if your job's office is in state A, but because of the pandemic you're living and working . State income tax withholding is generally required for the state in which the employees services are performed, and not for the state in which the employee lives. denied). To fully understand and navigate these uncertainties you must consider and do the following: Mercadien Tax Services Group is familiar with these and other specific state income tax rules and can provide more clarity on each individual situation and circumstances during these unprecedented times. Those who receive such notices should not ignore them; doing so can result in having to pay additional taxes that would then require an attempt to recover those taxes by filing refund claims. 3See Pa. Dep't of Rev., "Telework Guidance," available at revenue.pa.gov. CBIZ assumes no liability whatsoever in connection with the use of this information and assumes no obligation to inform the reader of any changes in tax laws or other factors that could affect the information contained herein. Meanwhile, nonresident taxpayers working in other convenience-of-the-employer jurisdictions should consider whether to file similar refund actions challenging the convenience-of-the-employer rules. Regs. If the employee lives and works in different states and those states do not have a reciprocal agreement, the employee will have to file two tax returns, one for each state. However, no good deed goes unpunished; such changes require a reevaluation of tax obligations. State & Local Tax Considerations for Remote Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Setting Up Your Box Account & Accessing Your Files, City of Philadelphia Department of Revenue, State Guidance Related to COVID-19- Telecommuting Issues. of Tax. A permanent remote worker will file their personal income taxes in their state of residence, whether they are a W-2 employee or a 1099-NEC independent contractor. 19Zelinskyv. Tax Appeals Tribunal, 801 N.E.2d 840 (N.Y. 2003), 541 U.S. 1009 (2004) (cert. Some states have withholding thresholds based on a minimum amount of wages or number of days worked in the state. Thus, Telebright is an important reminder of the position taxing authorities can take, as this column next delves deeper into the issues raised by a growing remote workforce. See, e.g., Comptroller v. Wynne, 575 U.S. 542, 135 S. Ct. 1787, 1803, 191 L.Ed. It has created many hardships and drastically changed lives. It's crucial that businesses understand the potential state tax . Withholding Each state has its own rules for income tax withholding (other than Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, where there is no income tax). 1504 (Del. The arrangement is lasting longer than many initially expected, and plans for returning to offices commonly involve limited, phased, or cyclical attendance. TSB-M-06(5)I (May 15, 2006). or 90 days after the governor ends the COVID-19 state of emergency. Nexus created by remote-working employees can create significant tax liabilities in new jurisdictions, especially for income tax purposes where the company has significant receipts from the state and the state apportions using a single sales factor formula. COVID-19 work-from-home orders generally stated that temporary telecommuters would not create a tax nexus where one would not otherwise exist. This new law states that for purposes of "determining compensation derived from or connected with sources within [Connecticut], a nonresident natural person shall include income from days worked outside this state for such persons convenience if such persons state of domicile uses a similar test.". . The factors are divided into three categories: Primary, Secondary or Other factors. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, coupled with the rise in New York individual income tax rates that became effective in April 2021, spurred many individuals to move out of New York and change their tax domicile to a low- or no-tax state such as Florida. This material has been prepared for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as accounting, tax, or other professional advice. 2South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., 504 U.S. 298 (2018). It is worth examining this case in more detail. Loves intellectual debates on various topics. Remote employees are employees who work outside of the office setting and are on a companys payroll, while independent contractors are self-employed and responsible for managing their own taxes. Because of this, both you and your employees should be on the lookout for changes in tax law. That is, if an employee works from a different location for his or her convenience, these states say that the employee is subject to income tax at the employer's location. New York: New York Senate bill S.8386 proposed that employees working outside the State (or City) during the pandemic (defined as the time period covered by New York Executive Order 202, March 7, 2020 to September 7, 2020) should be deemed to be doing so as a matter of necessity rather than for the employees' convenience and, thus, those . By Ann Carrns. Although the concept of remote work is not new to the state and local tax field, the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the tax and business consequences of telecommuting employees over the past year. This could impact your total tax bill, as different states have different tax rates. Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. Some are essential to make our site work; others help us improve the user experience. New York, which has a significant influence on nonresident taxation, considers days telecommuted to be days worked in New York unless the employer has a bona fide location set up in the remote workers locality. What should tax departments and tax professionals do? However, in an October 2020 update on its website, the New York Department stated that "if you are a nonresident whose primary office is in New York State, your days telecommuting during the pandemic are considered days worked in [New York] unless your employer has established a bona fide employer office at your telecommuting location.".