COLUMBUS – Ohioans might enjoy working at home even as COVID-19 restrictions lift, but most Ohio cities could take a financial hit because of that option.
How much of a hit? That's nearly impossible to tell.
Here's why: Changes included in the state's two-year budget would allow commuters who live in one city but work in anotherto receive a refund for any income taxes their employers collected while their office sat vacant in 2021.
Not all work-from-home employees will take advantage of the refund, though.
If someone works in the same city as they live, that's a wash. If someone works in a city with a substantially similar tax rate as their home city, then they might not seek a refund because the amount would be minimal. In many cases, cities offer credits to offset the difference in income tax rates, complicating the equation.
