City of Columbus

COVID-19 Operational Impacts

The current public health emergency surrounding COVID-19 has impacted the Division's operations. This page contains all current operational impacts and updates sent via our email distribution list.

Minimal Operations have Resumed (posted May 13)

The Columbus Division of Income Tax has resumed operations with minimal staffing as of May 4^th and are currently processing documents, payments, and correspondence received from March 18^th – May 4^th. Division staff are still unavailable by phone at this time. 

Please note the following:

• The filing due date for 2019 individual and business returns has been extended to July 15th, 2020. Deadlines for employer withholding have not changed. For FAQs regarding the filing deadline, click here.
• If you are an individual who needs a PIN for our EasyFile application, you can request a PIN or have your PIN reset in the EasyFile application. Please note that you must have an existing tax account to receive a PIN.
• The Division is processing all documents, payments, and correspondence received since March 18. As the Division processes mail received, taxpayers will experience delays in the following:
  
  • Processing of payments mailed to the Division.
  • Application of payments and filings to accounts. We may not be able to verify that your return or payment has been received as we process all documents.
  • Payments of refunds requested. Refunds will be processed in the order that they are received. We are unable to provide an estimate of when your refund will be approved.
  • Responses to mail and email correspondence received.
  • Requests for letters of good standing or new account registrations.
• The Division has not yet resumed public phone hours, but will do so in the near future.
• The Division will not see walk-in taxpayers until further notice, but is offering a drop-off return preparation service in the lobby of our 77 N. Front Street office.

Please continue to check back for updates regarding customer service offerings, payment processing, and other operational impacts.

City of Columbus Extends Excise Tax Filing Deadlines to July 20 (posted April 19)

To alleviate administrative burden for businesses who are facing operational impacts from the COVID-19 public health emergency, Columbus City Auditor Megan Kilgore is extending the deadlines for lodging and admissions excise tax returns. Returns that are normally due on April 20^th, May 20^th, and June 20^th are now due on July 20^th. 

Vendors who are collecting excise tax and able to file and pay by the monthly deadlines are encouraged to do so. However, vendors who are unable to file and pay by the 20^th of each month will receive a waiver of penalty and interest as long as the tax due is filed and paid by July 20^th.

Vendors will automatically receive this extension and do not have to fill out an additional form or contact the Division to qualify.

Please visit our website and resources for hotel/motel/short-term rental and admissions tax vendors.

Employer Update (posted April 14)

Ohio H.B. 197 made changes to employer withholding requirements in light of the COVID-19 epidemic. The Division has published an employer update including information on these new requirements and reminders for upcoming filing deadlines. This resource is available in the Forms section of our website.

Deadline Extension FAQ published (posted April 1)

The Division has compiled a list of questions and answers regarding the filing deadline extension. This resource is available in the Forms section of our website and has been added as an appendix to the instructions for each impacted form.

City of Columbus Extends Tax Filing Deadline to July 15 (posted March 31)

In line with guidance issued by the IRS and Ohio Department of Taxation, the City of Columbus deadline to file and pay city income tax will be extended to July 15. City returns are normally due April 15.

H.B. 197, passed by the Ohio General Assembly last week and signed by Governor Mike DeWine on Friday, waives interest charges on payments made during the extension. The city will not assess penalty amounts on payments during the extension.

The filing extension and waiver of penalty and interest will apply to individuals filing the Columbus individual income tax and businesses filing municipal net profit returns for tax year 2019. Individuals and businesses required to make quarterly estimated payments will also have additional time to make first and second quarter payments. Payments normally due on April 15 and June 15 will now be due on July 15. 

The filing extension does not apply to employer deposits of withholding or returns for hotel/motel/short-term rental tax or admissions tax. We will post further guidelines to our website this week.

Columbus Temporarily Suspends Collection Activity on City Debt (posted March 25)

The Division of Income Tax will suspend forwarding new cases to the City Attorney's Office for filing in small claims court and will not mail new bills or audit letters to individual or business taxpayers for at least 30 days. Those who are on an existing payment plan for City-related debts will still be expected to follow their repayment plans. Individuals who cannot make payments due to COVID-19-related hardship should contact their collection agency and request to temporarily discontinue payments. The City Attorney’s Office will reassess the state of collections again in 30 days.

Division of Income Tax closed during State of Emergency (posted March 18)

The City of Columbus is currently under a Mayor’s State of Emergency, and the Division of Income Tax is closed for the duration of this emergency. During this time, our staff will not be available to respond to phone or email inquiries. Normal customer service operations will resume when the State of Emergency is lifted.

During the State of Emergency, you can still make payments online via our Payment Portal and EasyFile applications. You may experience delays in payment processing.

The Division asks that taxpayers who wish to mail in a return or payment wait until the State of Emergency has been lifted to do so.

During the State of Emergency, no notices, bills, or audit letters will be mailed.