Challenges of Payroll Tax Withholding for Remote Employees Employer Services Insights

The company that you freelance for should have you fill out a 1099-form if you’re based in the US. Obih has seen eligible taxpayers avoid home office deductions because they’re afraid it’ll increase their risk of an audit. “Don’t have a fear of taking the deductions and the tax credits and benefits that are available to you just because of an audit,” she says. Typically, you’ll pay taxes in the state you live in (unless that state doesn’t have income taxes). But if you work in a different state, then you’ll usually need to file a nonresident tax form in the state where you worked, listing the income and taxes you paid and earned in that state. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended the home office deduction through 2025 for employees who “receive a paycheck or a W-2 exclusively from an employer,” according to the IRS.

  • A Form 1040 return with limited credits is one that’s filed using IRS Form 1040 only (with the exception of the specific covered situations described below).
  • Paying taxes is mandatory for them in most cases and in some conditions they are eleigble for receiving tax deductions.
  • We hope this has been helpful and that you now have a better understanding of your tax obligations as a remote worker.

All of these present a rapidly changing range of impacts on effective rates and financial statement reporting, registrations, tax compliance, data gathering, and documentation. This column discusses items tax professionals should consider when evaluating the state and local tax ramifications of a remote work environment. In many cases, employees working from home in another state are subject to the tax laws of the state where they live, meaning they will follow their state’s tax laws, https://remotemode.net/ not those of the state in which their employer is located. 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 worker’s locality. 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 convenience rather than due to employer necessity.

Hot Topic: Anticipating Changes in Fiscal Conditions

That could mean a higher standard of living and a lower income tax rate for the growing number of remote workers. But in some instances it could mean having to pay taxes for a place where they now neither live nor work — or even being taxed on the same income twice. A person who lives and works remotely in Washington, for example, can perform work for a company that is based in California without having to pay California state taxes.

You can file your tax return electronically using the IRS e-file system or by mailing a paper tax return to the IRS. If you are working remotely in another country, you may also be required to file a tax return in that country. You will need to check with the tax laws of that how are remote jobs taxed country to find out if you are required to file a tax return. Moreover, TeleBright was already withholding and paying New Jersey state income tax on the employee’s salary — thus, the additional effort of calculating and paying the CBT should not constitute an undue burden.

How are employees taxed when working remotely?

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. No, remote workers aren’t normally taxed twice for the state they live in and for the state their employer is based in. You should research exactly what taxes apply to you for working remotely in the individual state you’re working in. You should also check with your employer about any additional taxes if they’re located in another state.

remote work taxes