ST. LOUIS — Some St. Louis remote workers who paid the 1% earnings tax during the pandemic are owed refunds. The city recently reached a settlement after a lawsuit was filed three years ago. There is a fund of $26 million to pay back to taxpayers.
The refunds apply to non-St. Louis residents who worked remotely. Last month, a court ruled in favor of the employees, stating that remote work performed outside the city was not subject to the earnings tax.
Residents and workers in Kansas City or St. Louis pay a 1% earnings tax, which funds services like police, EMS, and city parks. This tax is a major source of general revenue.
There are around 2,100 taxpayers who have filed appeals for their remote earnings for the years 2020–2022. More information about the refund process is expected to be posted to the St. Louis Collector of Revenue’s website on July 1, 2024. The city says that taxpayers who have already filed an appeal do not need to refile them.
“We respect the Court’s decision and have put in place a simple process compliant with the Court’s order. Our goal is to provide a transparent and easy-to-understand process for people to make first-time refund applications for remote work for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022,” states Gregory F.X. Daly, Collector of Revenue.
File your request for refunds between July 1 and October 31, 2024. The updated form will be available from the collector of revenue during this period.
