Has anyone used TurboTax for Philly city taxes? Their website says they support some local taxes but I'm not sure if Philadelphia is included.

Welcome to the world of city taxes! As someone who's been dealing with Philadelphia's wage tax for several years, I can tell you it gets easier once you understand the system. At your salary of $72,500, you're looking at roughly $2,755 in annual city wage tax as a resident (3.8% rate). That breaks down to about $230 per month, which should be automatically withheld from your paychecks. A few practical tips for your first year: - Keep your first few pay stubs to verify the withholding rate is correct - Set a reminder for January to file your city return - it's due by April 15th just like federal - The city return is much simpler than federal, usually just a few pages - Consider the total tax burden when budgeting - between federal, state, and city, you're looking at a significant jump from your previous rural location The city does offer some services and amenities that justify the tax, but I know it can be sticker shock coming from a no-local-tax area. Feel free to ask if you have specific questions about the filing process!

just dealt with this. If you use H&R Block and select "pay with my refund" you HAVE to go through SBTPG. No way around it at this point. They took an extra $39.95 from my refund as a "processing fee" on top of the H&R Block fee. Next year im paying upfront and getting direct deposit from IRS.

I went through this exact same situation last year with H&R Block and SBTPG. Unfortunately, once you've filed with the "pay from refund" option, you're locked into using SBTPG - there's no way to change it after the fact. The IRS will send your refund to them, they'll deduct the H&R Block fees plus their own processing fee (usually around $35-40), then send the remainder to your bank account. In my experience, SBTPG processed my refund within 2 business days of receiving it from the IRS, but I know others have had longer delays. You can track the status on their website once the IRS sends your refund to them. For next year, definitely pay the preparation fees upfront with a credit card when you file - that way your refund goes directly from the IRS to your bank account with no middleman involved. It's always worth avoiding these third-party processors if you can afford to pay the fees upfront. Good luck with your refund! $3400 is a nice chunk of change and hopefully SBTPG processes it quickly for you.

Does anyone know if this applies to rideshare/public transportation too? I don't have a car so I'm spending like $20-30 per day on Uber or train tickets to get to different event venues. Same situation as OP where I'm a W-2 employee but work at different locations all over the city.

I'm in a very similar situation working for multiple event companies! One thing that's helped me is keeping extremely detailed records of all my work locations and mileage. I use a simple spreadsheet with columns for date, client/event, venue address, miles from home, and whether it's a one-time or recurring location. Even though we can't deduct these costs directly as W-2 employees right now, having this documentation has been invaluable when discussing reimbursement with employers. I've found that smaller event companies are often more willing to work with you on travel costs when you can show them the actual financial impact. Also, don't forget to factor in your time spent traveling when evaluating job offers. I started declining gigs that were more than 60 miles away unless they paid significantly more to offset the travel costs and time. It's helped me be more strategic about which events I accept. The tax landscape might change after 2025 when the current restrictions on employee deductions expire, so definitely keep those records for the future too.

In the future, you might want to check if your company has a corporate travel booking system or preferred vendors. My company uses Concur and if we book outside their system, even if it's cheaper, they make reimbursement a huge pain. Maybe ask your coworkers how they typically handle travel bookings to avoid this hassle next time?

This is a frustrating situation but definitely not uncommon! I've seen this exact issue come up multiple times with clients. The good news is that you have several options to pursue. First, I'd strongly recommend getting that official hotel receipt as others have suggested - call the hotel directly and explain you need a proper folio for business expense reimbursement. Most hotels are very accommodating about this. If your company still won't budge, document everything thoroughly. Keep your original Airbnb receipt, the hotel folio, correspondence with your company, and any proof that regular hotels were unavailable during your travel dates. This documentation will be crucial whether you end up getting reimbursed later or need to explore other options. One thing to consider: some companies have an appeals process for expense disputes. Check your employee handbook or ask HR if there's a formal way to escalate this beyond the accounting department. Sometimes getting a manager or HR involved can help resolve these policy interpretation issues. Also, make sure you understand whether this was truly a business necessity (sounds like it was) versus a personal preference for accommodation type. The IRS cares about the business purpose and reasonableness of the expense, not necessarily the booking platform used.

Anyone else feel like tax software is designed to make us think we're getting less so we'll upgrade to their paid versions? Every time I use the free version it shows a tiny refund, then magically finds more money when I upgrade. Seems suspicious.

Your situation is totally normal! I went through the exact same thing two years ago and panicked thinking I'd made a mistake. Turns out my withholding just got more accurate when I started a new job. Here's what probably happened: when you started your new jobs, HR likely had you fill out a W-4 form. The newer W-4 calculations are much more precise than the old system, so instead of over-withholding (which gives you a big refund), they're taking out closer to what you actually owe. Quick math check: if you made $6k more but only got $785 less in refund ($850 - $65), you probably had about $5,215 more in your actual paychecks throughout the year. That's money you got to use all year instead of lending it to the government interest-free! Before paying someone to look at your taxes, just double-check that you entered everything correctly in TurboTax - both W-2s, any 1099s, and that you claimed the standard deduction. If everything looks right, you're golden. Your withholding is just working the way it's supposed to now.