Carnegie Borough Frequently Asked Questions

Q.How do employees making $12,000.00/yr. get exempt from paying the $52.00/year Local Services Tax (LST)?

Section 231.9.1Exemption and refunds.
A. Exemption. Any person whose total earned income and net profits from all sources within the political subdivision is less than twelve thousand ($12,000) dollars for any calendar year in which the tax is levied is exempt from the payment of the tax for that calendar year. In addition, the following persons are exempt from payment of the tax:

(1) A person seeking to claim an exemption from the local services tax may annually file an exemption certificate with the political subdivision and with the person�s employer affirming that the person reasonably expects to receive earned income and net profits from all sources within the political subdivision of less than twelve thousand ($12,000) dollars in the calendar year for which the exemption certificate is filed. In the event the political subdivision utilizes a tax collector officer, it shall provide a copy of the exemption certificate to that officer. The exemption certificate shall have attached to it a copy of all employee�s last pay stubs or W-2 forms from employment within the political subdivision for the year prior to the fiscal year for which the employee is requesting to be exempted from the tax. Upon receipt of the exemption certificate and until otherwise instructed by the political subdivision or except as required by the clause (2), the employer shall not withhold the tax from the person during the calendar year or the remainder of the calendar year for which the exemption certificate applies. Employers shall ensure that the exemption certificate forms are readily available to employees at all times and shall furnish each new employee with a form at the time of hiring. The exemption certificate form shall be the uniform provided by the political subdivision.

(2) With respect to a person who claimed an exemption for a given calendar year from the tax, upon notification to an employer by the person or by the political subdivision that the person has received earned income and net profits from all sources within the political subdivision equal to or in excess of twelve thousand ($12,000) dollars in that calendar year or that the person is otherwise ineligible for the tax exemption for that calendar year, or upon an employer�s payment to the person of earned income within the municipality in an amount equal to or in excess of twelve thousand ($12,000) dollars in that calendar year, an employer shall withhold the local services tax from the person under clause (3).

(3) If a person who claimed an exemption for a given calendar year from the tax becomes subject to the tax for the calendar year under clause (2), the employer shall withhold the tax for the remainder of that calendar year. The employer shall withhold from the person, for the first payroll period after receipt of the notification under clause (2), a lump sum equal to the amount of tax that was not withheld from the person due to the exemption claimed by the person under this subsection, plus the per payroll amount due for that first payroll period. The amount of tax withheld per payroll period for the remaining payroll periods in that calendar year shall be the same amount withheld for other employees. In the event the employment of a person subject to withholding of the tax under this clause is subsequently severed in that calendar year, the person shall be liable for any outstanding balance of tax due, and the political subdivision may pursue collection under this article.

(4) Except as provided in clause (2), it is the intent of this subsection that employers shall not be responsible for investigating exemption certificates, monitoring tax exemption eligibility or exempting any employee from the local services tax.

C. Refunds. The Borough of Carnegie, in consultation with the Collector and DCED, shall establish procedures for the processing of refund claims for any tax paid by any person who is eligible for exemption which procedures shall be in accord with provisions of the general municipal law relating to refunds of overpayments and interest on overpayments. Refunds made within seventy-five (75) days of a refund request or seventy-five (75) days after the last day the employer is required to remit the tax for the last quarter of the calendar year, whichever is later, shall not be subject to interest. No refunds shall be made for amounts overpaid in a calendar year that do not exceed one ($1.00) dollar. The Borough of Carnegie or the Collector shall determine eligibility for exemption and provide refunds to exempt persons.