A note about Rounding

You may enter all numbers in dollars and cents. Since this system has been designed to comply with PA Act 32, all numbers will be rounded off to whole dollars.

Do I need a PIN? 

No, LCTCB has discontinued the use of e-filing PINs, and now relies on the SSN entered, please verify your submission is correct to ensure your return is properly filed.

PLEASE ENTER YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER CAREFULLY AND VERIFY IT IS CORRECT PRIOR TO BEGINNING YOUR RETURN.

Who can file?

Individuals who lived in a member municipality and/or school district for part of the tax year or the entire tax year can file their local returns electronically. A taxpayer and his/her spouse can file a combined return, using separate columns, or individual returns. You will not be able to join two individual tax returns into a combined return once you have filed. Please note that a taxpayer and his/her spouse must be filing at the same tax rate to combine their returns.

Who cannot file?

Individuals who claim credits for taxes paid to Philadelphia or to another state cannot use eFiling and must submit a paper return.

What has been done to protect my confidential information?

The Tax Bureau has consulted with security and industry professionals to ensure that steps have been taken to safely gather your personal information and to retain it in a format that protects it from outside sources. The electronic filing system is also protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, the industry standard for online banking and trading.

What will I need to file?

The Tax Bureau recommends that you gather together the following items that will be needed during the on-line interview process.

-Compensation and Net Income/Loss Documentation (includes W-2's, 1099's, Schedule(s) for income)

-Unreimbursed Employee Business Expenses

-Pay stub with year-to-date earnings for taxpayers who moved during the tax year

-If required to file a local tax return elsewhere, you will need a completed copy of the other municipality's local tax return (including documentation)

Is there a fee to file electronically?

Lancaster County Tax Collection Bureau is offering this electronic filing option free of charge to taxpayers. If a taxpayer owes additional taxes for the tax year, he/she can pay the balance due in person, by mail, or by authorizing a direct withdrawal of the amount due from their bank account.

How do I file?

Follow the step-by-step instructions for the filing process. The program will prompt you to enter information needed to calculate your local tax return. The basic steps are as follows:

• Taxpayer Interview (identifies taxpayer and his/her spouse)
• Residency Interview (sets up address history including tracking of physical address where you resided and mailing address information)
• Income and Adjustments
• Tax Return Summary (calculate tax due and status - refund, even, or balance due)
• Sign and Print
• PLEASE NOTE THE RETURN ID CONFIRMATION NUMBER FOR YOUR RECORDS

What happens after I file?

When you have completed this process, information gathered during the interactive on-line interview will be compared to tax office records. If your filing agrees with information readily available to the tax office, an update will be made to your account signifying that you have met your local filing requirements. It should be noted that your local tax office does not have the same access to your tax information as made available to the state and federal governments. The tax office reserves the right to request additional information, including documentation related to your income, net profits, business expenses, or other items to verify residency issues. During the interview process you will be prompted to retain documents that may be required by the tax office.

 What benefit is there to filing electronically?

Taxpayers who file their tax returns electronically should expect a quicker response time for processing their tax returns and don’t have to be concerned about items getting “lost in the mail.” You will also receive an instant return ID confirmation number when you have successfully submitted your return. Taxpayers with complex tax returns may find that the electronic filing option does not best suit their filing needs.

What if I am asked by the tax office to provide additional information and fail to do so?

Taxpayers who have been notified that their tax returns are incomplete will be contacted by the Tax Bureau and provided 30 days to respond. If a response is not received in that time frame, the return will move into an incomplete filing status which means that you have not met your tax return filing obligation.

What years can be filed electronically?

Both current tax year filings and prior tax year filings can be submitted through eFiling. The system will default to the current tax year. If you are submitting a return for a prior year, please be sure you enter the correct year for the return you are submitting at the beginning of the process.

How do I access the electronic filing program? 

Once you gather the information needed to file, proceed by entering your Social Security Number and the captcha code, checking the Information and Instructions acknowledgement box and then click the 'Submit' button to begin.