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1. How do I get earned income tax forms?

The Earned Income & Net Profits Tax Returns can be obtained by visiting the Centre Tax Agency webpage or by contacting the tax office at (814) 234-7120. It should be noted that taxpayers do have the option to file the local tax return on-line through the eFiling module. The eFiling module can be accessed through Online Services.

Centre Tax Agency

2. Who can file?

One of the goals of the legislature, when adopting Act 32 of 2008, was to realign county boundary lines to avoid school districts being split between two or more counties. In Centre County, residents who live in the Townships of Taylor, Rush, Curtin, and Liberty along with residents of Philipsburg Borough do not file their local Earned Income and Net Profits Tax Returns as part of the Centre County Tax Collection District. This realignment does not change these taxpayers' legal residence nor does it mean that their real estate taxes are treated as outside Centre County. Since most counties have had some of their municipalities shifted for purposes of the Earned Income and Net Profits Tax, each geographic region is referred to as a Tax Collection District rather than a 'county'.

3. What will I need to eFile?

The tax office recommends that you gather together the following items that will be needed during the online interview process:

• Preprinted tax return mailed to you that includes your PIN
• Compensation and Net Income/Loss Documentation (includes W-2's, 1099's, Schedule(s) for income)
• Unreimbursed Employee Business Expenses
• If you have moved, your addresses and move dates during the tax year
• Amount of Philadelphia Tax Credit (if applicable)
• Schedule G if claiming out of state tax credits
• 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)
• Proof of non-residency status (if filing at non-resident tax rate
• If you owe a payment and plan on paying at the time you file, please have available your credit card and/or checking account information (if you prefer to issue an electronic check or schedule an ACH debit)

4. What is my PIN?

Taxpayers that appeared on the tax rolls for the various municipalities and school districts that comprise the Centre County Tax Collection District for the 2012 tax year were automatically mailed a tax return with a preprinted PIN. This PIN is unique to a taxpayer and cannot be shared with the taxpayer's spouse. If you are unable to locate your tax return or if you did not receive a return, you can contact the tax office at (814) 278-4709 to request a PIN. You will be asked to provide your Social Security Number. Your PIN will be mailed within 2 working days to the address that is on file with the tax office. Should you need to update your address, please call the tax office for instructions. If the spouse of a taxpayer has no income and did not receive a tax return with a PIN, do not enter his/her information as a joint return since you must have both PINS available to electronically submit a tax return.

5. If I use eFiling, what has been done to protect my confidential information?

The tax office 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 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, the industry standard for online banking and trading.

6. Is there a fee to file electronically?

Centre Tax Agency 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 using several electronic payments options. If you pay by authorizing an ACH debit from your bank account, there is no fee for the transaction. However, if you elect to pay by credit card or electronic check, Official Payments Corporation (OPC), a third party vendor, will process your transaction. OPC does charge a fee for their services. If you have questions about paying electronically, please contact the tax office for additional information.

7. How do I eFile?

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

8. Short form or long form?

Taxpayers will find an option to select a short or long tax return form. For a significant number of taxpayers, the short form allows taxpayers with simple tax circumstances to reduce the amount of data entry needed to file. Please review the information provided to help you determine whether you should file the short or long form tax return.

9. What happens after I eFile?

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.

10. 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. Taxpayers with complex tax returns may find that the electronic filing option does not best suit their filing needs.

11. 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 office 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.

12. Who should I contact with any further questions?

Contact the Centre Tax Agency by phone at 814-234-7120 or by e-mail at centretaxagency@statecollegepa.us. The Centre Tax Agency is located in the State College Municipal Building, 243 South Allen Street, State College, Pennsylvania.