ST. LOUIS – Mark Milton is one of the attorneys who sued the City of St. Louis and the Collector of Revenue over its refusal to issue earnings tax refunds to non-city residents working outside the city during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this month, the city announced it would issue refunds to eligible taxpayers.

“We’re grateful that the city and the collector finally decided to do the right thing and issue refunds going all the way back to 2020,” Milton said.

Now, Milton is sharing more about how the refund process will work.

“You’ll not only get earnings tax refund for those earlier years, but interest on top of that,” he said.

To receive the refund, you’ll have to gather the proper documentation. According to Milton, you’ll need a separate Form E-1R for each year’s earnings tax refund request. The form is available on the collector’s website. You’ll also need W2s for each tax year showing the amount of earnings tax withheld from your pay. It’s Box 19 on your W2. You also must provide the total number of days worked outside the city, and your employer needs verify those days. If you worked part of a day in the city, that day won’t count.

“This is on you as an individual taxpayer to either do it yourself or hire a tax professional,” Milton said.

Starting July 1 through September 30, eligible taxpayers can apply for a refund for tax years 2020, 2021, and 2022. The 2023 refund window will remain open through April 15, 2025. According to the Collector of Revenue’s Office, once the applications are verified and calculated, refunds will be processed in the order they are received. Payments should be completed by the end of 2024 and the city says it will refund whatever is owed to verified applicants, regardless of the amount.

“The procedure is set in place and will go up July 1 and for 90 days. Depending on how many people apply, we don’t have any idea at this stage of the game,” Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly said on June 17. “We’ll probably give some reasoning on how we proceed on this.”

Milton said eligible taxpayers need to act fast.

“This is a tight window. You have to be proactive with it and don’t wait until the last second,” he said.