If you submit a refund petition to the City of Philadelphia, you can check its status online using the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on the Philadelphia Tax Center. No need to call or visit us for status updates. This online refund tracker will tell you when to expect a refund check or if additional information is required to process your petition.
You can access the tool by visiting tax-services.phila.gov on your computer, smartphone, or tablet. It is easy to use and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without a username and password.
If you file your petition online, the tool should give you a status update within 24 to 48 hours. Even if you file amended returns, you can still track its status within 24 to 48 hours using “Where’s My Refund?.” If you mail in a paper petition, you’ll have to allow 30 days before checking “Where’s My Refund?” for updates.
What you need
You don’t need a username and password to check your refund status online. Your SSN, EIN, or OPA number may be required, depending on the type of petition. You must also enter the exact refund amount, including cents.
The Philadelphia Tax Center links directly to Wage Tax refund forms—no need for username and password. Property owners or managers will see any refundable credits on their accounts and can access Real Estate Tax or Commercial Trash Fee refund forms through their accounts. Business tax petitioners must log into their accounts to submit refund requests.
Follow these steps to track your refund:
- Select the “Where’s My Refund?” hyperlink under the “Refunds” tab on the Philadelphia Tax Center‘s landing page.
- Pick “Yes” on the “Check the status of your refund” screen to see the status of a Real Estate Tax, Licenses and Inspections Abatement Invoice, or Commercial Trash Fee petition. Pick “No” on this screen to see the status of all other non-property refund types, including Wage Tax and Police Fees.
- Enter your information and hit “Search.” A “Refund Status” box instantly appears on the right side of this screen with the latest updates on your submission.
How it works
Your refund status will appear as one of the following when you use “Where’s My Refund?”:
- Submission review – confirming receipt of your petition. Anyone checking a refund status immediately after submitting a petition online will get this update.
- More information requested – you’ll see this status if your request is missing required details.
- Rejected – we may deny a refund petition for various reasons. If a refund is denied, we will provide the reason through the “Where’s My Refund? ” tool.
- Approved – meaning we’ve completed our review and approved your refund request.
- Check Issued – this status tells you when your refund check was issued and mailed to your address on file. It’s, therefore, important that we have your correct mailing address on file.
When to expect your refund?
It usually takes six to eight weeks to process a refund request. The processing time may be longer (10 to 12 weeks) during peak seasons. The processing time for a paper petition is an additional 30 days.
If your refund is delayed
If this is your case, please email our refund unit at Refund.unit@phila.gov. Often, we can answer your questions or resolve your issues by email. Please allow at least 10 business days for the refund unit to respond to your questions.
