Local tax guides for Central Ohio
Start with the tax question you need to resolve. These guides explain where to find official instructions and what records or questions to prepare before contacting a professional.
Individual and local taxes
Columbus municipal income tax: city returns, RITA and where to start
Start with your actual home and work jurisdictions. Columbus handles its own income tax; RITA administers tax for its member municipalities. Withholding and residence credits need separate checks.
Choosing business services
Small-business accounting in Columbus: bookkeeping, tax and payroll help
Choose the work first: catch-up books, monthly reporting, business returns or payroll. For a Columbus-area business, agree who checks municipal net-profit filings, city withholding and separate Ohio tax accounts.
Property taxes and official resources
Columbus property tax: Franklin County bills, assessments and relief
First confirm the property’s county. For a Franklin County parcel, use the Treasurer for bills and payment status, the Auditor for property value and relief, and the Board of Revision for valuation complaints.
Business taxes and records
Columbus-area sales tax: official rate lookup, filing and seller records
Use Ohio’s official location-based lookup and the transaction date rather than one rate for every Columbus-area sale. State, county and transit boundaries matter; sales-tax registration and filing are separate from municipal income tax.
Personal and estate tax records
Ohio inheritance and estate tax: Columbus records and filing questions
Ohio estate tax was repealed for deaths on or after January 1, 2013. That does not complete probate or final-personal and estate-income reporting. Start with the death date, county and document being requested.
Ohio retirement income tax: Columbus pensions, Social Security and credits
Ohio generally starts with retirement income included in federal adjusted gross income, then applies specified deductions and conditional credits. Social Security and ordinary pension income do not follow one identical rule.
Personal income and refunds
Ohio income tax rates and brackets: 2025 and 2026 explained
Select the tax year before applying a rate. These tables cover Ohio individual nonbusiness income after the relevant adjustments and exemptions. They are separate from Columbus municipal and school-district income taxes.
Personal income and sale records
Ohio capital gains tax: investment sales, business income and records
Ohio starts its individual return with federal adjusted gross income, then applies state adjustments. A federal capital gain is not automatically Ohio business income or eligible for the business income deduction. Classify the sale before choosing the state calculation.
Vehicle purchases and registration
Ohio vehicle sales tax: Columbus buying and registration guide
Ohio normally taxes a motor-vehicle purchase even when the seller is a private individual. For titled motor vehicles bought by Ohio residents, the rate follows the purchaser’s county of residence. A Columbus postal address does not establish which county applies.