Finance Department

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Residents are responsible for paying the following:

Income Tax

The current income tax rate in City of Rocky River is 2.0% and is imposed on earned income, consisting of wages, salaries, and net profit of business attributable to activities in the municipality. Credit up to 1.5% is allowed for tax paid to other cities. As with the federal and state income tax, much of the local income tax is collected through employer payroll withholding.

Effective January 1, 2016, the City became a member of the Regional Income Tax Agency (also known as RITA). Through that membership, RITA administers and collects income taxes on behalf of the City of Rocky River. All residents are required to file a tax return (or a valid exemption certificate) with RITA by April 15 of each year for the previous calendar year.

To register, obtain forms, file a return, and make payments, please link to www.ritaohio.com. RITA may be reached by telephone at (800) 860-7482 or (440) 526-0900.

Interest Rate Notice:

Ohio Revised Code Section 718.27 requires the City to set the interest rate for delinquent unpaid tax liabilities at the federal short-term rate (rounded to the nearest whole number percent) plus 5 percent (5%). The interest rate will be imposed per annum on all unpaid income tax, unpaid estimated income tax, and unpaid withholding tax. The interest rate will apply to the calendar year following the July of the year in which the federal short-term rate is determined and be reset annually.

Calendar Year Annual Interest Rate
2016 5%
2017 6%
2018 6%
2019 7%
2020 7%
2021 5%
2022 5%
2023 7%
2024 10%
2025 10%

Tax filings and tax payments related to tax years beginning before January 1, 2016 are subject to the penalty and interest rates and late filing penalties, in effect prior to January 1, 2016 – regardless of the date of filing or payment.

Your income tax data is confidential. It is treated as such by the City Tax Administrator as well as RITA. There is no need to, and you should not transmit your Social Security Number by email to the City or RITA. RITA has assigned all taxpayers an account number. You should refer to your account number in all correspondence. If you don’t have this number, you should communicate only the last four digits of your Social Security Number as well as your residence address. Your account may be accessed with that information.

Real Estate Property Tax

The real property tax rate for Rocky River (134.45 mils in 2022 pay in 2023) is levied on the tax valuation of land and buildings ($1,053,834,610 as of December 22, 2022) less credit from the tax reduction factor (House Bill 920), rollbacks and credits if applicable. The tax is collected by the County Fiscal Officer and is payable semi-annually in January and July. The following charts shows how the real property tax is assessed:

Real Property Taxes

	Inside Millage	Outside Millage	Full Rates 2022 pay in 2023
Rocky River City School District	4.57	90.60	95.17
Cuyahoga County	1.45	13.40	14.85
City of Rocky River	3.93	6.62	10.55
Rocky River Public Library	0.00	6.10	6.10
Cuyahoga Community College	0.00	4.90	4.90
Cleveland Metropolitan Park District	0.05	2.70	2.75
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority	0.00	0.13	0.13
	10.00	124.45	134.45

The City of Rocky River’s Charter Millage was voted on the following dates:

 
  Purpose
  Millage
  Date
 

  General Fund
  3.00
  November
  4, 1986
 

  Recreation
  Center Fund
  0.50
  November
  4, 1986
 

  Senior Center
  Fund
  0.50
  November
  4, 1986
 

  Capital
  Improvement Fund
  1.00
  November
  1, 1988
 

  Refuse &
  Recycling Fund
  1.00
  November
  2, 1993
 

  General Bond
  Retirement Fund
  1.00
  November
  2, 2004
 

   
  7.00
   
 

A slight variation exists between the amount levied by the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer (6.97) and the City’s authorized Charter Millage total (7.00) because Ohio Revised Code Section 319.33 provides that the County Fiscal Officer “…shall dispose of fractional mills” in assessing taxes.