Tax preparation for Lakewood, OH residents

Federal, Ohio and Lakewood city returns, prepared together. Elena Rusakovich, an IRS-registered tax preparer (PTIN), prepares returns for individuals, families and small businesses in Lakewood from our office in Brunswick, about 30 minutes away. We’re open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm, and every day from 8 am to 9 pm from January 1 to April 15. Book online or call (440) 212-9613.

Lakewood city income tax: the short version

• Rate: 1.5% for 2026.
• Who collects it: the City of Lakewood’s Division of Tax. Your return is the Lakewood city return.
• Who files: Every Lakewood resident aged 18 or over files, even if no tax is due. Retirees and disabled residents with no taxable income file an exemption, with a copy of their annual benefits statement.

Work outside Lakewood? Here’s how the credit works

Lakewood’s credit is 0.5% of your pay, for the tax you pay to the city where you work.

An example: you earn $60,000 and work in Cleveland.

• Cleveland withholds its 2.5%: $1,500.
• Lakewood’s tax on the same pay is 1.5%: $900.
• Lakewood’s credit is 0.5% of the $60,000: $300.
• You still owe Lakewood $600, unless your employer also withholds Lakewood tax for you.

The same $60,000 of wages earned in other nearby cities, and what you’d still owe Lakewood after its credit:

Where you work	Its city tax rate	Still owed to Lakewood
Cleveland	2.5%	$600
Westlake	1.5%	$600
Parma Heights	3.0%	$600
Parma	2.5%	$600
North Olmsted	2.0%	$600

School district income tax

The Lakewood City School District has no school district income tax, and none of the school districts based in Cuyahoga County charges one in 2026.

What’s different about Lakewood

Lakewood’s rate is only 1.5%, but its credit for tax paid to your work city is just 0.5% of that pay. So a Lakewood resident who works in Cleveland pays Cleveland 2.5% and still owes Lakewood 1.0%. Lakewood collects the tax itself, through the city’s Division of Tax.

What Ohio law sets for Lakewood

Ohio law sets these for Lakewood as for every other city. The tax covers wages, including your 401(k) contributions, plus self-employment and net rental income, but not Social Security or pensions. Returns are due April 15; a federal extension moves the filing date but not the payment date. If you expect to owe $200 or more, you make estimated payments during the year. Our guide explains these rules.

What we do for Lakewood clients

We prepare your federal, Ohio and Lakewood city return together, and set up estimated payments when your Lakewood tax isn’t withheld at work. We also handle small business returns and bookkeeping, in English, Russian and Ukrainian. Here’s what to bring to your appointment.

Getting here from Lakewood

Our office is at 3126 Paxton Dr, Brunswick. From central Lakewood it’s about 20 miles, around 30 minutes by car.

More on city income tax: Live in one Ohio city and work in another · Working from home and city income tax. Nearby: Cleveland · Westlake · Parma Heights.

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This page summarises information published by the City of Lakewood and the Ohio Department of Taxation and is provided for general guidance, not as tax advice for your situation. Rates and rules change — check the official pages, or ask us, before relying on any figure here.

Sources: City of Lakewood, municipal tax FAQs · Ohio school district income tax list, 2026 · Ohio Department of Taxation, find your school district · Ohio Revised Code Chapter 718. Checked 2026-10-12.