Informational article

How to Use the ESS One philly.phila.gov Portal for City Employees

The ESS One portal, hosted at philly.phila.gov, is the official centralized self-service platform for City of Philadelphia employees to access payroll, benefits, HR, and employment-related records and services 24/7, eliminating the need for in-person visits to the Philadelphia Personnel Department for routine administrative tasks. It is accessible to all active, retired, and separated city staff with valid city login credentials, and streamlines processes like viewing pay stubs, updating personal information, managing leave, and accessing employment verification documents. ## Direct Access Steps for the ESS One Portal The most straightforward way to reach the portal is to navigate directly to the official City of Philadelphia website at philly.phila.gov, then select the ESS One employee portal link from the main top navigation bar or the dedicated employee resources landing page. Many city departments also embed direct links to the portal on internal department intranets for staff convenience, reducing the number of clicks needed to access the platform. Once on the ESS One login page, users will be prompted to enter their unique city-issued employee username and password, which is the same credential set used for other official city internal systems. For security purposes, there is no public self-service password reset option; employees who lose their credentials or have their accounts locked should contact their department’s designated HR liaison or the Philadelphia Personnel Department’s IT support team for assistance. ## Key Services Available Through ESS One ### Payroll and Compensation Tools Through the portal, employees can view current and historical digital pay stubs, download annual wage and tax statements including W-2 forms for personal tax filing, update direct deposit banking and routing information, and review pay rate history, overtime records, and bonus payment details. All pay documents are available as downloadable, print-ready PDFs with official city seals for use as needed. ### Benefits and Leave Management ESS One provides real-time access to current health, dental, vision, and retirement benefit enrollment details. During designated city open enrollment periods, employees can make changes to their benefit plans, add or remove dependents, and compare plan coverage options directly through the platform. The portal also lets staff submit and track paid time off, sick leave, and other approved leave requests, view up-to-date accrued leave balances, and access benefit plan documents, provider directories, and open enrollment guides without contacting HR staff. ### Personal Information and Employment Records Employees can update non-sensitive personal details including their current residential address, phone number, emergency contact information, and federal and state tax withholding status via the portal, no paper forms required. The platform also generates official, city-sealed employment verification letters instantly for use in loan applications, housing requests, or other official purposes. Retired and separated city employees can also access final pay records, benefit payout details, and retirement account information through the same portal. ## Troubleshooting Common ESS One Access and Use Issues If you are unable to log in to the portal, first confirm you are entering your credentials correctly, noting that passwords are case-sensitive. If you receive an error stating your account is locked, wait 30 minutes before attempting to log in again, or contact your department HR representative for an unlock request. For issues viewing pay stubs or benefit documents, clear your browser cache and cookies, or try accessing the portal via a different supported web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge are all compatible with the platform). If you notice incorrect personal information, payroll data, or benefit details in the portal, submit a correction request directly through the portal’s built-in request form, or notify your department HR liaison to escalate the issue to the Philadelphia Personnel Department for resolution.