6 ms·

I travel full-time, and have no permanent residence. do you not file a state tax return?

by there 15y ago

sliverstorm 15y ago
He is still a lawful resident of the state, whether or not he has a permanent address.
- officemonkey 15y ago
  But which state? If you're that mobile, you can choose. My friend (who is living/working abroad) established residency in Wyoming because they don't have state income tax. It took him a little effort (he had to get a state driver's licence and register to vote), but it was a lot better than paying Maryland state income tax when he sold all his property and no longer plans to live there.
- ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
  In my state, Pennsylvania, it is my understanding that the homeless are not allowed to drive or even to receive mail, because a mailbox cannot be used for the address on their driver's license, and they cannot get a mailbox, neither from the Post Office nor from a reputable mailbox rental business, without already having an address which they can prove is their residence. Therefore, unless the rules are different in his state, he is not allowed to drive, and if that's the case, then: How can he be a lawful resident?
  - driverdan 15y ago
    That's what most states claim but it simply isn't true. You can use a mailbox service.
    - ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
      Possibly, but: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2957882 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2957882.
  - SwellJoe 15y ago
    "In my state, Pennsylvania, it is my understanding that the homeless are not allowed to drive or even to receive mail, because a mailbox cannot be used for the address on their driver's license" I'm certain you're wrong about both of these assertions, in PA or any other US state. There are federal laws at play, and both of these limitations on homeless people would definitely cross the bounds of federal law. Also, they would be incredibly evil; pretty much designed to keep homeless people homeless. Mail can be received, by anyone, via general delivery at any post office main branch in a city, and often several other branches, if the city is large. Mail is damned near a constitutional right (federal mail service is one of the few services explicitly permitted by the constitution). A drivers license is somewhat trickier, since some states do require one to have a "permanent residence" within the state, and don't allow general delivery for that purpose, and some don't even allow PO boxes, though most do. But, Mailboxes Etc. and the like are generally acceptable for this purpose (I use a mail forwarding service for my mailing address for all legal correspondence, including drivers license and taxes). Incoming mail is also one of the services that homeless shelters sometimes provide to their clients, as part of the process of helping them out of homelessness (if you can't drive or get mail in a shithole like rural Pennsylvania, you're SOL when it comes to finding a job, and getting your life back in order). I'll also mention that the federal government, and many states, consider a description of your boat or motorhome as an acceptable "permanent residence" address, as long as a mailing address is also provided. "Therefore, unless the rules are different in his state, he is not allowed to drive, and if that's the case, then: How can he be a lawful resident?" So, you reckon I'm an outlaw, flaunting convention and decency? My residence state is Texas. One of the reasons for that is that it has very relaxed rules about residency, making it more convenient than many states...a forwarding address works fine for all government purposes in Texas. Most states actually want to claim you as a resident, rather than trying to prevent you from becoming one. California, for example, is still trying to convince me to pay income taxes there, even though I haven't been back in a year. If you google "rv full-timer domicile state" you'll find tons of discussion of the best states for full-timers (South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Wyoming), based on various taxes, convenience and costs of renewing and maintaining licenses and registrations, insurance costs, etc. I chose Texas because I lived there for seventeen years, and I spend two or three months a year there (more than any other state), so Texas is the devil I know and it's ethically probably the one I should be voting in and paying taxes in. But, I considered all the others, and if Texas proves to be ornery for any reason, I won't hesitate to "move" to South Dakota or Florida.
SwellJoe 15y ago
I don't because I am now a Texas resident, for legal purposes, and Texas has no state income tax. But, I do still have license, registration, etc. to deal with.
- billpaetzke 15y ago
  Did you get a Texas driver's license to replace your California one?
  - SwellJoe 15y ago
    Yes, when you change domiciles, the process is to re-register all vehicles, get new license, new plates, etc. The new state will require you to do all of that. You can't mix and match residences in order to maximize goodness (i.e. if Texas has high auto insurance rates, and it does, pick a lower insurance state for the drivers license; but use Texas for income tax purposes; and then use some other state for health insurance; whatever). So, you take the good with the bad (Texas pros: No state income tax, reasonable vehicle registration fees, conveniently located in the middle of the country for those times when you do have to physically be present; Texas cons: Somewhat high sales tax which can be a big problem when buying a new rig or boat for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, higher auto insurance rates than many places). Being half-in/half-out is sort of grey area...you probably won't get in trouble for it, but you may run into problems if you have any legal problems or have to file a major health insurance claim or something. Which reminds me, I need to get health insurance sorted. It'll save me money to move it to a Texas provider, probably, since California is among the most expensive states for health care...I just haven't gotten around to it.

I travel full-time, and have no permanent residence. do you not file a state tax return?

by there 15y ago

I travel full-time, and have no permanent residence. do you not file a state tax return?

sliverstorm 15y ago

He is still a lawful resident of the state, whether or not he has a permanent address.

officemonkey 15y ago
But which state? If you're that mobile, you can choose. My friend (who is living/working abroad) established residency in Wyoming because they don't have state income tax. It took him a little effort (he had to get a state driver's licence and register to vote), but it was a lot better than paying Maryland state income tax when he sold all his property and no longer plans to live there.
ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
In my state, Pennsylvania, it is my understanding that the homeless are not allowed to drive or even to receive mail, because a mailbox cannot be used for the address on their driver's license, and they cannot get a mailbox, neither from the Post Office nor from a reputable mailbox rental business, without already having an address which they can prove is their residence. Therefore, unless the rules are different in his state, he is not allowed to drive, and if that's the case, then: How can he be a lawful resident?
- driverdan 15y ago
  That's what most states claim but it simply isn't true. You can use a mailbox service.
  - ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
    Possibly, but: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2957882 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2957882.
- SwellJoe 15y ago
  "In my state, Pennsylvania, it is my understanding that the homeless are not allowed to drive or even to receive mail, because a mailbox cannot be used for the address on their driver's license" I'm certain you're wrong about both of these assertions, in PA or any other US state. There are federal laws at play, and both of these limitations on homeless people would definitely cross the bounds of federal law. Also, they would be incredibly evil; pretty much designed to keep homeless people homeless. Mail can be received, by anyone, via general delivery at any post office main branch in a city, and often several other branches, if the city is large. Mail is damned near a constitutional right (federal mail service is one of the few services explicitly permitted by the constitution). A drivers license is somewhat trickier, since some states do require one to have a "permanent residence" within the state, and don't allow general delivery for that purpose, and some don't even allow PO boxes, though most do. But, Mailboxes Etc. and the like are generally acceptable for this purpose (I use a mail forwarding service for my mailing address for all legal correspondence, including drivers license and taxes). Incoming mail is also one of the services that homeless shelters sometimes provide to their clients, as part of the process of helping them out of homelessness (if you can't drive or get mail in a shithole like rural Pennsylvania, you're SOL when it comes to finding a job, and getting your life back in order). I'll also mention that the federal government, and many states, consider a description of your boat or motorhome as an acceptable "permanent residence" address, as long as a mailing address is also provided. "Therefore, unless the rules are different in his state, he is not allowed to drive, and if that's the case, then: How can he be a lawful resident?" So, you reckon I'm an outlaw, flaunting convention and decency? My residence state is Texas. One of the reasons for that is that it has very relaxed rules about residency, making it more convenient than many states...a forwarding address works fine for all government purposes in Texas. Most states actually want to claim you as a resident, rather than trying to prevent you from becoming one. California, for example, is still trying to convince me to pay income taxes there, even though I haven't been back in a year. If you google "rv full-timer domicile state" you'll find tons of discussion of the best states for full-timers (South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Wyoming), based on various taxes, convenience and costs of renewing and maintaining licenses and registrations, insurance costs, etc. I chose Texas because I lived there for seventeen years, and I spend two or three months a year there (more than any other state), so Texas is the devil I know and it's ethically probably the one I should be voting in and paying taxes in. But, I considered all the others, and if Texas proves to be ornery for any reason, I won't hesitate to "move" to South Dakota or Florida.

SwellJoe 15y ago

I don't because I am now a Texas resident, for legal purposes, and Texas has no state income tax. But, I do still have license, registration, etc. to deal with.

billpaetzke 15y ago
Did you get a Texas driver's license to replace your California one?
- SwellJoe 15y ago
  Yes, when you change domiciles, the process is to re-register all vehicles, get new license, new plates, etc. The new state will require you to do all of that. You can't mix and match residences in order to maximize goodness (i.e. if Texas has high auto insurance rates, and it does, pick a lower insurance state for the drivers license; but use Texas for income tax purposes; and then use some other state for health insurance; whatever). So, you take the good with the bad (Texas pros: No state income tax, reasonable vehicle registration fees, conveniently located in the middle of the country for those times when you do have to physically be present; Texas cons: Somewhat high sales tax which can be a big problem when buying a new rig or boat for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, higher auto insurance rates than many places). Being half-in/half-out is sort of grey area...you probably won't get in trouble for it, but you may run into problems if you have any legal problems or have to file a major health insurance claim or something. Which reminds me, I need to get health insurance sorted. It'll save me money to move it to a Texas provider, probably, since California is among the most expensive states for health care...I just haven't gotten around to it.