Questions on State Residency

[Champ Kind]

I'm a LT awaiting UPT at Columbus (Class 06-07)

I was wondering if anyone could steer me in the right direction as to where/how I can change my residency to a state that does not require taxes. (ie, TX, FL....some others I've heard, I'm leaning more towards FL though due to the proximity right now)

What is involved in this process? Where do I go? Do I also need to get a new driver's license and auto plates? What's the cost involved?

I have heard that all it takes to change your residency is to simply have an address (ie PO Box) in the desired state. Is it really that simple?

As always, thanks a lot!

[C17Driver]

Every state is a little different. I would research the requirement online if you have the capability. I actually considered changing to Florida a time ago, but was steered away for some reason. I think I had to show proof of a "residence" via a bill, mail, etc...but can't remember if that was the case or not.

[Guest Bullmastiff]

Hey PHLASH it is a very simple process!! Just go to Finance and pickup the form! Here at Tinker, they are already otu in the open. All they want is a city, and State, nothing else. No, you ar enot required to change anything else, not even drivers license. I went to MI, but most people go to TX Takes 5 minutes, will not show up for about a month on the LES

[DC]

totally legit

Hmm.. wondering if I should switch to Washington when I go AD in November (OTS). I do have family there so if I need a physical address I could definately provide one (hell, the ONLY family I have that was in the military lives there). I wouldn't want to screw something but by not being legit as one of the very first things I do in the military though!

[Guest Bullmastiff]

Actually I talked to one of the finance troops about it one. Apparently there really is nothing wrong with it. On eof the good things about being in the Military....I will tell you this, I was unsure of what college I was going to attend, so I changed residency about every 6 months. In AD it is quite common, alot of people switch over to TX real quick

[M2]

I am not a lawyer nor did I spend the night in a Holiday Inn, but you might want to check on that a bit more closely, as I don't think you can just 'declare' a state of residency without having lived there or established some form of residency (PO box, owning land, etc.). This wouldn't be the first time a finance office was doing something that wasn't quite legal, but if they are then take full advantage of it while you can!

Most people switch to a state after being stationed there, and as a lot of people go through UPT in Texas, it is common for them to switch.

You might want to be careful as some states (such as Texas) do require that the tags on your car must be from the same state that your drivers license is from. Hence, if you do get a Texas license, then you need Texas tags. Was a big problem when I was in San Antonio, as people would run out to establish residency and get a license, but they wouldn't switch their tags over until they expired.

Cheers! M2

[Guest deweygcc]

NH is the best, no taxes on anything except property, and thats only if you live near MASS, so the towns jack up taxes to screw the masshole transplants.

They have different insurance deals and the like.

I was gonna switch to FL, but kept NH as it is like a bastard state. Only New England state that a concealed weapons permit requires 5.00 bucks and an application, Two weeks later you are good to go.

that and you are SO far from any southern state that the cops dont bother you because they have no idea what a yankee hick is doing in the south.

[Guest av8tor55]

Anybody know if Guard guys can change their residency while in UPT? I would be sweet to switch it to Texas while I'm at XL.

[Bergman]

ANG folks CAN change their residency while on AD orders. As long as you're on AD orders (even once you're back at your unit) you should be able to keep TX residency.

As a side note, Tennessee also has no income tax for anyone considering moving there.

[Guest gonads]

I know that I don't have to change state residence when we move, but what about my non-military wife? Does she have to keep one or can she change to, lets say, Texas?

[Guest mrsgoss]

She can change it if she wants. When my husband and I moved to Texas, I changed my residency to Texas for tax purposes but I am still a registered voter in Ohio.

[Guest Vistar1]

I changed mine to Florida, but it won't help as far as state taxes go if you move to a state that has them and she goes to work. She will still have those taxes taken out of her paycheck no matter where she claims residency at. Correct me someone if I'm wrong...I don't know of any loopholes where the spouse is concerned.

V.

[Guest medik6]

Your wife can change her state residency any time she wants but does not have too. My husband and I have moved 4 times and we both keep our rsidency in Florida for tax purposes because we own a house there. However, she will probably be required to get a drivers liscence in whatever state you go to. Most states will give her 30 days. Not all states require this, just most. I know that Oklahoma does not require a dependant to get a OK liscence but every other state we have lived in (6) have required me to.

[Guest borcherk]

Just one thing to think of (side note). If you register your car in one state sometimes you need inspections. It will be hard to get inspections in Missouri living in Texas. Just something we ran into.

[Bergman]

Originally posted by bailey:

It will be hard to get inspections in Missouri living in Texas. Just something we ran into.

True enough. If you are a Texas resident, living outside of Texas, there is a different form to complete where you, as the vehicle owner, perform and certify the "Safety Check" So that works out pretty well. It's really an easy process to register/renew out of state, especially now that all the forms are available on-line. Something like $56/yr for a truck, IIRC which isn't the cheapest but not too bad.

Just one more 'plus' for switching to Texas residency.

[Guest evfitz]

I changed mine to Florida, but it won't help as far as state taxes go if you move to a state that has them and she goes to work. She will still have those taxes taken out of her paycheck no matter where she claims residency at. Correct me someone if I'm wrong...I don't know of any loopholes where the spouse is concerned.

My husband and I are stationed at Nellis AFB (we just found out he got selected for pilot training! :D ), and I work on base. I still claim residency in my home state, but my state taxes are not taken directly out of my paycheck. I do still have to pay them, though. Here's a tip for anyone it may apply to: if your spouse receives orders and moves to that base before you are married, you will NOT be considered for spousal preference in on-base jobs, since your name would not be on your spouse's orders. I found that out the hard way...

[Guest ThunderCat]

I am about to commission in a few weeks and I am hearing rumors that you should claim your residency as Florida because they don't have income taxes. How do you go about doing that? My home of record is in Virginia where my parents live, but I am going to college in Florida and have a FL driver's license as well as my motorcycle registered in FL. Does anyone now the process of claiming residency in certain states (i.e. Florida)? Thanks for any input.

[Guest SuperStallionIP]

Just go to the nearest courthouse and change it.

[Champ Kind]

All I did here in TX is fill out this single form that Finance gave me in which I just had to say what state I was now claiming as a resident and the zip code of the city I was living in.

My LES said I was a TX resident by the next pay date. I still have the driver's license and plates from my home state (not TX).

[WHAP]

Im not sure if thats legal phlash. We were told at Laughlin that we had to get texas plates, DL, and register to vote before we could legally claim residency. Now, Finance doesnt care, its just a piece of paper to them. And maybe we were told wrong, I dont know.

[Guest kirkhac]

When I was at Laughlin I had to get my vehicle registered in TX, get a TX DL, or register to vote. I only needed one so I got the DL. That's what I was told and when finance finally payed me three months later I didn't have to pay state income tax.

[Champ Kind]

I was never told any of that. In fact, I even asked Finance, "Surely its not THAT easy...." [just turning in a piece of paper saying you wanted to be a TX resident now], to which they replied (after saying, "Don't call me Shirley."), "Yep, that's all you have to do."

[brabus]

According to an Lt I know who did the Flordia thing...every state has different requirments to be a legal resident. I heard Texas has a list onf 9 things you can do, you have to do any 3 of them (i.e. get a DL, register a vehicle, register to vote, etc). I think he said Florida required you to register to vote in any county (don't need a physical address) and that was it. Then all you do is fill out that form at finance...it's legal and easy. He's at Peterson right now and still has Colorado plates and tags, but instead of paying up the ass for the tags every year (CO is a huge rip), he pays 4o bucks because he's an "out-of-state resident."

[Guest lovelacm]

ThunderCat - I, too, went through the same deal.. Went to Riddle in DAB and used my mailing address to register to vote. Surely you've "filed your taxes" while in Florida.. You don't pay income tax in FL, but you still send in a form...

I've kept my residency as Florida since I left Riddle, and now I'm back up here in the panhandle. They still had me on file as a voter, pulled up my records, and we're off and running.

They were pretty easy to work with, all-in-all. If you have any Florida-related questions, I MIGHT be able to answer 'em, or you could try https://myflorida.com

Hope that's a help and not just some space-wastin' info.

Cheers!

Linda

[M2]

Linda

What form are you talking about? I have never sent anything into Florida concerning income taxes as the state has no income tax for individuals (just sales and property taxes, and there is a corporate income tax).

Florida does not impose personal income, inheritance, or gift taxes. However, there are other taxes and fees that, in certain counties or circumstances, Florida residents may be required to pay, such as: convention development tax, local option tourist tax, fuel, communications services tax, gross receipts tax, lead-acid battery fee, new tire fee, motor vehicle fee (Lemon Law), or rental car surcharge.

The full gouge can be found at the web site Florida Tax Information for New Residents...

Cheers! M2