Question for Hugh:
 

Or anyone else who lives in more than one state; what does California require as proof that you were out of the state more than half the year for tax filing purposes? Assuming that you maintain an address here. Drivers license in another state?

TIA. :)

You can only have a driver's license for one state, or you are only supposed to do that. You will need to be registered to vote somewhere else, file taxes there, utility bills etc.

A more generic thread title about the question posed would perhaps get more responses.

I clicked on this because I'm a sticky beak. ;)

I haven't made that move yet, only one residence in CA, BUT as I understand it if you own property in CA, even if its rented out full time, and you declare residency in another state, CA will hound you and will go so far as to subpoena bank/credit card statements, ATM usage, etc. If you don't own in CA its much easier to tell them to eff off.

I've been told if you do have houses in CA and another state, its best to carry a lot of cash.

Also, Gov. Newsom is apparently trying to make the threshold for living out of CA three months instead of six months, just more attempts to get your tax money, he is also apparently trying to tax pensions earned in CA but paid out-of-state. CA got slapped down on that by the Supreme Court 20+ years ago, but apparently he's thinking of new tactics.

FTB will assume you are lying and guilty of tax fraud. You will have to prove your innocence, keep that in mind.

They wanted me to pay taxes from before I moved back here. Was a fight to get them to leave me alone.

Politicians do things like this while calling those objecting to the ever higher tax spiral greedy and selfish.

I have been doing some homework on this since I am looking at real estate in Washington State...their tax structure is sooo much better than Maryland.

Here is a link from 2011:

California Snowbirds: Avoid an Additional Tax Burden | Knowledge Center | Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP

Quick search on Cali:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=living+in+california+but+have+residency+in+anot her+state&t=ffsb&atb=v110-1&ia=web

Thanks all. What got me thinking about this is that I’m approaching retirement age and just got a tax bill from a few years ago for unpaid CA. taxes. I made the $$ out of state but there will be no avoiding paying CA. It’s a lot of $$.

Before everyone assumes that I’m just a tax cheat, the story is a little more complicated than I want to get into here. It just really got me thinking about different states’ tax rates, residency, etc. Many years, I’m out of CA. for part of the year.

Avoiding taxes is not a crime; done legally, it is an imperative.

The key is record keeping. Best of luck.

Denis, we trust you are not trying to cheat on your taxes.

The Franchise Tax Board assumes everyone is, they are who you have to worry about. If you are out of the state greater than 6 months, you should not be forced to pay taxes here.

When I moved to Costa Rica I had to have my checks sent to an out of country bank address to satisfy the communists in California. but why wouldn't I.

Yep, major difference. Tax avoidance is something anyone with brains does to reduce the tax bill.

Tax evasion, that will get you mega fines or jail time, and should be avoided.

For sure. I’m still not 100% convinced that I owe them this $$ but they sent me a letter w a deadline, so I’m up against the wall a little. I’ll probably end up spending some $$ on a professional opinion at this point.

The one thing I know is that CA. is tough to deal with. The IRS is a breeze in comparison. I’ve actually had good luck solving issues w the IRS when I simply call them and honestly lay out the situation. I don’t think that CA. even has an 800 number. :(

California. It's a nice place to visit, but....

Hell, it's surprising that you don't have to pay to come into the state just to visit.

California came after me for years even though I was a Florida resident when I was stationed at North Island, CA. Florida is the State of choice for Navy folks in flight school because there are no state taxes levied against active duty pay...as long as you remain active duty, you are good to go with a mail drop.

Active duty military are treated differently in terms of residency requirements and I met them all. I was a FLA State resident for 26 years.

They persisted and tried liens (wtf?) and I finally had to go to a lawyer to get it solved.

I am very used to keeping daily logs on cars and expenses as a farmer - every day in a wheel book I log where I am, miles driven, hours towards the greater farm good, etc...I keep a manila folder for receipts that gets inserted in the accounting every Sunday.

It is second nature to me and essential to making sure we protect our equities...I'll pay taxes I owe, not one cent more.

Records, Denis: I know you know, but I still remind myself daily.

You should be happy to pay your fair share to support the Progressive programs that your state government has enacted...shame on you for thinking of ways to minimize your taxes..you are hypocritical Liberal..

This is funny...of course CA is going to dun you for evey fking NICKLE they can...they need the money to fund the Peoples Republic of CA...Do you really think it isn't going to get worse? This is a reflection of how desperate they are becoming..

I have said they are going to impose a wealth tax for you to leave the state....I think the AZ and NV should put a toll tax on every U haul headed east...may as well...

Charge the cocksuckers a wealth tax coming from CA, NY, CT, MA, NJ, MD, OR & WA (prop tx) if they wanna enjoy the good life afforded in the low tax states.. I don't wana see my hood fked up by a bunch of fkin low lifes..

You have a strange POV, Tabs. But we knew that. CA. is an economic powerhouse like no other...the residents of CA. pay for a lot of red states w our federal taxes.

That said, I do not agree w a lot of the politics at the state level here and try to avoid paying state taxes when possible but they are nearly impossible to avoid.

It is the Golden State buddy...in my heart it is still home.. But it is no longer what it once was.

The distribution of Federal taxes is one thing. The State government and those who now have a virtual monopoly on it are another. The demographic is becoming evermore bifurcated between extreme wealth and poverty. The MC is disappearing and or is fleeing...They are buckling under the tax burden and more over don't like to see their money squandered.

One thing that people don't realize when they are out and about is that most of the people that they see look fairly well to do..however that is just a superficial perception. If you dug down into the reality of it, most people in America are just getting by, living hand to mouth. Even Nancy has said most Americans can not weather a $400 crisis.


I have a Chinese woman friend (CPA for a lg non profit in LA) who lives in S CA, where I asked her what do the Chinese think of Americans. She answered that, "They think that American are crazy in that they spend every dime they make and save nothing." I think that says something..


And thank you, I do have an unusual pov...The day I stopped questioning it's validity was the day that I held my Mothers hand when she died. It took a long time to be able to see that small opening the size of an eye of the needle between opposing points of view to see the land beyond or how things really are. But there is something else, I understand the intellect, I understand the analytical but what is elusive is the intuitive nature of my pov. On one hand it is an understanding of duality, or being able to view things from two different vantage points. The other being able to listen to the repository of the Collective Memory. It is a hand that guides..

BTW I do suffer from the arrogance of the intellect..in history Julius Caesar suffered from the same affliction, and it helped hasten his end in the Senate one day. Caesar knew that he was good and proved it wasn't conceit as he backed it up with deeds. You might say that Julius Caesar was the Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus even Bill Gates of his day..in wanting to best of the best...No 1. An over achiever. An ambitious man

I'm surprised to hear CA goes after anyone out of state who's not a huge earner, like seven figure income stuff. And, unless you're having mail delivered in CA and have tons of credit card use there, how can they pin you down for 180+ days there?