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State Income Tax: Living in One State, Working in Another

Need to file state taxes when you live and work in different states?

Most people in the U.S. live and work in the same state, which makes state taxes pretty easy to understand – you pay taxes to the state where you live and work.

But what if you live in one state and work in another? Do you pay taxes to the state where you live? Where you earn an income? Both?!

You need to pay taxes to both. Most likely you will end up having to file a resident return in the state where you live and a nonresident return in the state where you work.

Resident return

Generally you need to file a resident return in the state where you are a permanent resident. This state has the right to tax ALL of your income, wherever it was earned. Continue reading “State Income Tax: Living in One State, Working in Another”

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Delay in State Tax Refunds for 2016

Identity theft is real, and it is REALLY affecting when we get our state refunds.

Remember being in elementary school, when your teacher would tell the class that if one more student misbehaved, then the entire class would be forced to sit inside for recess that day? There was always that one kid who would ruin it for everyone.

That is similar to what’s going on with identity theft affecting state refunds this year. State revenue departments decided that there were too many cases of fraudulent activity and that they needed to do something. This means that refunds are being delayed a bit in order to double check certain taxpayer information.

Let’s take a look at the states that took a little extra precaution this 2016 tax season.

Illinois and South Carolina

These guys put provisions into play from the very beginning of the season. If you filed your state return in January or February, then you wouldn’t have seen your refund until at least mid-March. On top of that, if you filed your return after March 1st, 2016, then your refund was sent approximately three weeks from the date it was accepted.  

Hawaii

Taxpayers could be waiting for their state tax refund anywhere from four to sixteen weeks after being accepted. Good thing that Maui ranks as the #1 vacation spot in the U.S.! You won’t need to travel too far to relax and forget about the lack of refund money you’re waiting on.

Idaho

Identity theft in the Great Potato State has increased by nearly 64% since 2014! Extra safety measures means taxpayers will be waiting about seven weeks for their state refund from the time it is accepted. The ID Department of Revenue recommends responding ASAP to any letters you receive from the Tax Commission to speed up the processing time. Continue reading “Delay in State Tax Refunds for 2016”

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Does California Tax Income Earned in Other States?

Yes, California taxes income earned from ALL state sources.

If you’re a California resident, you’re no stranger to high tax rates. In fact, you pay the highest income tax in the country!

Here’s another fact: if you earned income working in another state, you’ll still be forced to pay the same, high California tax rate, even if that other state has a lower tax rate.

According to CA.gov, California residents  are “taxed on ALL income, including income from sources outside California.”

What About Income From a Non-Income Tax State?

If you earned income in one of the seven states that doesn’t assess income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming), or one of the two states that have no tax on wages (Tennessee and New Hampshire), you’re still required to pay tax on that income to the state of California.

So, let’s say you work remotely from your home in San Diego for a company located in Texas. When filing, you’ll report this income on your California tax return. You’ll also pay a chunk of CA tax on it.

The one piece of good news is that you won’t need to file a non-resident tax return to the tax-free state. You’ll only be required to file a resident return to California. Continue reading “Does California Tax Income Earned in Other States?”