How to file taxes if you don't live in the same state as your spouse?

[Oakblossoms]

My husband lives and works in another state? I live with the kids and do not work.

[Jane in NC]

Is your husband a resident of the other state? Does he vote there and have a driver's license issued in the other state?

 

My son has had a summer job in another state. He filed in the other state as a non-resident.

 

My response may not be helpful but perhaps the bump of your post will be.

[nukeswife]

It should only matter on your state taxes. The federal won't matter as far as I know. I agree that how he files for the state will depend on which state he's a resident of.

[Unicorn.]

Is your husband a resident of the other state? Does he vote there and have a driver's license issued in the other state?

 

My son has had a summer job in another state. He filed in the other state as a non-resident.

 

My response may not be helpful but perhaps the bump of your post will be.

 

:iagree: File in the state that your dh claims residence in. You don't have income, and I assume you file jointly? If he claims residence where you are, he will have to pay income tax as a non-resident in the state he workd in (if applicable).

[LMA]

You and your husband has to file for the state he works in as a non-resident and the state he lives in as a resident. You would use your home address as the address on both. You complete the tax for the federal and the state he works in first. Then he has to put information from the state he works in (and maybe even the federal taxes) into your home state tax forms so that he can get credit for paying taxes to the state he works in. All of this has to be filed at the same time. So you have to file two state tax forms and the federal.

[LMA]

double post.

[Caroline]

My dad worked in Washington, DC but lived in Maryland his entire career. It can't be that complicated because my parents always have done their own taxes. (I do think my mom kept usbout of the house while he was doing the taxes.) But I guess the difference is that my dad always resided in MD with us.

 

Is your husband a resident of the other state? Does he vote there and have a driver's license issued in the other state?

 

My son has had a summer job in another state. He filed in the other state as a non-resident.

 

My response may not be helpful but perhaps the bump of your post will be.

[Crimson Wife]

Ditto what the others have said about filing a resident return in your home state and a non-resident return in the state where your DH works.

 

The year DH and I were married, we had to file 3 state returns for him and 2 state returns for me. There have been a few other years where we had to do multiple state returns, but never as many as that first year.

[Oakblossoms]

I don't know if he changed his driver's license yet and he does not vote. That is a good question. I usually use Turbotax online. Do any of you know if I can do this with them or will it be too complicated.

[Jane in NC]

As Caroline mentioned above, it is not uncommon for people to reside in one state and work in another. (Think DC or the small New England states.) I suspect that Turbotax will do just fine with this--once you clarify which state your husband resides in.

[QueenCat]

My dad worked in Washington, DC but lived in Maryland his entire career. It can't be that complicated because my parents always have done their own taxes. (I do think my mom kept usbout of the house while he was doing the taxes.) But I guess the difference is that my dad always resided in MD with us.

 

 

Same here :) .

[Elisabeth in IL]

I had an accountant do our taxes this past year for this very reason....... The boys and I are living in IL and my husband is living and working 4 days a week up in MN, home for long weekends. It was too complicated for me to do! At least didn't want to expend the energy necessary for me to figure it all out and I usually do our taxes.

[LizzyBee]

My husband lives and works in another state? I live with the kids and do not work.

 

 

When a spouse both lives and works in a different state, it's more complicated than when he simply works in the other state. Google the state department of revenue for both states to see how each defines a resident and non-resident. Some DOR websites are difficult to navigate; if that's the case, google <state> individual income tax instructions 2012. A person can be a resident of one state (usually based on 180+ days of living/working there) even though their domicile (permanent residence) remains in another state. Also, when spouses are residents of different states, some states allow them to file jointly and others require separate returns. If you have no income, he may just need to file one return in the state where he lives and works; but if either of you has income that originates from the state where you live, you will most likely need to file in both. If after checking the instructions for both states, you're still not sure of the requirements, you can pm me.

[redheadmom]

We do this every year. We live in one state and my husband works in another. I use Turbotax to file the returns. We do have to print out and mail the return for the state we don't live in, but overall pretty simple. I chose to pay for Turbotax to do it because when I tried to do them on my own I came out owing a thousand dollars, lol.