Relocating? How to Do It with Taxes in Mind

More and more Americans are on the move these days. Remote work is increasingly popular and allows employees the flexibility to not necessarily live where they work. Additionally, tax changes introduced by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) limited the important SALT (State and Local Tax) deduction to $10,000 for single and married individuals. That deduction had previously made residing in high-tax states less costly for affluent individuals.

When you combine those two factors alone, it makes sense that people are looking to see where the grass may be greener. There’s also the fact that states may begin adding new taxes to make up for budget shortfalls, or in the case of Illinois, seeking to increase taxes among select taxpayers. So, it comes as no surprise we are getting a lot of questions about relocating.

If you’ve found yourself looking at real estate ads in a different state, it is important that you take a 360-degree view of what moving would mean for you. As attractive as it may seem to pack up your things and move to a state with a more appealing tax scheme, there are other things to think about. If you move, make sure you do so in a way that accomplishes your tax goals.

Be sure to factor the following into your decision-making process.

Taxes Are Not the Only Consideration

Moving to another community is a shock to the system in more ways than one, but moving to a different state will have an even greater impact. Not only do you need to think about the quality-of-life issues involved, but also the implications of owning multiple homes in multiple states. You will need to choose where your primary residence is going to be, and make sure you can prove compliance. Non-tax-related considerations include:

The Taxes Worth Considering

If you’ve already included the non-tax considerations listed above and you are still intent on making a move, then it is time to understand what doing so will mean to your economic picture. It’s a good idea to sit down and discuss your plans with your financial advisors long before putting your home up for sale, as you may have second thoughts after weighing the consequences of a move. Among your considerations are:

Made Up Your Mind? Here Are Your Next Steps

Like everything else in life, relocating to another state and making it your primary residence is not as easy as just deciding to do it. It is important that you do your due diligence to make sure that you have complied with everything required of your new home. You need to follow several essential steps in order to reap the tax rewards that you are seeking. Here are just a few of those steps:

Add contacting the Cray Kaiser office at (630) 953-4900 to your to-do list to make sure that all-important items have been addressed and everything is reviewed and updated with your estate plan.

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