Topic: Fulfilling Residency Requirements

I enjoyed reading this string and all the posts.  But have a few more specific questions. 

I am retiring this January and will need to make due with less money to cover expenses.  My health is still relatively good and I plan to travel extensively this summer in my camper.  I'm not quite ready to go full time yet and will keep my house as long as I can.  I have read with interest most of what I can find in this forum and the library about establishing a domicile in a state more friendly to mobile retirees but haven't found all the answers yet. Because my son lives in Florida and I will be spending quite a bit of time there, Florida will be the easiest for me to establish a new domicile in.  It is one of the mobile person friendly states, but like all things... is not perfect. 

Between my summer traveling and wintering in Florida I will be spending a minority of my time at my house Connecticut.  But as has been already posted in this forum, having and ?anchor? spot to go back to for some is necessary.  At this stage of almost retired, I still need my anchor spot despite my plan to not be there very much.

The enticements for Florida are that my son lives there;  Florida will not tax my Social Security (like Connecticut will) and vehicle insurance is generally less expensive.  However, there must be some economic downside for a mobile retiree establishing a domicile in Florida and owning property in another state.  Are there any Florida residents (or others) reading this post that care to comment about the down side of becoming a Florida resident while still holding residential property in other states?

I look forward to replies.

Florida is not your problem.  The risk for you is that Connecticut will keep on taxing your income because you have not sufficiently severed your relationship with them. Since you are retaining property in CT and will be there at least part of the year, it is going to be very hard to convince them you are domiciled somewhere else and that they should not levy income taxes on you. They have been taxing you for years and will not want to stop. You will probably need to consult a tax attorney or CPA in CT to discuss exactly what your status will be because a situation like yours is too much of a gray area to answer with generalities.

We've lived in Florida since 1977, both working and retired, and find it to be a very friendly domicile state for just about any purpose I can think of. Property taxes are low in most of the state (not metro areas), no income taxes, various breaks for seniors, vehicle fees are low, sales tax is less than most of the northeast, and insurance is mostly pretty reasonable too (depends on the locale, though).

As Gary has pointed out Connecticut (As well as most other states) use "Intent to Return" as a test of domicile and going back each year as well as " ?having and (sic) "anchor? spot to go back to for some is necessary" pretty much says you intend to be a CT resident.

Thanks to both Gary and Jeff for the reply and advice.  I do have an accountant I can start with for more specific guidance.
It is sad that I honestly will be spending a majority of my time OUT of Connecticut, in Florida and other states and will still have to make the argument that the State of Connecticut no longer deserves my tax dollars.

Biker 56:

I am not familiar with Florida law but if you did everything you mentioned in Florida and then spent more than 180 days a year in AZ you would be required to register your vehicles in AZ (Hefty registration fees), get a AZ driver's license, and be subject to all other requirements of AZ residency law. We have friends from MN who also have to make sure their stay up north doesn't exceed 180 days.

It will not be Florida law that Connecticut uses to determine his domicile but their own.

Professional advice is the real answer here.

Spend over 180 days in California and they'll claim you're a resident, sniff you out and come after you for their perceived tax revenues.

Wendy

One of the ways that California follows you is the use of your credit card while you are there.  The state has tax offices in all major cities in the country.