Hello all,
Last year, I quit my job at the end of August, and moved from California to Oregon. I haven’t found a job since, so the only income I have to report from last year was for the one job which ended in August–all my income was made in/taxes paid to California. Now, to file income tax, do I file with the state of Oregon, or do I send my tax forms to California? Presumably since I paid taxes to California, they’re the people that would give me a tax return, no?
Thanks,
~mixie
So what you are saying is:
Am I missing anything?
While file an Oregon income tax statement when you have no Oregon income to report? However, I would review the Oregon tax system, online and/or the tax forms, to see if you might qualify for some tax credit, even if you have no Oregon income.
Why? It’s entirely possibly you might be entitled to something for nothing from the State of Oregon. After all, their current tax problems might stem from this type of tax craziness.
That’s correct.
I’ve got to file an income tax statement somewhere, don’t I? Do I fill out the paperwork and mail it to California?
~mixie
Arrrgh! 
You have 2003 California income. You file a California tax return.
You do not have any 2003 Oregon income. Logically, you do not file an Oregon tax return.
The only exception that comes to mind (personal experience) to the above may be if Oregon is a state (like California) that requires you to file a state income tax form, regardless of where that income is earned.
However, why not contact the Oregon Department of Revenue and ask them!!
Sorry, this is all new to me. This is the first time I’ve ever had to file any kind of tax paperwork on my own, so I really have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. Sorry you’re so irritated, next time just don’t answer the question, okay?
~mixie
Keep in mind that every state’s law is different, so don’t take anything that anyone says without a grain of salt.
Three things to find out:
(1) Are you a Full Time Resident or a Part Time Resident in each of the states? Every state has different definitions, so bear in mind that you may end up being a Full Time Resident in two states. Full Time Residents and Part Time Residents fill out different tax forms. In California, I believe you are considered a Full Time Resident (and fill out a CA-540) if you resided in California for 180 or more days. If you resided in California for 179 or fewer days, you are a NonResident and fill out a CA-540-NR.
(2) Get the appropriate forms for both states and fill them out. If you didn’t make any money in Oregon, you’ll end up filling out a lot of zeros and it will take less than 5 minutes. In Massachusetts, every person is required to fill out a tax return – even though the tax on income less than $8,000 is 0. They want to see the zeros, so they have it on file.
(3) Make absolutely sure that your California income isn’t taxable in Oregon! It sounds ridiculous, but that’s the way it is. When I spent a summer at a California internship, and returned to Massachusetts, the money I made in California was taxable in both CA and MA (the caveat being that I was a full-time MA resident at the time).
If you resided in both in California and Oregon in 2003, and received income only while residing in California, you certainly have to file a California return, and may or may not have to file an Oregon return, based on Oregon’s requirements. (After a quick read through the Oregon DOR website, it appears that you do in fact have to file an Oregon return as well.)
Make sure you file the correct return as well. It appears that you will have to file as a part-year resident in both states. It appears from California’s Franchise Tax Board website that the correct form is “Form 540NR (California Nonresident or Part-Year Resident Income Tax Return)”. The corresponding form in Oregon is “Form 40P (Part-Year Resident Form)”.
I also noticed this in the Oregon DOR’s FAQs.
Reading this, it appears that Oregon may try to tax you on your California income (along with California). However, there may be a procedure in the Oregon return where you can deduct taxes paid to anther state.
If all of this is unfamiliar to you, this may be a good year to consult a tax professional.
Also, don’t forget your federal return!
BTW, I am not a tax professional.
And my post would have been up 20 minutes earlier if the hamsters hadn’t eaten the first version…
No irritation on my part. I guess it’s not so obvious as I surmised that if one has taxed income one should contact with the relevant tax authority to see if one should file to get some of that tax back.