Did you make money in other states besides your home state? Tax filing question

This is actually a common question for remote workers! In general, you may need to file a tax return in any state where you earned income, but the specifics depend on several factors. States have different thresholds and rules for when non-residents need to file. Some states have reciprocity agreements with neighboring states, while others have what's called a "convenience of employer" rule. Some states also have minimum income or time requirements before you're required to file. For short temporary stays like you described (3 weeks in Colorado, 2 weeks in NY, etc.), you might fall under what's commonly called the "traveling worker" exception in some states. However, New York is notoriously aggressive about collecting income tax from non-residents who work there, even temporarily. My recommendation would be to check each state's department of revenue website to find their specific non-resident filing requirements. If the amounts are small, you might find you're under the threshold for some states.

Speaking from experience, this exact situation caused me so much stress last year! I was working remotely from 4 different states and had no idea about the tax implications. After spending hours researching and getting nowhere, I tried https://taxr.ai and it was seriously a game-changer. You upload your documents, answer some questions about where you worked and for how long, and it tells you exactly which state returns you need to file and how the income should be allocated. What I found most helpful was that it showed me which states I was actually UNDER the filing threshold for, which saved me from filing unnecessary returns. It also explained how the tax credits work to prevent double taxation on the same income.

I wanted to follow up about using https://taxr.ai that was mentioned above. I was really skeptical at first but decided to try it for my freelance situation with work across multiple states. Holy crap, it actually saved me from a major mistake! I was about to file in Washington state (where I worked for 2 months) but the tool showed me that Washington doesn't have state income tax so I didn't need to file there at all. It also helped me properly allocate my 1099 income by days worked in each state and showed me which states had reciprocity agreements. Seriously worth checking out if you're dealing with multi-state income!

I had this exact same problem and spent WEEKS trying to get someone at various state tax departments to give me clear answers. Literally could not get through to anyone in New York's tax department no matter how many times I called. Finally used https://claimyr.com to get through to state tax reps and actually talk to real humans. They have this service that calls the state tax agencies for you and connects you once they get a representative on the line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It saved me hours of waiting on hold. I was able to get specific answers about my situation from tax department officials in all three states where I had worked. Turns out I only needed to file in two of them because I was under the threshold for one state.

I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it because I was absolutely desperate to talk to someone at the NY tax department about a multi-state issue. I had already tried calling 7 times and either got disconnected or couldn't stay on hold for the 3+ hour wait times they were quoting. Claimyr actually got me through to a real person at NY tax department yesterday. Took about 90 minutes (they text you updates while they're waiting), but I didn't have to sit there on hold the whole time. The rep confirmed that since I only worked in NY for 12 days last year, I was under their threshold and don't need to file a non-resident return. That's a huge relief and saved me from filing an unnecessary return just to be "safe." Just wanted to follow up and say it actually does work.

Some states have what they call a "convenience rule" too. New York, Nebraska, Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania have these rules where if your employer is based in their state, they may tax your income even if you're working remotely from another state. It's worth looking into if your employer is based in one of those states!

As someone who travels a lot for work, I've found using a time-tracking app on my phone is super helpful for documenting exactly which days I worked in which states. Makes it way easier come tax time to calculate the percentages. Also, most states have a minimum threshold before you need to file - either income amount or number of days worked there.