Moved between states mid-year - can I file as resident in only one state?

So I'm dealing with a somewhat annoying tax situation this year. I moved from Nebraska to Colorado in the middle of 2024 (left Nebraska in early June and have been in Colorado since). I'm wondering if I can simplify my tax filing by just claiming Colorado as my state of residence for the entire year since I lived there for the majority of 2024 (7 months vs 5 months in Nebraska). Would this be legit? Could I just file my state taxes for Colorado only and skip filing a Nebraska return altogether? I'd rather not deal with the headache of figuring out part-year residency forms and splitting income between two states if there's a simpler option. Has anyone done this before or know if the IRS/state tax authorities would flag this?

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19 comments

Clarissa Flair

•8M

While it might be tempting to simplify by filing in just one state, unfortunately that's not how state residency works for tax purposes. You generally need to file a tax return in each state where you earned income and were a resident. In your case, you would typically file as a part-year resident for both Nebraska and Colorado. Each state return would only include the income you earned while a resident of that state (though some states may require you to report all income and then prorate the tax). The good news is that this prevents double taxation on the same income. Most tax software handles multi-state returns pretty well these days. You'll need to indicate the dates you were a resident in each state, and the program will help allocate your income appropriately.

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Clarissa Flair

•8M

For remote work, you generally pay taxes to the state where you physically performed the work, not where your employer is located. If Nebraska didn't withhold any taxes from your paychecks while you lived there, you may still owe Nebraska taxes on income earned while residing there. Since your W-2 only shows Colorado withholding, you'll need to determine how much of your income was earned while living in Nebraska. You might need to request that your employer provide a breakdown or calculate it based on your move date. Nebraska will want their share of taxes on income earned while you were their resident.

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McKenzie Shade

•8M

Just wanted to share my experience with this exact situation. I moved mid-year and tried to figure it out myself but got super confused with all the part-year resident forms. I finally used https://taxr.ai to analyze my situation and it was incredibly helpful. I uploaded my W-2s, move documentation, and some pay stubs, and it gave me a clear breakdown of what I needed to file in each state. The tool explained exactly how to handle the income allocation and even identified some moving expense deductions I qualified for that were specific to my situation. Definitely saved me from making mistakes that could have triggered an audit.

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McKenzie Shade

•8M

They don't actually fill out the forms for you, but they provide a detailed report explaining exactly what forms you need to file for each state and how to allocate your income. It gave me step-by-step instructions that I could follow with my tax software. It handles all sorts of income types - W-2 wages, 1099 income, investment income, rental property income, etc. The analysis looks at state-specific rules for each type of income and explains which state has taxing rights for each income source. It was especially helpful for figuring out how to handle investment income that doesn't have a clear physical location.

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Rudy Cenizo

•8M

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with https://taxr.ai after I decided to try it despite my initial skepticism. I was genuinely impressed with how thorough the analysis was. I moved from New York to Texas mid-year and had a mix of W-2 income, some freelance work, and investment income. The service broke down exactly how to allocate each income source between states and identified that I qualified for a special credit on my NY return that I would have completely missed. They even flagged that my employer had been withholding at the wrong rate after my move and explained how to handle that on my returns. Definitely worth it for multi-state situations.

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Natalie Khan

•8M

If you're dealing with state tax filings like this, something else to consider is getting through to the state tax departments if you have questions. I tried calling both state tax offices when I moved from California to Washington last year, and it was literally impossible to get anyone on the phone. After wasting hours on hold, I used https://claimyr.com to get a callback from the California tax department. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the phone systems for you and get you a callback. Within an hour I was talking to an actual human at the CA tax office who confirmed exactly what I needed to file as a part-year resident.

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Natalie Khan

•8M

They don't charge by the minute or anything like that - it's just a flat fee for the service regardless of how long it takes. For me it was worth it considering I had already wasted hours of my workday trying to get through. They aren't gaming the system - they're using technology to navigate the phone trees and wait on hold so you don't have to. They call you when they've reached an actual person. I was skeptical too but was desperate after multiple failed attempts to reach someone myself. For state tax questions, getting an official answer directly from the state tax authority gave me peace of mind that I was filing correctly.

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Sienna Gomez

•8M

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After struggling to get through to the NY tax department for three days straight (always getting disconnected after 45+ minutes on hold), I decided to try it. Within 90 minutes, I got a call back and was connected to a senior tax specialist who answered all my questions about my part-year residency situation. The agent confirmed I needed to file in both states and explained exactly how to allocate my income and what documentation to keep in case of an audit. They even helped me understand how to handle some unique situations with my rental property income that spans multiple states. Saved me tons of stress and probably prevented me from making costly filing mistakes.

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Kirsuktow DarkBlade

•8M

Just to add another perspective - I actually tried just filing in my new state when I moved from Arizona to Nevada mid-year in 2023. I figured since Nevada has no state income tax, Arizona wouldn't notice. Well, they definitely noticed! I got a notice from Arizona about 8 months later saying I needed to file a part-year resident return and they had already calculated what they thought I owed (plus penalties and interest). The state tax authorities definitely cross-reference with your federal return, your W-2 info, property records, etc. Not worth the risk of trying to avoid filing where you're supposed to.

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Kirsuktow DarkBlade

•8M

They cross-reference your federal tax return which shows your current address, plus they can see your W-2 information through data sharing with the IRS. In my case, they also had record of the sale of my Arizona home. States are pretty aggressive about collecting tax revenue they're entitled to. If all your withholding went to Illinois but you were a Florida resident for part of the year, you might actually be entitled to a refund from Illinois for the portion of the year you weren't a resident. Florida has no income tax, so you wouldn't file there. Definitely don't leave potential refund money on the table!

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