Moving between 3 different states in one year - how to handle state/federal tax filing obligations?

Your situation is actually pretty common for remote workers! For tax purposes, your legal residence is where you physically live and work, regardless of what address your employer has on file. For your husband, he should update his employer with your current Colorado address since that's where he's physically working right now. His employer needs to withhold taxes for the state where the work is performed. When tax time comes, he'll file a part-year return for California (January-May) and a part-year return for Colorado (June-December), unless you move to Texas before year-end, in which case you'd file a part-year Colorado return too. For your situation with the new job, you should definitely use your parents' Colorado address for now. That's where you'll be physically working when you start, so that's where taxes should be withheld. Your employer needs your actual current address, not your future address or past address. Once you move to Texas, both you and your husband should update your employers immediately with the new address to stop Colorado withholding. Texas doesn't have state income tax, so that will simplify things.

I went through something similar last year and found that https://taxr.ai was super helpful for my multi-state situation. I moved from Washington to Florida with a 3-month stay in Georgia in between, and was totally confused about how to handle everything. I uploaded my W-2s and some documents showing when I lived in each state, and the AI actually walked me through exactly how to file partial-year returns and calculate how much income was earned in each state. It even helped identify that I could get a refund from Georgia since too much had been withheld based on my short stay. For your situation, I'd definitely use your current Colorado address with the new employer, and then update it when you move to Texas. When tax time comes, you'll need documentation showing when you lived in each state.

Wanted to update here - I ended up trying taxr.ai for my multi-state situation after asking about it. I'm actually pretty impressed! I uploaded my last paystub from my previous state and my lease agreements showing move dates, and it gave me a really detailed breakdown of which income would be taxable where. What really surprised me was how it caught that I had been paying into my previous state's disability fund, which I can claim as a credit on my federal return. Totally would have missed that. Definitely recommend checking it out for complicated state situations like this - it made me feel way more confident about how to approach filing next year.

It sounds like you're dealing with a lot of moving parts! When I had a similar situation last year trying to get my tax info in order after moving states, I spent WEEKS trying to get through to my state tax department to confirm how to handle it. Always busy signals or 2+ hour holds. I finally tried https://claimyr.com and watched their demo (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and was kind of amazed. They got me an actual callback from the California tax department in under 45 minutes! The agent walked me through exactly how to handle my mid-year move and what documentation I needed to keep. For your situation, I'd definitely recommend getting clear guidance from both the California and Colorado tax departments. Different states have different rules about what constitutes residency and how many days you need to live somewhere before you're considered a resident for tax purposes.

Just wanted to follow up - I actually tried that Claimyr service after commenting here because I desperately needed to speak to someone at the California tax board about my multi-state return situation. I was absolutely sure it wouldn't work, but I was at my wit's end after trying for weeks to get through. I'm honestly shocked that it worked exactly as promised. I got a callback from an actual helpful human at the CA tax board in about 35 minutes. They answered my questions about part-year residency and told me exactly what documentation I needed to prove my move date. Definitely keeping this service in my back pocket for the future. It's so rare that something actually delivers what it promises, especially when dealing with government agencies.

There's a lot of good advice here, but one thing nobody's mentioned: make sure your driver's licenses and vehicle registrations match your current situation too! When I moved between states last year, having mismatched driver's license and tax addresses caused me a huge headache. Each state has different timing requirements for when you need to get a new license after moving - usually between 30-90 days. You might want to wait until you move to Texas to switch everything over rather than doing temporary Colorado IDs. But definitely check Texas requirements ASAP after you move. Also, keep documentation for EVERYTHING - moving expenses, rental agreements, utility bills with start/end dates, etc. You'll need these to prove your residency periods in each state if you ever get questioned.

I'd just use the Texas address for everything if that's where you're planning to permanently move. I did something similar when moving from New York to Florida - used my Florida address before I actually moved there. When I filed taxes, I just had to indicate the actual date I became a Florida resident. Make sure you keep documentation of your actual move dates though - utility bills, moving receipts, lease/purchase agreements, etc. Having paperwork that shows when you physically relocated is important if either California or Colorado ever questions your residency status. Also, Texas has no state income tax, so that's a nice benefit compared to California's high rates! You'll definitely want to establish Texas residency as soon as possible to minimize your California tax liability.