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by beagle3 1569 days ago
If you maintain a mailing address in a state, it will be on you to prove you don’t live there (and expect to have to do it on a yearly basis).

If you have an address outside the US, it is a good idea to tell the IRS to mail you at that address, the states seem to be content with that as evidence that you live out of state.

1 comments

Until you renounce US citizenship I would advise keeping a US address in a no income tax state, and a US bank account. Don’t tell the IRS or your bank that you moved out of the country. You don’t have to prove where you live or don’t live, just file the forms, pay the taxes, they don’t care. No one comes to the house looking for you unless you have done something criminal.

If you don’t have family or friends that will let you use their address you can use a mail receiving service (I used Traveling Mailbox for years). An attorney will usually let you use their address for a nominal fee. There’s actually a pretty big selection of services geared to expats and constant travelers, like people who live in RVs. Do some research, it’s not a big deal.

I am not a US citizen, but I do know one who lives outside the US, and for several years, had to prove to Maryland that they are not a resident -- each year anew -- until they gave up and listed their non-US address with the IRS, which made everything simple.

Indeed, Maryland is not a no-income-tax state; However, tax issues are not the only thing one should care about, and I wouldn't just move to a state "on paper" without a good knowledge of what that might legally require me to do.

Do no-personal-income tax states never require that you file anything? Whether it is tax related, or not?

One option: Schwab offers international accounts that can help once you lose your address and can no longer open any US accounts. You can't use ACH or their roboadvisors, however they do pay ATM fees internationally.
I use Schwab and recommend them. Open an account before leaving the US. You don’t need an international account, use a US address. If Schwab ever asks if you live overseas tell them no, you just travel a lot. They asked me once in six years, accepted my answer. They refund ATM fees on the regular investor checking account too.