Do I have to file a State income tax returrn if I've been living in another country for more than a year?

Question

Do I have to file a State income tax returrn if I've been living in another country for more than a year?

Answer 1

It depends upon you situation. Do you still have contact with the state-- bank account, car, home, mailing address.

If it is only one year, the state will like to tax you as state will conclude that your visit was temporary.

Read this

http://taxipay.blogspot.com/2008/03/us-c...

Answer 2

U.S. citizens are required to report all income world-wide regardless of where it is earned.  The federal government gives an exclusion for up to $85K on income earned in most(not all) foreign countries.  The state may or may not follow the same rule for foreign-earned income.  

You may have been living in another country for more than one year, BUT the real question is "Did you maintain ties with that state; i.e., did you continue to have family who remained in your home in that state, keep the same bank account, vote via absentee ballot, etc.  Those are all facts which indicate that you did NOT give up residency in that state.  You are still a U.S. citizen and continue to be resident of the state until you give up all ties.  

TN, TX, WA and FL are all states which have NO tax on W-2 or Earned income.  TN has a tax on Dividends and Interest, but that is not an income tax per se.  Unless you can establish residency in one of these states, then you continue to be a resident of the state in which you own property, vote, return to when not out of the country, and as such, you must pay income tax to that state.