Working From Home? You Could Be Paying Tax in Two States.
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Could remote workers end up paying income tax to two states for 2020?
Here's your Money Briefing for Thursday, July 30th. I'm J.R. Whelan for The Wall Street Journal. Maybe working remotely isn't all that bad. Getting out of the city, heading to the country, and taking in the fresh air. Not to mention the home-cooked meals if you moved in with your folks. But if you relocated out of state temporarily until offices reopen, there's a big question mark. Where should you be paying income taxes?
And different states have different rules. And sometimes these rules clash. You might wind up being a resident of two states and owing taxes to two states with no offset for them.
But how does your state tax office even know where you are? Our tax reporter Laura Saunders will be here with answers after the break.
From vacation rentals on the ocean to second homes in the country to the basement back home with mom and dads, a lot of people who have been forced to work remotely for the past few months have moved away from home altogether, at least temporarily. Now, as part of the stimulus deal, the government is debating who it should tax and how.
How do states and employers detect where you worked while offices were closed?
Let's bring in tax reporter Laura Saunders to sort things out. So first off, Laura, take us through the basics here. Could somebody working from home have to pay taxes to two different states?
The point is that millions of remote workers are potentially facing higher state tax burdens for 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. These are people that might have to file taxes in more than one state. They might even have to pay taxes to more than one state, and there might not always be a credit. And so it's very unclear and very confusing and complex about what will happen. There is now a Senate Republican proposal in the package that was put out this week that would try to alleviate that situation and make it better.
But how do states know if someone had to go live with mom and dad in a neighboring state when their office is shut down?
Well, that's a really good question. That's one of the first questions I get about this topic. The answer is that about 60 percent of taxpayers still have their returns prepared by a professional. And the professional is going to ask you where you were working from. And so he's not going to or she is not going to sign a return if there lies on it. You know, tax returns are signed under penalties of perjury.
What does the Senate Republican proposal propose to prevent double state taxation?
So, you know, it's a good idea to tell the truth with your taxes.
And so if you're doing your own taxes, you work off the honor system?
Well, you are, but there are all kinds of ways that states could find out where you are. And one of the main ways is where your employer withholds taxes. If you're based in New Jersey, they're going to withhold New Jersey taxes. If you're based in Georgia, they're going to withhold Georgia taxes. So this is what this issue is about. The big problem this year is a lot of people are working remotely from another state. And different states have different rules. And sometimes these rules clash. You might wind up being a resident of two states and owing taxes to two states with no offset for them. So this proposal in the Senate plan would try to calm that down and rationalize it for people. So that in many, many, many cases, you would just pay tax to the state government.
where you were working at the time of the pandemic. Let's talk about this in an example.
How long must you work in another state before that state can tax your wages?
Let's say you lived in New Jersey and you worked for a New Jersey company. And then when the pandemic hit, you went off to North Carolina and you've been working remotely since then. Under the Senate proposal, what would happen is you would keep paying taxes to New Jersey All year, and you wouldn't have to file in North Carolina and pay taxes in North Carolina and try to get a credit from New Jersey for the taxes paid to North Carolina that might not entirely cover it.
How long do you work in a state before the state starts taxing you as if you live there?
The rules are all over the place. Many states, I think, you know, a couple of dozen states tax people if they work there for a day. Now, those rules were put in often for athletes and entertainers and things like that.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Could remote workers end up paying income tax to two states for 2020?
0:05–1:08
2
How do states and employers detect where you worked while offices were closed?
1:08–2:25
3
What does the Senate Republican proposal propose to prevent double state taxation?
2:25–3:28
4
How long must you work in another state before that state can tax your wages?
3:28–4:50
5
Which states have said they won’t tax pandemic-displaced workers and how common is that?
4:50–5:57
6
Who supports and who opposes the federal fix for multistate remote work taxation?
5:57–7:32
7
Will pandemic-era remote work create lasting state tax policy changes for the future?
7:32–8:57
Speakers
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