The MSRRA pisses me off every year at tax time

[meltoine]

I'm gonna need some help on these acronyms to understand your post, lol

I have no idea what you're talking about. H and I are from the same state just by happenstance. He was stationed in Ohio and had been in for 4 years when we met.

[audette]

It helps me... DH's HOR and my "home state" are the same, so I've been able to use it.

But, I'm guessing I fall into the "lucky" group...


I remember filing for it the first year. That was a hoot. It went something like:

"So ma'am... the usual test of residency is: Where do you vote?"
"Well, I can't vote."
"Uh... Where do your parents live?"
"Outside the US."
"Well, crap... Do you own a house?"
"Not anymore."
"Dang. Uh, where is your drivers license from?"

I have pretty strong ties to my "home state", just not the usual ones. Mine are all banking, job, and social, not family, or property...

(ETA: I say I must be in the lucky group, 'cause we sure didn't meet in high school... or even very young, by military standards...)

[amaristella]

I had no idea there were limitations on which spouses it applied to. I also loathe taxes. My least favorite subject in accounting. It's all memorization because so much of it is just plain made up. It doesn't follow things like logic and reason like most of the rest of accounting principles.

[nsl]

Sometimes I love living in Texas. This is one of those times. We pay property taxes through the nose, but there is no state income tax.

[amaristella]

Jan 12, 2015 22:22:06 GMT -5 Stan said:

Jan 12, 2015 21:47:31 GMT -5 nsl said:

Sometimes I love living in Texas. This is one of those times. We pay property taxes through the nose, but there is no state income tax.

I told MH that the next state we live in we are both becoming residents of. And that it better be CA, VA, or NC. I wouldn't mind FL as they have no income tax for military or some such, and more importantly, it's a swing state, but he'd have to get a competitive instructor slot and it's unlikely.

For political as well as for tax purposes New Hampshire is a really fun state to have a residency in. I'm slowly letting mine go more because DH failed to change his and in the end it's his home of record that's going to matter for us. In fact I immediately regretted changing my car registration because California gave me a license plate number that has the letters "HOE" right in the middle and told DH to go suck it when he asked if he could have a more appropriate plate number. Not sure that there are any Army or MC posts near there though.

[amaristella]

Jan 12, 2015 22:19:39 GMT -5 Stan said:

Jan 12, 2015 20:06:42 GMT -5 amaristella said:

I had no idea there were limitations on which spouses it applied to. I also loathe taxes. My least favorite subject in accounting. It's all memorization because so much of it is just plain made up. It doesn't follow things like logic and reason like most of the rest of accounting principles.

I love taxes! Federal taxes. The dumb state we live in (and that I'm forced to be a resident of since MSSRA does nothing for me) just doesn't make the allowances for military couples that California does.

Have you ever considered being a volunteer for the IRS VITA program? Basically it's free tax prep run by volunteers (you have to get training/certified but it's not too difficult of a course) aimed towards preparing tax returns for low income families/individuals, persons with disabilities and senior citizens. I went through a portion of the training modules when I was earning my accounting certificate but stopped short of the military module. You do have to get re-certified every year, of course.

www.irs.gov/Individuals/IRS-Tax-Volunteers