Domicile question

[Mariner]

So do all of you forgo routine screenings such as mammograms, pap smears, PSA tests, colonoscopies, A1C, Cholesterol panel, CBC panel, liver, glacoma checks, cataract checks, BP, etc.? Just because you feel good doesn't mean there is no cause for concern. The body does begin to loose it's vim and vigor as we age - by picking up things early, you can often forgo problems later and live a long life.

 

 

Nope. I've had yearly complete physicals done from one coast to the other. I have a nuclear scan stress test once a year wherever we are for the winter. I carry a complete health history on myself & better half so whatever Dr. we might meet with, all his question are answered.

[freestoneangler]

I find this whole subject rather fascinating and sad at the same time. Fascinating in how everyone finds all the various ways to navigate through the myriad of laws, and sad in that the laws and regulations seemingly have greatly restricted our individual freedoms. Oh well, I guess we take the good with the bad and press on.

 

Here is our current situation and would appreciate any feedback others might have.

 

We are currently WA residents but are in the process of selling our home. We do own property in Montana and plan to build there, but may choose to delay a little while and do a bit of RV travel before committing to that. We do meet the requirements to obtain Montana DL's, but I'm wondering if that is the better choice? Since WA does not have a state income tax, my pension would not be taxed here. That would mean I'd have to pay sales tax on the RV purchase and register here, but that would be less than the income tax (like I said above... somewhat sad we have to navigate through all this ).

 

Does anyone know of issues simply having a P.O. Box in WA is acceptable when you no longer own real estate? Any suggestions/options?

 

Thanks

[Kirk W]

Does anyone know of issues simply having a P.O. Box in WA is acceptable when you no longer own real estate? Any suggestions/options?

While I'm not certain, I don't think that WA is a state which will accept a mail service address for driver's licenses or vehicle registrations, but it is pretty easy to find out by calling your local DMV.

 

Under the policy change, acceptable forms of identification are home-utility bills dated within two months of the date of application for a license, home-mortgage information or voter-registration cards.

Unless it has changed, that same thing is true for Montana driving licenses, but check their DMV to be sure.

[trostberg]

I had to have a physical address that is not a PO Box or mail forwarding service when I obtained my new drivers license in WA. Everything else has taken my PO Box using the street addressing option for the PO Box. I was able to give a separate mailing address for my drivers license that could be a PO Box but the actual address on the drivers license had to be a physical address.

 

A bank did require something that would match my physical address on my license. The RV park receipt that also had my PO Box address on it worked for this since I had no utility or phone bill.

[freestoneangler]

We both have current WA DL's that are good for a few more years. According to WA's website regarding definition of "residency":

 

Persons are considered residents of this state for sales and use tax purposes if they take actions which indicate that they intend to live in this state on more than a temporary or transient basis. A person may be considered a resident of this state even though the person is a resident of another state.

The Department of Revenue presumes that a person is a resident of this state if he or she does any of the following:

• Maintains a residence in Washington for personal use;
• Lives in a motor home or vessel which is not permanently attached to any property if the person previously lived in this state and does not have a permanent residence in any other state;
• Is registered to vote in this state;
• Receives benefits under one of Washington's public assistance programs;
• Has a state professional or business license in this state;
• Is attending school in this state and paying tuition as a Washington resident or is a custodial parent with a child attending a public school in this state;
• Uses a Washington address for federal or state taxes;
• Has a Washington State driver's license; or
• Claims Washington as a residence for obtaining a hunting or fishing license, eligibility to hold public office or for judicial actions.

Persons may rebut the presumption of residency if they provide other facts which show that they do not intend to reside in this state on either a temporary or permanent basis. A Washington resident who intends to move at a future date, however, will be considered a Washington resident.

 

We satisfy several of the bullets -- the second bullet being key when our home is sold. At that point our only option would be to get a P.O. Box here in WA? If they do not allow that, it seems we're in catch 22?

 

Any forum members from WA that retired from work, sold their home here, and subsequently purchased and registered and MH here?

 

Thanks

[sandsys]

We both have current WA DL's that are good for a few more years. According to WA's website regarding definition of "residency":

 

Persons are considered residents of this state for sales and use tax purposes if they take actions which indicate that they intend to live in this state on more than a temporary or transient basis. A person may be considered a resident of this state even though the person is a resident of another state.

Residency and domicile are NOT the same thing. You can have several residencies but only ONE domicile. Please, do not confuse those two.

 

Linda Sand

[trostberg]

The catch 22 you mention is a big problem for RVers............PO Boxes are not considered physical addresses in most states for drivers license and banking also seems to be an issue maybe even in states that allow PO Boxes. It is extremely limiting.

 

I have a physical address on my license and the DMV in Washington told me that technically after so many days I need to change the address if I am no longer there but she did say I could claim that I am a continuous traveler. She said that sometimes that passes but sometimes it does not. I will certainly try to never put myself in a position where that is questioned on my driver license. Since I am usually traveling to areas with seasonal workers in national parks, I would think I would have less trouble than some people.

 

For domicile my understanding a big part of the definition is the "intent" to return to that state.

[freestoneangler]

Residency and domicile are NOT the same thing. You can have several residencies but only ONE domicile. Please, do not confuse those two.

 

Linda Sand

 

The catch 22 you mention is a big problem for RVers............PO Boxes are not considered physical addresses in most states for drivers license and banking also seems to be an issue maybe even in states that allow PO Boxes. It is extremely limiting.

 

I have a physical address on my license and the DMV in Washington told me that technically after so many days I need to change the address if I am no longer there but she did say I could claim that I am a continuous traveler. She said that sometimes that passes but sometimes it does not. I will certainly try to never put myself in a position where that is questioned on my driver license. Since I am usually traveling to areas with seasonal workers in national parks, I would think I would have less trouble than some people.

 

For domicile my understanding a big part of the definition is the "intent" to return to that state.

So we sell our home here in WA and, unless we rent or buy another home here, we cannot continue to claim WA as our residency and domicile while doing part time RV travels? Or, if the answer is yes you can, but without a physical address (only a P.O. Box) you are essentially unable to satisfy other regulation requirements, that seems quite contradictive and unfair.

 

What would you suggest we do based on the situation I describe (post #52)?

[GlennWest]

Will add a tid bit here. We have a property, not much. No electricity, have water service. Mail box required. This is essentially our domicile. We also have a Escapees address. It is essential since we travel continuously. This does cause problems. We get mail, sometimes important, in our mailbox. I always use Escapees address but somehow it sometimes get there. One of my w2s ended up there. jfyi

[Dutch_12078]

 

So we sell our home here in WA and, unless we rent or buy another home here, we cannot continue to claim WA as our residency and domicile while doing part time RV travels? Or, if the answer is yes you can, but without a physical address (only a P.O. Box) you are essentially unable to satisfy other regulation requirements, that seems quite contradictive and unfair.

 

What would you suggest we do based on the situation I describe (post #52)?

 

If you want to keep WA as your domicile, you could set up a physical address with a mail forwarder like Traveling Mailbox instead of your PO box. There may be other services with a WA address available...

[trostberg]

Washington does not allow a mail forwarding service as physical address for your drivers license. I don't know if they have a way to track which addresses are mail forwarding.

 

If you can use a friend or relative's physical address that is the only other option I have found. Then a PO Box using the street addressing system is what I am using.

[Dutch_12078]

Washington does not allow a mail forwarding service as physical address for your drivers license. I don't know if they have a way to track which addresses are mail forwarding.

 

If you can use a friend or relative's physical address that is the only other option I have found. Then a PO Box using the street addressing system is what I am using.

 

I wonder if the folks at Traveling Mailbox or another forwarder might have some ideas of how best to proceed?

[nedraspyro]

Thanks everyone, I think we'll go with our original plan and become Texans!

Texas is a good place to domicile. It is RV friendly & the Rio Grande Valley has a ton of RV parks. We used to live in Central & North TX but left due to work. We returned a few years ago as "Winter Texans" & ended up buying an RV lot in Retama Village & became TX residents. We loved it so much when we returned to NM we put our house on the market. When we sold our house in NM last March we built a stick house in Retama & are now full time TX residentsagain.

 

There are a lot of Winter Texans here in the valley who have become TX residents even though they still have a home up north.

 

Health care here in the valley is amazing. So many hospitals & doctors & Texas loves Winter Texans down here.

 

Having lived in FL & TX I do like the weather here better....at least in the valley. We don't get the storms (in the valley) that FL does & the cost of living is cheaper here.

[nedraspyro]

 

Let's keep it 100 -- For RVers under 65, would you recommend TX as a domicile?

We have a bunch of Winter Texan's here in the Rio Grande Valley (TX) who are under 65. There is so much to do here & each & every RV community (& places like Retama where we live that have stick houses also) has ongoing activities that you will never have to worry about things to do either in the communities or around the valley.

 

Our community (Retama Village) & many others have a lot of younger people & all the RV communities around here are very ACTIVE...some year round. When we moved back here 3 years ago as "Winter Texans" we loved it so much we decided to just stay here because there's always things to do at any age.

 

Health care down here is probably better than any other state we've lived in or been to.

 

It's a difficult decision but if you narrow things down by what your needs are & make a list of pros & cons of each place it will help you make a decision.