Here We Go!

[Packman]

I'm not sure whether to be thrilled or scared to death.

We sold our house and landed a workamper job the same weekend! We settle Sept 10 and plan to FT in the area until December. We'll then slowly make our way to Florida.

I will receive Govt. retirement and can dip into TSP. Our gig is in Va and we will report the end of March.

We live in MD now and will probably put some things in storage in PA to ensure we have no ties to MD. (don't want to give them reason to put their hand in my pocket). Correct me if I'm wrong, but it think FL would be best to set up residence. I assume then I would only have to pay tax on the money I earn in VA.

I'm sure I'll have many more questions, but have tried to keep an eye on these forums for a few years now.

Any advise appreciated,

Rick and Dru

[Zulu]

Congrats!

[sandsys]

Welcome to a great forum; glad to have you participate. We never worked on the road so cannot answer for certain your question about taxes even though I think you are right. I'm also sure some people will be along later this morning to provide their experiences regarding your question. Again, welcome.

Linda

[Kirk W]

Welcome to the  Escapee forums and congratulations on your move to freedome of the road!

9 hours ago, Packman said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it think FL would be best to set up residence. I assume then I would only have to pay tax on the money I earn in VA.

It is difficult to say with certainty which state will be best for you as it just depends on your circumstances. FL is one of the most popular states for fulltimers with TX & SD being the other two leaders. None of those states have any state income tax but you are required to pay state income tax in any state that you earn income in for the money your are paid while working in that state. Of the 3 leading states, FL probably is your best bet if you need to buy health insurance and are not yet elgible for Medicare. If you are on Medicare it may not be the best for you. Understand that you will need to establish an address in whatever state you choose to call your domicile and to move your driver's license, vehicle registrations, and all insurance to the chosen state at the very least. I suggest you do some reading about The Issue of Domicile at this link and several others as well. Here are 2 more, one at Escapeees and another from our website. 

[$ Spot]

10 hours ago, Packman said:

I'm not sure whether to be thrilled or scared to death.

I'd say a lot of the first, and a little of the second only because there's an unknown or unfamiliar factor involved that'll be left behind as experience builds, leaving you with all of the first. Congratulations!

     Spot

[FL-JOE]

Congrats.  There are many benefits to calling Florida "home".  We are on Medicare and have great all around insurance that serves us well no matter where we travel.  One negative is, depending on your RV and auto coverages, Florida can have high vehicle rates for insurance.  

It certainly sounds like you have things figured out.  Safe travels.

[Packman]

 

34 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

 Of the 3 leading states, FL probably is your best bet if you need to buy health insurance and are not yet elgible for Medicare. If you are on Medicare it may not be the best for you. Understand that you will need to establish an address in whatever state you choose to call your domicile and to move your driver's license, vehicle registrations, and all insurance to the chosen state at the very least. I suggest you do some reading about The Issue of Domicile at this link and several others as well. Here are 2 more, one at Escapeees and another from our website. 

The beauty of being a retired federal employee is that I have health insurance from them.

[sandsys]

8 hours ago, Packman said:

The beauty of being a retired federal employee is that I have health insurance from them.

That's the most helpful thing about full time RVing next to having no debt. We had employee health insurance until Medicare kicked in. It makes choosing a domicile much easier.

Linda

[richfaa]

We are also a retired  Federal Employee and have our health care through the FEHBP. Wife is retired Federal Employee also. It is very good health insurance but it is not as many believe free. The Federal Government is also  a employer and as such offers benefits to its employees as many employers they pay a portion and the employee pays a portion. We are also on Medicare that we of course both paid into.

 

[Packman]

On 8/9/2019 at 3:34 PM, richfaa said:

We are also a retired  Federal Employee and have our health care through the FEHBP. Wife is retired Federal Employee also. It is very good health insurance but it is not as many believe free. The Federal Government is also  a employer and as such offers benefits to its employees as many employers they pay a portion and the employee pays a portion. We are also on Medicare that we of course both paid into.

 

I had to change this year because my premium was going up $200 per month. Now co-pays are higher and deductibles much more in play. Not that happy with bcbs nationwide ffs. Have to look harder this open season.