taxes and domicile

[Tim and Peggy]

Peggy and I assumed that we would be domiciled in FL and Escapees helped us with the appropriate physical address. My current car (towed vehicle) is registered in VT as is my Class A motor home. My insurance (in VT) wants to car insurance company wants to cancel my insurance because it is not garaged there. So, naturally I got an insurance quote for FL and the policy is $1,900 MORE in FL versus VT. 

So I have decided to explore changing my domicile from FL to Texas based on the assumption that car insurance would be cheaper. I believe that as regards to taxing social security neither state does and neither has a state income tax.

Would anyone be willing to offer advise as to what your experience might have been regarding this?

Please feel free to email me.

 

Thanks.

 

Tim and Peggy

 

[Kirk W]

I am quite surprised by the numbers you quote for auto insurance premium increase, as your increase exceeds my annual premium, if that was for an automobile. If you are speaking of a motorhome, did you also change from a part-time RV insurance policy to one that covers fulltime living at the same time? If so, that probably is a major part of the price increase as fulltimer insurance is much higher because it covers things like personal liability that normally is left to the home owner's policy for his house, along with several other major differences. Did you get your insurance quote from one the the agencies popular with other fulltimers, or from just any agency? If you have not done so, I suggest that you speak with one or more of these agencies.

Miller Insurance        AIS RV insurance     Explorer Insurance   Foretravel ins.    RV Advantage

While I domicile in Texas and have for a long time, it isn't possible for anyone to give you a price for insurance here because insurance rates are very personal and unique to individuals because the vehicle you are insuring, the driving records of the owners, and even things like credit ratings play into what a policy will cost. Class A motorhomes can cost anywhere from about $130k to more than $1-million and towed vehicles vary quite widely as well. 

[SWharton]

Why don't you just ask your insurance agent for a quote for TX insurance, then you would know. I assume you have health insurance since you didn't mention that. I also assume you are upgrading to full timer insurance on the Class A.

[Tim and Peggy]

Hello,

I cannot get a quote until I get a physical address (which I will try and procure on Monday from Escapees)  in order to quote the car insurance.

My RV insurance is through National General Insurance as we are FT.

 

[SWharton]

If you have a Bushnell address you have a Livingston address. The Bushnell address is used for DL, registration, voting etc. When you applied for the Bushnell you should have received the Livingston address that you would use for all your mail.

[remoandiris]

15 hours ago, Tim and Peggy said:

So I have decided to explore changing my domicile from FL to Texas based on the assumption that car insurance would be cheaper.

Is your VT insurance a full time policy or just 6 months?  And you might want to check the cost difference of HEALTH insurance between the 2 states as well.  

IMO, it is a mistake to ONLY consider the cost of vehicle insurance when there are other costs involved with living.

And don't forget SD.  You can get your vehicle registered and insured now and travel there later to get your driver's licenses.  Yes, you can.  Yes, it is legal.

[Tim and Peggy]

Thanks for your reply. The premium in VT is annual. We lived there for 15 years. 

We don't yet know where we want to end up, (FL,TX,SD) so I am perhaps being penny wise/pound foolish. I also agree that there are "other costs"....just being cheap while we are own the road and hate that VT is forcing me to make a decision. But they are right not to want to insure a vehicle that is not garaged, there. 

Based on another reply to my initial post, I did get a price in Texas which is essentially the same as VT. Problem is, I have to go back each year for vehicle inspections. A true conundrum.

 

Thanks.

 

[Tim and Peggy]

SWharton,

yep the Bushnell address is exactly for what you said and the mail service works great. We've been on the road since October 1st...but my VT insurance company doesn't have a sense of humor, thus the need to pursue options.

 

Thanks.

[sandsys]

1 hour ago, Tim and Peggy said:

I did get a price in Texas which is essentially the same as VT. Problem is, I have to go back each year for vehicle inspections. A true conundrum.

Nope. You only need an inspection IF you go back to Texas. If you don't go there, you don't need an inspection. When you finally do go back, you will need an inspection then but there is no penalty for the years you were out of state.

Linda Sand

[Twotoes]

No inspection required in So Dakota. Nor do you need a special drivers liscense in SD to drive any recreational vehicle. No State income tax either. But if you are not on Medicare there are only few health insurance options. 

[SWharton]

No inspections needed if your vehicle is never in TX. We have a car that is registered in TX that has never been to the state, registered the car 5 year ago or so.

You said " We don't yet know where we want to end up, (FL,TX,SD)". I don't understand that statement.

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, sandsys said:

Nope. You only need an inspection IF you go back to Texas. If you don't go there, you don't need an inspection.

The following comes from the TX-DMV website.

Quote

Out of State Motorists

If your vehicle is currently out of state and you are unable to complete a Texas vehicle inspection in order to renew your registration, you may self-certify that the vehicle is out of state and will be permitted to register online, by mail, or in person.

If you renew your vehicle registration using the out-of-state self-certification option, a remark will be placed on your vehicle record indicating that an inspection is still due. Once you return to the state, you must complete a Texas vehicle inspection within three days of arrival at your home, duty station, or destination. It is very important that you keep the VIR issued after completing your inspection in case you are stopped by law enforcement before the remark is removed from your vehicle record, which takes about 48 hours. The remark will be removed only upon payment of the state’s portion of the inspection fee and verification of inspection at your county tax office.

 

[Tim and Peggy]

as regards the comment we don't know where we want to end up...meant when we are no longer "on the road."

Thanks to everyone for your advice, comments, etc.

[Second Chance]

2 hours ago, Tim and Peggy said:

as regards the comment we don't know where we want to end up...meant when we are no longer "on the road."

Thanks to everyone for your advice, comments, etc.

We don't know either - nor when that will be. That didn't make any difference in where we decided to establish domicile. We chose Texas because:

1. We have both lived in various parts of Texas in the past,
2. I have family in Texas,
3. We have family in the southeast and in New Mexico and California... we traverse Texas at least once a year,
4. Escapees provides all the services we need with the Livingston address with no state income taxes and reasonable registration costs for the vehicles,
5. And, finally, it will be no more difficult to change our domicile to a different state if and when we come off the road than it was to establish our Texas domicile.

 Rob

[SWharton]

I wouldn't even concern myself as to where you might end up in the future. Who knows? You can always change your mind and you will as you see different parts of this country. One less thing to think about.

Pick one of the states aforementioned and start getting organized. If you need medical most of the time FL is your only choice. If you don't need to worry about medical then the field is wide open.

[JimK]

I recommend you look at South Dakota.  The State is very welcoming to traveling RV residents.  It was very easy to become a resident.  Vehicle and healthcare insurance costs were low.  No annual or other vehicle inspections.  

When we had a problem with stolen drivers' licenses, the South Dakota DMV was exceptional.  We got instant temporary licenses which we printed at the local UPS store.  Permanent licenses were mailed within a few days.

BTW, winters are harsh, but otherwise South Dakota is an absolutely wonderful place with lots of scenic attractions and beauty which include Custer State Park, the Badlands NP,  Rushmore, the Black Hills,  Wind Caves NP........

[Bill&Anneli]