I moved with my wife to Germany in late 2019, and recently returned to the United States for (what will most likely be) a temporary visit. There are some complicating factors, though, and I am not sure if I should be considered a tax resident of the state I was in during the end of 2020. Any help is requested and appreciated!
The basics:
-I arrived in California from Germany on November 18, 2020. Thus I spent 6 weeks in California in 2020.
-I stayed in a hotel the first 10 days and have stayed with parents since then
-My wife is still in Germany
The complicating factors:
1. My wife and I are separated, which is why I returned. It seems likely we will reconcile but I cannot say for sure at this point in time.
2. I applied for and was approved for EBT (Food Stamp) benefits in CA in December. I started a Covered CA health plan on January 1st.
3. I work remotely for a business out of Wisconsin - this was also the case when I lived in Germany. So I will need to file a Wisconsin non-resident state return on that income. This may not matter but I thought I'd mention it.
TurboTax on the section on residency says the below. I also looked up California's guidelines (2020 Publication 1031 Guidelines for Determining Resident Status). Between these two sources it is not clear that I should have been considered a resident in California because the intention of the visit was temporary. *However* I did receive EBT benefits and I would guess CA only wants those to go to residents.
Truth be told, it is such a low amount, I'd be happy to return these benefits in return for simpler taxes, if that were an option.
Can anyone provide more guidance on this?
From TurboTax:
Date You Established Residency
The date you choose as the first day of residency can coincide with one of the following events:
- You or your spouse arrived in the state or country
- Your belongings arrived
- You or your spouse started work
- You started renting your new place
- You purchased your new home
- You or a family member enrolled in school
- You or your spouse registered to vote
- You or your spouse applied for a state driver's license
