TomD8
Level 15

State tax filing

If you literally moved to the foreign country - meaning you abandoned your domicile (your main, permanent home) in CA and established a new domicile in the foreign country, then for tax purposes you are are part-year resident of CA.  You became a resident of the foreign country, and ceased being a resident of CA, on the day you began living in your new domicile in the other country.  You have to enter that date into TurboTax; TurboTax has no other way of knowing that information.

 

On the other hand, if you kept your CA domicile, and you are living in the foreign country on a temporary or transient basis, for tax purposes you would remain a full-year resident of CA for 2019.  

 

You'll find all of CA's rules on residency in this reference:

https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/2019/2019-1031-publication.pdf

 

**Answers are correct to the best of my ability but do not constitute tax or legal advice.