@Hal_Al wrote:
Q. What if it was more of an employer preference and not a requirement? Meaning, the job COULD be performed in both locations but I was asked to move?
A. It depends on the details. What is you do and where do you do it (work from home or at a company facility). Is the employer paying for the move. Is there some personal reason for moving. Why does the employer prefer you to be there. What is about the "new role" that makes the new location better. The employer preferring the new location is probably good enough, if there's a business reason for the preference.
The TT site says "as long as the sale results from a job change".
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/jobs-and-career/changing-jobs/L5ElUIrh6
I actually had a debate on this site last month and a long research into the actual code and regulations. You must have the job at the new location before you sell the old house. (Or at least a commitment or contract, if you haven't started work yet.)
Example 1: John works at Cornell University in NY state, and John is offered a job at UCLA. If John moves to California and sells his Cornell house before the 2 years are up, John will qualify for a partial exclusion.
Example 2: John works at Cornell University in NY state but hates the weather, and moves to southern California, and sells his NY house when he moves. John sends out resumes, and 6 months after moving, John accepts a job at UCLA. John does NOT qualify for the partial exclusion on the sale of the Cornell house, because he did not have a new job that was 50 miles away from his old home when he sold the old home. (Even though changing jobs was one of the reasons he moved, he did not have the new job when he sold the old house.)
Example 3: John works at Cornell University in NY state but hates the weather, and moves to southern California. John keeps the house in Cornell as an air-bnb to see how things work out in California. 6 months after moving, John accepts a job at UCLA, and then puts his Cornell house on the market. John would qualify for the partial exclusion, because he sold the house after accepting the new job that was more than 50 miles away.
