My husband and I are US citizens but live/work outside the US. We lived in MD for a few years (in the middle of 20+ years overseas), and own a rental property in MD, file MD state taxes, have MD driver's licenses, and vote in MD.
Our oldest son just turned 18 and will be attending college in Washington state. He lived with us outside the US, attended all 4 years of high school outside the US while living with us. He does not have a driver's license or state ID, is not yet registered to vote, and has no ties himself to Maryland, no relatives in the state, has no plans to return there, etc. It seems to me that it would be logical for him to get a Washington driver's license, as I don't even know how/where he'd spend time in MD to get one there. Same with voting-- it could be logical for him to vote in local elections in Washington, but not in MD where he has no ties and doesn't know what's going on. I am wondering if he can do this. And, then, in turn, whether he can be considered a Washington resident for income earned from a part-time job while in college. (He won't be at a public university, so we are not talking about residency for tuition purposes.)
(Given our tax situation/income levels, and that we are using money in 529s to pay the tuition not covered by scholarships, I don't *think* my husband and I would get much tax benefit from his educational expenses-- just mentioning in case his state of residence is somehow affected by whether or not we claim him as a dependent.)
I would appreciate any expertise you can share!
Thank you!
Sara
