Active Duty Military - NYS State Tax Exemption Help

[oistadg98]

Good Afternoon/Morning!

I have been Active Duty in the US Military for nearly 6 years now and I am just now learning that I can file for tax-exempt status with New York State as I am a New York Resident but have never permanently lived in NYS while I have been in Active Duty Status (the past six years).  

So... I have no idea where to start.  1) How for back can I file this tax exempt status?... 2) How do I go about filing for previous years to get refunds?... 3) What documents do I need in order to get this done properly?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!

[TomD8]

First of all, make sure you meet the qualifications for your military pay to be tax-exempt in New York.  See this for an explanation:

https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/file/military_page.htm#:~:text=Your%20military%20pay%20is%20subject,201%2....

Then, if you find that your NY tax returns in previous years were incorrect, you must file amended returns to correct them.  But first read NY's rules for filing amended returns:

New York's rule for filing an amended IT-203 is this:

Generally, Form IT-203-X must be filed within three years of the date the original return was filed or within two years of the date the tax was paid, whichever is later. (A return filed early is considered filed on the due date.) Do not file Form IT-203-X unless you have already filed your original return.

The full instructions are here:

https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/it/it203xi.pdf