Proof of Primary Residence

Forum|Forum|2 months ago
July 15, 2026
1 reply
81 views

For the past 10 years, I’ve resided in 2 different homes (one north of Seattle, one south of Seattle) to ease my commute to 2 different work sites (one north, one south of Seattle) because Seattle has bad traffic. I retired almost two years ago and now spend 95% of my time in the northern home, but my Washington State drivers license and my voter registration still list my southern home.

I would like to sell both of my homes within the next 2 years, so I suspect I cannot get a capital gain exemption for both homes. Correct? I plan to sell my southern home first (listed on my drivers license and voter registration) without claiming capital gain exemption. Then within 2 years I plan to sell my northern home claiming the exemption. Will I need to change the address of my drivers license and voter registration to my northern home to prove it’s my primary residence before selling, and must I do this ‘x’ number of months or years before selling the northern home?

JotikaT2

Alumni - Expert

That is correct. You can only claim the exemption on the home you owned and resided in as your primary residence for at least 2 of the past 5 years. Since you are not claiming the exemption on the first home, you would be able to claim the exemption on the 2nd home that you sell. You do not necessarily need to change your address and voter registration information to match the second home as long as you can show that you primarily resided in the northern home if asked by the taxing agencies.

Please see How does selling a home affect my taxes and Tax Aspects of Home Ownership: Selling a Home for more information on the exemption amount as well as other potential deductions you can take in the year you sell your home.

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