Changing domicile state

[JayW1]

By the end of 2021 I will have spent more than six months in Florida. If I take the steps to change my address now from NJ to FL (drivers license, voting, etc.) does the clock start from now or can I can consider myself a Florida resident for all of 2021 as far as taxes are concerned?  

[tagteam]

Your residency would take effect from the date it is established; it does not relate back to the beginning of the calendar year.

[TomD8]

Generally speaking, when you move to another state you become a legal resident of the new state on the day you begin living in your new permanent home (your "domicile") there.

You can only have one domicile at a time.  NJ continues to be your domicile (and your income remains subject to NJ taxation) until you establish a new permanent home ("domicile") in another state.  If you haven't yet established FL as your new domicile, you will have to file a 2021 part-year resident NJ tax return.

You can read NJ's detailed rules on residency here:

Part-Year Residents and Nonresidents (state.nj.us)