Part Washington Part California How to do on TurboTax Desktop

[jobmine]

I worked for an in-office Washington based company Jan-Nov 2022, physically presented in Washington.

I worked for an in-office, but okay-to-remote-before-relocating California based company Nov-Dec 2022, physically presented in Washington (was in the process of relocating from WA to CA, but was still physically in Washington on Dec 31, 2022)

Question 1: Do I need to claim CA tax for Nov-Dec 2022?

------ If Yes, Question 2. If No, Question 3.

Question 2: If I do - How to do that on TurboTax Desktop? I'm stuck on the step "Was Washington your state of residence for 2022?". Should I change it to CA? Since Washington does not have state income tax, should I just pick California? Where I could give the information to only claim tax for Nov to Dec?

Question 3: If I do not - Since Washington does not require state income tax, could I just skip my state tax? Or could I get a refund of the CA state tax withholding?

Thanks community!!

[MaryK4]

First you need to determine when you first established California residency- see Am I a resident?.

Based just on the details in your questions, you were in transition through the end of the year in which case you would have been a Washington resident for all of 2022.  If a state decides to pursue state income taxes, they will look at all of the circumstances- some are clear (like the dates you get a new driver's license etc) but there is an intent component that can be more difficult to prove. Here's why it makes a difference:

In general, nonresidents pay income tax (if required) in the state where the work is performed.  Residents must pay state taxes (if required) on all income regardless of where it was earned.  If any income is double-taxed at the state level, a credit for the taxes pair to the nonresident state can be claimed on the resident tax return.