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Level 1
posted Apr 6, 2023 1:34:05 PM

State Tax on PTO Payout after moving

I moved from California (very high state taxes) to New Hampshire (no state income tax) in January of 2022 to change jobs.  My California employer sent my PTO payout to me weeks after I had moved and another incentive payout for 2021 after that.  I was no longer a California resident at that time, do I have to pay CA state income tax on that money?  That employer did report it as CA income on my W-2.

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3 Replies
Expert Alumni
Apr 6, 2023 3:01:30 PM

Yes, because you earned the income for working in California, you would have to file a California state tax return for 2022.

Level 1
Apr 7, 2023 3:29:13 AM

Thanks for the response, and just wanted to clarify.  I was already filing a CA return because I did get paid for actual hours worked during 2022.  Since this additional money was payout from unused PTO after retirement, and it was paid and processed after I had moved out of California and established residency in another state, should it still be included in CA income?  The monthly pension I receive now is not taxable in CA, though it could be argued it is based on work I did in CA.  Just want to make sure the PTO payout is still taxable within the state.

Expert Alumni
Apr 7, 2023 6:15:30 PM

If the PTO was accrued when you were working in California and the employer included it in California wages on the Form W-2, then it will be counted as California income. 

Pensions do have some special rules which vary somewhat from state to state.