How to answer the "where did you live in 20XX" question if I moved out of the country in the same year?

[tbudd]

Hi,

I lived in the US (CA) for only the first 4 months in 2021, and relocated to India in late April. However, for tax residency purposes, I'll be considered a resident tax payer for 2021.

So, in the following question, should I just pick CA (even though I wasn't in the US between end of April through Dec 2021)

"Tell us the state(s) you lived in

State of residence (on December 31, 2021) Learn more"

[LeonardS · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can pick CA even though you were only in the US for the first 4 months of 2021.  The answer to this question will not have any impact on your tax return as it is not required by the IRS.  TurboTax asks this question to determine if you may have to file multiple state returns.  This does not apply to your situation as you moved out of the country.  You should also be aware that California assumes residents who move overseas are leaving for temporary purposes, and are still considered to be a resident of California.