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tm510a
New Member

I live/work in CA & have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

I currently live in CA and work a full-time job AND operate a small sole proprietor business out of my home in CA.  I am currently reporting W-2 income and sole proprietor income to the Federal government and the state of CA (using the Schedule C).

As of Jan 1st, I may start operating the business out of my 2nd home in AZ on the weekends.  I will remain living and working the full-time job in CA, my primary residence.  But the business will operate out of AZ on a part-time basis.  How will this affect my taxes?

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9 Replies
Carl
Level 15

I live/work in CA & have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

For tax purposes, the AZ business will be it's own completely separate business. So you'll be filing two SCH C's on your federal return - one for each business. You'll also be paying state taxes in AZ for that business income separately. Note that when you start the business in AZ, you must register it in AZ since it's a sole proprietorship. So you'll be filing a federal return, along with a state return for CA and a state return for AZ.

That's just the basics and not all inclusive. The program is pretty descent at walking you through income earned in multiple states.

I live/work in CA & have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

tm510a
New Member

I live/work in CA & have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

I only have ONE business, which I currently operate out of CA where I live and work full-time.  I get a W-2 for my full-time CA wages and I file a sole proprietor Schedule C for the business income.  As of Jan 1st I may be moving the part-time business to my 2nd home in AZ and will operate out of that house on a part-time basis on the weekends.  I will continue to live and work full-time for my employer in CA.  I would imagine this change will not affect my federal income taxes since I will be filing both my full-time CA W-2 wages and my part-time home based business income based on Schedule C as I have always done.  But my confusion is how to handle the state income taxes under this scenario.  I am guessing I will need to file TWO state income tax returns:  (1)  CA State income tax based on just my CA W-2 wages; and (2) AZ State income tax based on just the part-time business income through Schedule C.  Is this correct and something TurboTax can walk me through?
Carl
Level 15

I live/work in CA & have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

With no exceptions I am aware of, if you "operate" a business in any state, then that business must be registered in that state. If you don't register the business in AZ when you begin operations in that state, when you're caught the fines will be hefty and could very easily bankrupt said business. I would suggest you contact the AZ (<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.azcc.gov/divisions/BroadcastServices/contact.asp">http://www.azcc.gov/divisions/Broadcast...>) for information from the people who know and have the facts, unlike those of us in this public user-to-user forum.
tm510a
New Member

I live/work in CA &amp; have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

I do plan to register for a sales tax permit in AZ, as well as a home occupation business permit.  What I need to know is if TurboTax will help me with the income tax filing.  I thought I was speaking to an TurboTax rep and didn't realize I was speaking with a public forum.  Thanks.
Carl
Level 15

I live/work in CA &amp; have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

Yes, the TTX program can handle your situation just fine. By registering for the sales tax permit and occupational license, that's what I meant (at a minimum) by registering your business in AZ. We just had a mild disconnect is all. Generally, for a sole proprietorship or single member LLC, one needs the occupational license at a minimum, issued in any and all jurisdictions where a business will operate. But so as to keep your federal taxes correct, you treat it as two separate businesses for tax purposes only, and that's it. That's because generally when operating in two states, tax agreements between states are in place (for many states) to avoid paying taxes on income twice - once to each state. Basically, you identify the "home state" for the business in each SCH C so that you only pay state taxes (and sales taxes) only to the state where the transaction occurs.
Be aware also that TTX does not "do" sales taxes. So you pay the sales tax to each state outside of the TTX program. At tax filing time, on both federal and state returns the program will ask you for state sales taxes paid, so you can deduct what you paid that state from the business's taxable income in that state.
I suspect you're aware of all this stuff. But perhaps others reading this thread in a similar situation may find it helpful. I for one am not familiar with CA tax law, and after attempting to understand it gave up.
tm510a
New Member

I live/work in CA &amp; have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

Thanks!
tm510a
New Member

I live/work in CA &amp; have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

One more thing:  I'm not actually going to be operating my business in 2 states.  If I do move the business operations to the AZ home, I will no longer operate out of CA.  I will still live in CA as my primary residence (home state) since I will continue to work my full-time job in CA.  But I will operate the biz part-time in AZ on the weekends out of my secondary residence.  So I would think I do not need to show two separate businesses.  Correct?
Carl
Level 15

I live/work in CA &amp; have a sole proprietor biz. I will remain living/working in CA but will start to operate biz out of 2nd home in AZ as of Jan 1. How to file taxes?

Not correct. You're creating a paperwork nightmare that has a very high chance of the person dealing with the taxes making errors that can (and will) be costly. It's much, much easier and simpler to have two businesses for the crossover. Then you will "close" the CA business and file a final SCH C with the IRS for that one, as well as a final business return with CA. That takes care of the franchise board stuff and hopefully makes those requirements just "go away".
Basically, you're going to do what you want. So make a decision and do it. All this talking about it gets you nowhere. You already have all the information you need to make a well informed decision. So just make the decision and act on it. As Larry the Cable Guy would say, "git-er-done" 🙂
Overall, CA tax laws are weird/strange to those of us who have never dealt with that state's taxes. So just as you've been advised to talk with the AZ folks, you may want to also talk with a CPA in CA to see and understand how being a CA resident owning/operating a business in AZ will impact your CA state taxes, if it impacts them at all.
Then when done, I would give more weight to what a CPA tells me, than I would to anything anyone in this public forum (including me) may have said. Of course, that's assuming the CPA is competent and experienced with situations like yours.
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