Community Forums

djhinds · 12-11-2019, 07:03 AM

Thinking about going full time in our motor home. I am wondering from those who full time where they register their coach and why. Looking for low taxes (or no state income tax) and cheap car and coach registration. NOT looking to live in one state and register in another for tax relief.

Safe travels
Dave

Busskipper · 12-11-2019, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djhinds

Thinking about going full time in our motor home. I am wondering from those who full time where they register their coach and why. Looking for low taxes (or no state income tax) and cheap car and coach registration. NOT looking to live in one state and register in another for tax relief.

Safe travels
Dave

The three most popular are;

South Dakota - mainly because it's easy and not to much $$.

Florida - cheap if you already own and have a income tax issue to deal with. No State income Tax.

Montana LLC - for those who are just into Buying New and a lower registration fee - after a number of years it can become a one time permanent Tag. which just makes life easy.

JMHO,

Kahoona · 12-11-2019, 07:54 AM

We are in Florida. We lived in "Flada" and didn't want to pay sales tax to transfer to somewhere else. No State tax and no tax on the Rig. No special license needed and the rig bets a car registration and plate. Anyone of age can drive it I think you can drive it at fifteen.

twojayhawks · 12-11-2019, 07:55 AM

We are not full timers but we aspire to in about 5 years. Actually we may start out half timing. Anyway https://www.escapees.com/ is a great resource for information gathering.

Big-Foot · 12-11-2019, 07:56 AM

South Dakota here... No state income taxes. Registration and plate fees are somewhat reasonable... They (state government) know that they are the “state of residence” for thousands of full timers. The bugger here is Insurance. The cost of insuring our vehicles as full timers is quite high. Medicare (Gap) plans are also available by state and SD seems to have fairly good plans - but not as inexpensive as some other states..

KiteSquid · 12-11-2019, 08:03 AM

The key is cutting all professional ties with the state you are leaving.

Get a Doctor, dentist, safe deposit box, voter registration and all stored goods into the new state.

Texas, South Dakota and Florida are the top three states to change to.

Don't forget health insurance costs.

Look to the advice provided by Escapees.

All that said, SD for me.

Ivylog · 12-11-2019, 06:03 PM

I would add GA to the list IF you are 62+ as $35K/person of income is GA income tax free increasing to $65K at 65. Unlike FL, if you’ve owned the rig more than 6 months, there is no tax when you register it...GA charges a 6.7% tax on any motor vehicle brought into GA or bought in GA. The GA tag for my DP is $120/year ...$20 for the tag and $100 for a new heavy (26+K) vehicle tax. A FL tag would be $80/year.

Property taxes in GA are reasonable...I pay $700 on $100K of property value but many countries are higher. In FL I pay $2000 on $100K of property.

pduggs · 12-11-2019, 06:28 PM

We choose Florida over SD and TX. We did so because health insurance was readily and cheaply available, while the other two states had few options. Florida as you know has no income tax and registration of vehicles is very cheap. Only problem is auto insurance costs in Florida are high.

momdoc · 12-11-2019, 06:40 PM

We also use Florida.
No state income tax, cheap registration of MH and car, Good nationwide medicare coverage and I CAN FISH FOR FREE

robertkathy · 12-11-2019, 06:41 PM

we are the odd balls here we still use az

Barbaraok · 12-11-2019, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robertkathy

we are the odd balls here we still use az

Arizona has state income tax, no mail service dedicated to full-time traveling public, higher vehicle registration fees, etc. Also, I don't know if a mail forwarder address would be considered legal for drivers licenses, voting, etc. We have looked at it as a possibility because we spend part of the winter here, but so far it doesn't seem to be favorable for us.

Itchytoe · 12-12-2019, 12:14 AM

I use South Dakota. Benefits include no state income tax, low vehicle insurance rates, low registration rates, no yearly vehicle inspections (safety or emissions), very easy residency change process, vehicle registration and title transfers can be handled through the mail, and driver's license can be renewed online every other renewal. All in all, you only have to be physically present in South Dakota once every 10 years, and even then it's just overnight and you've got I think a 3 month grace period to get it done. Practically anybody can work that into the schedule.

Dan McMartin · 12-12-2019, 08:06 AM

We use TX. Main reason it's not SD is it was easier to get to TX than SD when we changed domicile. Also, our gas MH doesn't require a special license in TX.

Florida used to be, and maybe still is, a better choice if you're buying insurance on the exchanges. A little discussed bonus, you get significant resident discounts on Disney World annual passes. If you're a Disney fan, that can be a big savings.

Honestly, any of the big three, TX, SD and FL will do you fine. The devil is in the details. Which works best for you and your situation? That take a bit of research to determine. Sometimes it doesn't matter too much. But if you need a special license, are buying health care, etc., it matters a bunch!

TXiceman · 12-12-2019, 09:09 AM

Look at the Escaapees website. They offer info on domiciling in Texas, Florida and South Dakota.

We were already native Texans and just kept Texas as the domicile. The state license for RVs over 26000# is no big issue. The test is simple and quiet honestly needed for the larger vehicles.

No state income tax, insurance and license fees are reasonable.

https://www.escapees.com/

Ken