Preparing to Fulltime

[ChiefJohn]

We're residents of Illinois and would prefer to maintain Illinois as our legal residence while we fulltime. We will not have a physical address, probably using a PO box. Appreciate any feedback from folks familiar with Illinois residency legal requirements and suggestions to make our transition easier.

[LindaH]

I doubt very much that a PO Box will work...things like driver's licenses, vehicle registration, insurance, etc., will require a street address. You'd be better off looking for a mail forwarding service in Illinois, maybe something like a UPS Store.

One thing you need to find out is whether or not Illinois will allow the use of a mail forwarding address for purposes of domicile. Not all states will, which is just one of the reasons why South Dakota, Texas, and Florida are popular domicile states for fulltimers.

Or, if you have relatives who also live in Illinois, perhaps they'd be willing to let you use their address?

[Batman_777]

We fulltime using a UPS Store Address: mailbox mailing address. This is a valid USPS Address and not a P.O. Box. Driver's License DMV required both a mailing address and a physical address. Driver's Licenses have the mailing address on it, but you may choose which one shown on the License. If for any reason, you're stopped, the officer will see both the mailing and physical.

Since you are now mobile, the physical address can change often. Therefore, establish a mailing address and physical address from some state you want as your primary home residence. This will be used for tax rates, vehicle plates, insurance, etc.

Either Good Sam's or FMCA have programs for fulltimers needing mail stop and mail forwarding. UPS Store will do the same. Since the UPS Store address becomes your official address, you'll need to fill out the USPS mail address card kit and sign an affvidavit declaring this is your address.

Several states offer the best tax rates for fulltimers that can save you thousands. Voting registration requires a physical address. Absentee Ballots are used if you are on the road. We have all mail delivered to the mailing address and use the official mailing address for everything.

Don't forget, if there is a lien against the RV and it's your primary residence, you can deduct the interest paid. You cannot deduct both the interest and depreciation. To qualify, the RV must meet certain minimum living like a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc.

[ChiefJohn]

Thanks Linda and 'Batman', I've done some additional research and we will probably go with UPS -- their boxes are cheaper than the PO and they will forward our mail when we are ready.

Getting excited Linda -- took us awhile to decide to make the leap. All the kids are elated, they're having fun picking out what they want!!

[LindaH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Batman_777 Either Good Sam's or FMCA have programs for fulltimers needing mail stop and mail forwarding.

Don't forget about the Escapees RV Club! Probably the best mail forwarding service out there.

Quote:

Don't forget, if there is a lien against the RV and it's your primary residence, you can deduct the interest paid.

The RV does not need to be your primary residence in order to take advantage of the interest deduction...it can be deducted as a "second" residence, too.

However, you have to have deductions in excess of the Standard Deduction in order to do this. That's something that's difficult for most fulltime RVers to do. We, for example, haven't been able to fill out a Schedule A for many years now because our Standard Deduction has been greater than our Schedule A deductions.