I just moved to Hawaii this year and I'm trying to file my state return. I can file as either a part-year or resident, and I'm not sure which to choose. If I file as a resident, I can deduct the taxes paid to the other state, but I'm not sure which way I'm supposed to do it. The program I'm using lets me do it either way, and the support refuses to help me. It's making a pretty big difference on my return/payment, so I don't want to do it wrong. Thanks!

If you are present in a state, then any income earned during this period, must be reported to the state.

To your resident state, you must report your worldwide income for the year.
Read: Your U.S. Tax Return: Working or Living in Two or More states (http://taxipay.blogspot.com/2008/06/working-in-two-or-more-states.html)

You say you moved to HI "this year" - do you mean in 2008, or 2009?

Assuming you moved in 2008 - you file ayour 2008 taxs s a part year resident in HI, AND you file as a part year resident in the state you moved from (unless of course the state you moved from doesn't have an income tax). You will end up being taxed by HI only on the income you earned in HI, and by the other state only on the income you earned while living there. So if you have income from sources such as dividends, interest, capital gains etc you have to figure out the timing of how much you earned while a rsident of each state. However, the part-year resident tax forms will require you to report ALL income for the year - this is so the states can see that your tax filing is consistent with what you're reporting to the feds, and also to determine the appropriate tax bracket.