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View Full Version : Michigan state tax question: one spouse as a part time resident


schi01
Mar 24, 2013, 03:00 PM
My husband and I file Federal tax jointly. He's a part time resident in Michigan and when he filled out the MI 1040 form, it asks for the date of living in the state (from... to... ) for him and me. If he left my date out, the software will think it is an error. How can I get around that? Can I just put down one hypothetical date?

AtlantaTaxExpert
Mar 24, 2013, 05:47 PM
Put the same date as your husband. As long as the tax calculations are accurate, the Michigan tax authorities will not care.

ebaines
Mar 25, 2013, 06:19 AM
Just to follow up - you said he "is a part time resident" of MI, not "was a part-year resident." Which makes me wonder whether he has permanently moved out of MI, or was he out of state only temporarily? It makes a difference - if he moved away intending to make his new state his principal abode then he shouldn't owe taxes to MI on his income during that period. But if he moved only temporarily - less than 6 months - and then moved back then MI could consider him a MI resident throughout the entire year. Also, I wonder whether your husband is filing a part-year resident tax return in the state that he moved to?

AtlantaTaxExpert
Mar 25, 2013, 07:54 PM
Good catch, ebaines. The devil is in the details!