Moving to Georgia: residency checklist

Your domicile is the place you treat as your permanent home, so the new home has to be the one you really live in. States compare your homes: California's FTB lists the location of your principal residence as a factor, New York's Tax Department reviews the homes you keep and how you use each, and Utah's code compares the living accommodations you have in each state.

Keep as proof: Signed lease or deed, move-in date, and a first utility bill at the new address

File IRS Form 8822 for your home mailing address (the form's instructions say a change generally takes 4 to 6 weeks). USPS says mailers such as banks and government agencies do not forward sensitive mail like driver's licenses, voter registration, credit cards, bank statements or insurance papers, so change your address with each sender directly. Utah's code counts the address you list on mail and tax returns.

Keep as proof: Copy of Form 8822 with proof of mailing, plus address-change confirmations from your bank and insurers

California's FTB lists the state where you are registered to vote as a residency factor, and New York's guidelines look at where you are registered and whether you vote there, including in primary and local elections. The federal National Mail Voter Registration Form can report a change of address and asks for the address where you were registered before; follow your own state's instructions on it, because each state runs registration differently.

Keep as proof: Voter registration confirmation (card or online confirmation page)

Applies if you have children

States look at where your family lives. California's FTB lists the location of your spouse/RDP and children, New York's Tax Department says where minor children attend school can be one of the most important factors, and Utah's code counts where a dependent is enrolled in school.

Keep as proof: School enrollment confirmation and the first report card or school record showing the new address

California's FTB lists where your banks are and where your doctors, dentists, accountants and attorneys are. Not every state weighs these: Minnesota's statute says the Commissioner and courts may not consider where your attorney, CPA or financial adviser is or where you open accounts, and New York's guidelines call the mere location of bank accounts a non-factor. Treat this as supporting evidence, not proof on its own.

Keep as proof: New-patient and account-opening confirmations showing the new address

New York's guidelines list legal documents that name a place as your domicile or primary residence, such as a will, as a factor (a secondary one), and Utah's code counts asserting residency in a document you file with a court or government body. Ask your attorney to review your will, trust and powers of attorney so they match your move.

Keep as proof: Signed copies of the updated documents

iReside logs where you are every day, so you have auditable proof of the day you moved and of the days you spend in your old state. Day counts matter: Minnesota's statute requires adequate records of days spent outside the state, and New York's guidelines treat a diary or calendar as support for where you spent your time. Keep the record for as many years as your old state can still check.

Keep as proof: iReside day report for the year

Applies if you drive

Deadline: Within 30 days of becoming a Georgia resident

DDS says you must apply for a Georgia license within 30 days of becoming a Georgia resident. Proof of residency must show your name and current residential address, two documents from separate sources; P.O. boxes do not prove residency.

Keep as proof: Copy of the new Georgia license (front and back)

Applies if you own a vehicle

Deadline: Within 30 days of the date you moved to Georgia

Vehicles must be registered within 30 days from the date you moved to Georgia. DOR lists a valid Georgia license or ID first, a completed MV-1 Title/Tag Application, the original out-of-state title (or a registration if the vehicle is 1986 or newer from a non-title state), Form T-17 if you have a loan or lease, proof of Georgia liability insurance, and emissions testing for residents of listed metro counties.

Keep as proof: Georgia registration and title

To register you must be a U.S. citizen, a legal resident of the county, at least 17 and a half (18 to vote), not serving a sentence for a felony involving moral turpitude, and not found mentally incompetent by a judge. Register online or by mail through the Secretary of State. The state's page points to the Secretary of State's election calendar for registration deadlines and does not state one itself.

Keep as proof: Voter registration confirmation and precinct card

Applies if you own a home

Deadline: April 1 (DOR also allows applying through the 45-day assessment-appeal window)

The home must be your legal residence as of January 1 of the tax year, and you must have owned it on that date to get the exemption for that year. File with the county tax commissioner (some counties use the tax assessor). DOR's page cites April 1 and says applicants may now apply up to the end of their 45-day window to appeal the notice of assessment.

Keep as proof: County homestead approval

Deadline: April 15 after the tax year

Part-year residents who must file a federal return file Georgia Form 500 and complete Schedule 3. DOR's FAQ says a pension from another state is taxable for Georgia once you move to Georgia.

Keep as proof: Filed Form 500 and Schedule 3

A home you keep is the first thing a state looks at. New York's guidelines weigh whether you made real efforts to sell it (for example by hiring a real estate firm) and moved your belongings out, and California's FTB lists the location of your principal residence. If you keep the old home, the old state may compare it with your new one, and keep a day log.

Keep as proof: Listing agreement, closing statement, lease termination or new rental lease for the old home

New York's guidelines treat the location of items you hold near and dear (family heirlooms, art, collections, photo albums, pets) as a primary factor, and note that a mover's bill of lading or an insurance statement can document the move. Items left behind in the old state can suggest you have not given it up.

Keep as proof: Mover's bill of lading or inventory, and an insurance policy showing the new address

File a permanent change of address at the Official USPS Change of Address site (identity verification required) or at a Post Office. USPS says to allow at least 7 to 10 business days after approval for it to start, so file before moving day.

Keep as proof: USPS confirmation email

Applies if you are a registered voter

California's FTB lists where you are registered to vote as a residency factor, New York's guidelines look at where you are registered and how you voted, and Utah's code treats voting in the state, without being registered in another state, as establishing domicile there. Register in your new state (the federal form asks for your previous registration address), then stop voting from the old one and ask your old election office how to cancel.

Keep as proof: Confirmation that the old registration was cancelled or moved

California's FTB lists where your social ties are, such as your place of worship, professional associations and clubs, and Utah's code counts membership in a church, club or similar group in the state. Resign, transfer or switch to non-resident status where you can, and join local groups in your new state.

Keep as proof: Resignation or transfer letters and new membership confirmations

Keep iReside running through the move year and after: it logs where you are every day, so you have auditable proof of when you left and of any days you spend back in the old state. Minnesota's statute requires adequate records of days spent outside the state, and New York's guidelines treat a diary or calendar as support for where you spent your time. Keep the record for the years your old state can still check.

Keep as proof: iReside day report for the year

Georgia's income tax rule says a resident stays a resident even while temporarily absent from the state, until he or she becomes a permanent resident of another state, and that residence is a question of fact decided case by case. Georgia DOR says its filing requirements apply as long as your legal residence is Georgia, even if you live outside the state temporarily. So build a record that your new state is your permanent home.

Keep as proof: Lease or deed, driver's license, voter registration and other records showing your permanent home in the new state

Applies if you own a home, keep your old home

The exemption requires the home to be your legal residence as of January 1 of the tax year. If you keep the house but move away, contact the county tax commissioner about removing the exemption.

Deadline: April 15 after the tax year

Part-year residents, meaning legal residents of Georgia for only part of the tax year, who must file a federal return file Georgia Form 500 and complete Schedule 3.

Keep as proof: Filed Form 500 and Schedule 3

Applies if you keep your old home

Even after you move your legal residence, Georgia treats you as a resident if you lived in Georgia for 183 days or more, including part-days, during the 365-day period ending on income tax day, December 31. If you keep a home here, count every day you spend in Georgia, part-days included.

Keep as proof: Day log showing days (and part-days) in Georgia