Moving to Washington: 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 after you move to Washington

The DOL says you have 30 days after you move to Washington to get your driver license. At the licensing office you get a temporary license valid for 45 days. Your out-of-state license is hole-punched and returned, not surrendered.

Keep as proof: Copy of the new license or the temporary license receipt

Applies if you own a vehicle

Deadline: Within 30 days of becoming a resident (get the license first)

New Washington residents are allowed 30 days from the date they become residents to register their vehicles, and that period cannot be combined with another reciprocity period. The DOL says you must have your Washington driver license before you register a vehicle.

Keep as proof: Washington registration and plate receipt

Deadline: 8 days before an election online or by mail, or in person through Election Day; no legal deadline otherwise

Washington's Secretary of State lets you register online up to 8 days before an election, by mail if the form reaches the county 8 days before, or in person until 8 p.m. on Election Day. State of voter registration is one of the factors the Department of Revenue lists when it weighs domicile.

Keep as proof: County voter registration confirmation

Washington's rule defines domicile as a permanent place of abode with the intent to make it your home, and to establish a new domicile you must be physically present and intend to make it your permanent home. The factors the department lists include time spent in each place, expressed intent, bank accounts, state of vehicle registration and driver's license, state of voter registration, address for tax purposes, schools your children attend, and mailing address.

Keep as proof: Lease or deed, license, registration, voter confirmation, bank statements at your Washington address

Length of time spent in a location is the first domicile factor in Washington's rule. A dated log lets you show where you actually lived if your old state, or Washington, asks.

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

Washington's rule says domicile, once established, is presumed to continue, so a person previously domiciled in Washington has the burden of proving it changed to a place outside the state. A new domicile requires physical presence at the new place and an intention to make it your permanent home.

Keep as proof: New-state lease or deed, move-in date records, license, registration and voter confirmation

Applies if you have a high income

Long-term gains on intangible personal property are allocated to Washington if you were domiciled in Washington when the sale or exchange occurred, so the sale date relative to your domicile change matters. Tangible personal property is allocated to Washington if it was located in the state at the time of sale.

Keep as proof: Sale confirmations with dates, plus proof of your move date

Applies if you are a registered voter

The Secretary of State says to fill out a cancellation form and return it to your county elections office by mail or email as a high-quality photo or scan. Washington requires a signature to cancel.

Keep as proof: Copy of the signed cancellation form

Applies if you drive, own a vehicle, are a registered voter

The department's factor list includes where your bank accounts are, your address for tax purposes, where your vehicles are registered, your driver's license state, your voter registration state, the schools your children attend, professional licenses and your mailing address. Moving these to the new state supports a change of domicile.

Keep as proof: New-state license, registration, voter confirmation and bank records

Applies if you have a high income

Deadline: Applies from January 1, 2028; first returns due April 2029

A 9.9% tax on adjusted gross income over $1 million takes effect Jan. 1, 2028, with first returns due April 2029. The DOR has not yet published residency or moving-in-and-out rules for it, so keep dated proof of your departure.

Keep as proof: Dated move records and a day log

Length of time in a location is the first factor in Washington's domicile rule. After you leave, a dated log of where you spend your nights is the evidence that backs your claim that Washington is no longer home.