There are strict laws...call your CPA.
I've been traveling since Sept 24, 2012, taking assignments in the Dallas, TX area since my boyfriend works/lives 2.5 hrs from there; my permanent residence is TN. I've been offered an extension at my current hospital that would run until Sept 7, 2013. I was prepared to accept (actually had verbally, but nothing signed), but then another traveler here told me the IRS will consider TX my permanent residence after a year and I'll lose all my tax-free exemptions (housing, per diem, etc). Does anybody know if this is true? Also, does my next job have to be more than 50 miles from Dallas then (based on the IRS requirements of traveling more than 50 miles from home)?
I know that since I verbally agreed, I should stay, but losing the tax money is a pretty big deal... I feel like there's still plenty of time for the hospital to find a new traveler as long as I notify them ASAP (my current contract doesn't even end until May 18).
Thanks for any and all help and resources!
There are strict laws...call your CPA.
The IRS mandates is that you can stay in one place for a year, after that you MUST move 50 miles away from your last address or you forfiet your tax free staus and they will come after you for taxes to be paid on all your pretax and untaxed benefits for the time you lived. ex.. I live in Waco. (permanent address), I can work as a traveler as long as I am 50 miles away, ie: Killeen, DFW wtc.. but I can only work there for max a year, then I have to go 50 miles from there. So say I wored in DFW for 1 year, I would then just go south to Killeen for a year, then i could go back to DFW. Still get my tax free status and housing allowance, etc, and could still live at home if I am willing to drive to work from Waco :-) (which is 1 hour to killeen, and 1.30 to DFW).