How to avoid NYC city tax?

[bsjd00]

If you live primarily out of the city, but have a place in the city for a few days a week (for long nights) do you still pay NYC tax? Or can you rely on your primary address to avoid the tax?

[MrSpice]

If you live primarily out of the city, but have a place in the city for a few days a week (for long nights) do you still pay NYC tax? Or can you rely on your primary address to avoid the tax?

I don't get - what is your primary address? What address do you specify as your home address on your W4 and on your tax forms?

[bsjd00]

Primary address would be a neighboring state address, not NYC.

I would be staying with family (in a home which I do not own) for most of the week, with the NYC apartment used only a few nights each week.

[Front_Porch]

I have done this.

it's a simple calculation: where do you spend 183 nights each year?

From what I understand, New York City isn't gonna push too hard as long as you have your "primary" address on your driver's license and voter registration and you can make a plausible-sounding story.

New York State, on the other hand, is sick of people pretending to live in Florida or Nevada to skip taxes, and will, when provoked, check things like your credit-card records to see where you're spending your time. So if you tell them you're out-of-state half time, you really need to be out-of-state half time.

also, realize that if you're buying in the city and it's not your "primary" you may see a quarter-point penalty on your mortgage rates.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

[bsjd00]

Thanks for your reply - you're an asset to this board. I know you took some heat on the Orion forum, which I thought was unfair.

I'll be working in NYC, meaning my state taxes will be paid to the state of New York, so that shouldn't be an issue. It's just the city tax I'm concerned about. I'll be commuting back to a neighboring state most nights after work and only staying in NYC within the 183 day limit, so I don't think it's fair that I should have to pay city taxes as well. Of course, I want to do this legally and ethically so that I can sleep at night and not having to worry about paying backtaxes. But according to your post, it seems that I should be OK ...

[Front_Porch]

Thanks for the compliment! I admit I was surprised by the Orion stuff, and did start questioning my reality . . .