With the number of retirees moving to states which do not access an income, estate or inheritance tax many states are trying to find ways to recoup the lost revenue. The Minnesota Department of Revenue previously took the position that the location of a person’s attorney, CPA, financial adviser or bank account determined where an individual is domiciled for income tax purposes. This was in addition to Minnesota law which found that an individual is a resident of Minnesota for income tax purposes if he or she is either: (1) domiciled outside Minnesota, but maintains a place of abode in the state and spends in the aggregate more than one-half of the tax year in Minnesota (the “183-day test”), or (2) domiciled in Minnesota. The Minnesota tax bill signed into law on May 30, 2017, included a legislative amendment specifically removing from consideration in a domicile dispute the location of an individual’s attorneys, CPAs, financial advisers and banking relationships. The new law is effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2016. This creates one less hurdle to overcome when becoming a resident of another state.
