Retirement Relocation Tax Planning

Retirement relocation tax planning for a move to another state.

If you’re retiring out of a high-tax state, the saving only holds if the move is done in the right order. Our retirement relocation tax planning sets the date, the paper trail and the timing of large one-time income like a Roth conversion or a home sale before you go.

Tell us about the move

Tell us where you’re leaving, where you’re thinking of going, and roughly when, and we reply the same business day.

Free, no obligation · Your details stay private

Remote, clients anywhere in the country Flat fee quoted in writing Every call answered the same business day
$0Free first review
1One flat written quote
3Three-step engagement
Why it matters

Where does a move like this go wrong?

Most moves land one of three ways: moved on paper, moved for real, or moved too far. We plan for the middle one.

Moved on paper
A new address and license while the home and the year stay behind. Then the old state sends a bill for income you thought you had moved away from.
Moved for real
We make the move real and record it the way the old state will look at it, and you take that income after the date it counts. Nothing is left to argue about later.
Moved too far
A life uprooted, or a home rushed to market, chasing a saving that turns out small for this income mix. Or a state picked on its headline, and the cost only shows up later.

Telling a move that will hold from one that won’t, or one that isn’t worth it, is the job. We do it before you go, not after the old state sends a notice.

What we do before you move

What we do
01
Compare your shortlist
We compare the states you’re considering by how each one treats your household’s pension, IRA and Social Security mix, on your own numbers.
02
Set the date that counts
We set the date the move counts for tax purposes and build the plan around it, so the old state’s last year and the new state’s first year line up with that date.
03
Time the big income
A Roth conversion, IRA withdrawals, a home or business sale: we place each event on the right side of the move date before any of it happens.
04
Build the residency record
We assemble the record the old state will review, piece by piece, while the move is happening rather than after.
05
Plan for two homes
If you keep a place in the old state or split the year, we plan how that life is lived and documented so it doesn’t undo the move.
06
Prepare the move-year returns
We prepare the returns for both states for the year of the move, so the paperwork matches the plan.
What you get

What you take away from the engagement

Everything is in writing, on your numbers, before you commit to anything.

01
What the move is worth
A written comparison of the states on your shortlist against your actual income mix, so the decision rests on your numbers, not a headline.
02
The move-date plan
When the move takes effect, with each large income event placed on the right side of it, so nothing is taxed by the wrong state by accident.
03
The residency checklist
The written checklist you keep, specific to your situation, with what to finish and when.
04
The honest verdict
Sometimes the move saves less than people expect, or the timing doesn’t work this year, and we’ll say so. You get the answer either way.
How it works

How the engagement works

1

You send the picture

You send your last return, a list of your income sources, and your move plans as they stand. We come back with questions and a written quote.

2

We model the move

We model each state and the move date on your numbers, then walk you through it on a call and adjust it with you.

3

You move, we file

You move, keep the record we laid out, and we prepare the returns for both states. We never move your money and never sell investments; you act through your own accounts and custodians.

How the fee works

A flat fee, quoted up front.

The first review is free; after that, one flat fee set by scope, quoted in writing before any work starts.

01Income sources and accounts. The more pensions, retirement accounts and income streams in the mix, the more modeling the comparison takes.
02A big income event. If a Roth conversion, a sale, or a large withdrawal has to be timed against the move date, that planning is part of the scope.
03States and homes. More states on the shortlist, or a home kept in the old state, means more record to build and more to document.
04The move-year returns. Adding both states’ returns for the year of the move adds the filing work to the same flat quote.
✓After the free review, we quote you a flat number — before any work starts. No surprises.
Is this you?

Which of these sounds like your situation?

Pick the guide closest to where you are, and bring the rest of your situation to the free review.

You’re retiring and choosing a state that leaves your pension alone→ You’re weighing the Carolinas and want to see one couple’s real numbers→ You’re making Florida your legal home and want the old state to accept it→ You’re moving to Portugal and want to know who still taxes you→ You’re planning a Roth conversion around the move and need the dates to line up→

If none of these fits, that’s normal. Bring it to the free review →

Questions before you hire us

What does retirement relocation tax planning cost?
Nothing for the first review; after that, a single flat fee based on your situation, in writing before we start. You decide with the number in front of you.
Do you work with clients in any state?
We work remotely with retirees moving between any two states, anywhere in the country. Everything happens by phone, video and secure document exchange.
What should I send you to start?
A recent return and a rough sketch of the move is enough to start; estimates are fine. We tell you on the first call if anything else would change the quote.
Do you also prepare the returns for the move year?
We prepare both states’ returns for the year of the move, so the filing matches the plan we built. If you already have a preparer you like, we hand them the plan and the move date so their returns match it.
Should I start before or after I move?
Start before you move, because the timing of the move and any large income has to be set before any money moves. After the move, the timing of a conversion or sale may already be fixed.
Do you move money or sell investments?
We don’t move money, sell investments, or tell you where to live; our work is the tax side of the decision. The accounts stay exactly where they are, under your control.
Do you help after the move too?
The work can continue after you’re settled in the new state through our tax advisory and planning service. We keep planning with you year to year as your income and the rules change.

Plan the move before you make it.

You come away with a written answer on what the move is worth on your numbers and what it takes to make it hold up. The first review costs nothing.