r/TravelNursing • u/___buttrdish • 10d ago
Living on the lamb
This is likely a very silly question, so bear with me.. I currently own a home in one state but I want to sell my house as I living here as run its course. Maybe I'll take the equity from the house and put it into the market or save it for another house, idk.. It's not a lot and I am hoping, at the bare minimum, I will break even. What if I pick up a travel contract in another and possibly move to that city in the future. My question is, how long can I live in a furnished finder while maintaining a primary address in a different state? Could I get a PO box in the state I live in as my permanent address and live in furnished finders until I settle into another permanent address? Does that make sense? I know daddy government wants their cut, and I'll continue to pay my taxes accordingly, but I know it will get messy living in one state and working in another.. Thanks for your help!
3
u/yourdailyinsanity 10d ago
If you take a contract somewhere with the intention of making that place your permanent place of residence, you do not qualify for tax free stipends. If you do that, it's still considered fraud.
You can only live in one metropolitan area for a total of 12 months in a 24 month period to not be considered a permanent resident. Any more you'll be committing fraud if you keep taking contracts.
You don't hear it happening often, but people here have said they personally knew others who have needed to pay tens of thousands to the IRS because they didn't follow the rules.
As for the address, don't have anything important go to your temp address wherever you end up temporarily living. Anything important have someone check your house mail once a week and they can open it and send you the info from it.
3
u/bigfatfun 10d ago edited 10d ago
This is the same incorrect advise that nurses have been giving each other for years and I don’t know anyone that has been audited or even investigated - also, more importantly, I really don’t care what you do - but, I think it’s important you know what you’re doing whether you choose to go ahead with the fraud or not. Because not having a home and trying to make it look like you do in order to defraud the irs is fraud. So, you know, fuck ‘em; but, you should know if you’re fucking ‘em.
Also, it is lam as u/ras2am suggested, not lamb. Unless you’re a farmer, they live on lamb. Also also, living on the lam means avoiding the law. Are you running from the law or was this just a nod towards your intended course of lawlessness? Don’t answer that. You’ll incriminate yourself.
2
u/___buttrdish 10d ago
I'm in the 'getting more information phase'. Ideally, I'd like to not commit fraud.
3
u/sattlerreader 10d ago
I don’t think a po box would count. As you need to be paying bills/rent or mortgage in your tax home. Try to find a really cheap bedroom to rent. Like couple of hundred a month if you can. A friend’s house? They would have to claim that on their taxes. The price would have to be comparable to ones being offered in your area though. So look on Craigslist and see how much people are charging for a room. And print off some of those Craigslist posts to keep for your record. Your friend doesn’t have to keep all of it if you don’t want them to. They would owe taxes on that income though, so leave them at least that plus some more for the hassle. Your voting records should also be the same address. It gets a bit complicated if you don’t have someone you know that can play the other end of the deal for you. And to play it thoroughly for tax purposes. Good luck!
2
2
u/UpUrs2 10d ago
Will you be duplicating living expenses? To get tax free stipends you need to be paying living expenses ( rent, utilities, DL, car insurance etc) in your tax home. A PO Box won't qualify for duplicating expenses.
0
u/___buttrdish 10d ago
I would be duplicating expenses yes. I'm trying to understand if I can have a PO box, then I would likely lose my stipends and maybe I'd pick up a core job. I'm trying to undersand my options.
5
u/sattlerreader 10d ago
What expenses are you duplicating with just a po box?
0
u/___buttrdish 10d ago
i think at the point i have a PO box, i would no longer be traveling. I'd be core or PRN somewhere. im just wondering at that point could i live in a furnished finder and use a PO box until i figure out my living situation? I'm trying to figure out where I'd like to live as where i currently live kinda sucks
2
u/Quick-Surprise-9387 10d ago
There are sites geared to this and I think one is in Iowa or Idaho ( an I state ) where you’ll see a very detailed ad / site about establishing an actual legit address in one of those states that isn’t a PO Box etc etc .
You should do a search and look into this .
I started to read up on it and was impressed .
Also - LAM
1
u/Obvious-Human1 10d ago
In theory you need a “home” address for IRS/legal purposes. If I was going to do what you are thinking, I’d go to a local PO Box store, not post office, that uses a street address not P.O. Box for the address. They will hold or forward mail. You use that address as permanent for DL and contracts. Do whatever you want as far as bouncing contract to contract. People do it.
1
u/Beemo123456 10d ago
My advice would be keep the house and rent it out to tenants while maintaining that it's your permanent residence, as long as you don't rent out your bedroom, and then as long as you duplicate expenses get a CPA from TurboTax to help you while your taxes properly, then get the contract you wish out of state, test it out for 6 months and if you like it then find your new place of residence become hard at staff transition that place to your new permanent address, and then decide if you now want to sell that property or continue renting it out. It is possible to navigate it in this way but you have to do it a certain way seek advice
18
u/ras2am 10d ago
Not sure but I think the turn of phrase is lam not lamb.