Welp, NoVa board, it's time for me to bid adieu to Northern Virginia

[Caladium]

Best of luck to you, and hope you love living in Portland. We retired to Williamsburg this summer, so I'm in a similar boat. Ironically, though, we're still coming up to Nova 2-3 times a month to take care of one matter or another and visit the kids. So it doesn't really feel like we moved yet.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by homebeyer2013

Hokie. How is that sky high state income tax treating you? Do you wish you had moved to Vancouver, Washington, instead?
How are the Granola Girls?

Eh, it ain't too bad. It's 9%, but in VA I would have been paying 5.5% on my income, but then 6%(?) in sales tax. I think it pretty much evens out. The big kicker, though, is that I'll be paying about $2.40 per $100 assessed if I buy a house. Property taxes are NUTS here. I think Arlington's don't even touch a dollar/$100 if I remember correctly.

If I had moved to Vancouver, I would have to pay Washington sales tax AND Oregon income tax since my office is in Portland. There is NO reciprocity like in the DC area.

[slduvall]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

Eh, it ain't too bad. It's 9%, but in VA I would have been paying 5.5% on my income, but then 6%(?) in sales tax. I think it pretty much evens out. The big kicker, though, is that I'll be paying about $2.40 per $100 assessed if I buy a house. Property taxes are NUTS here. I think Arlington's don't even touch a dollar/$100 if I remember correctly.

If I had moved to Vancouver, I would have to pay Washington sales tax AND Oregon income tax since my office is in Portland. There is NO reciprocity like in the DC area.

Living one of my dreams. Would love to move out there. But I have a question. If your company is still in VA or better yet a tax free state, and you telework, would you have to pay the state tax?

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by slduvall

Living one of my dreams. Would love to move out there. But I have a question. If your company is still in VA or better yet a tax free state, and you telework, would you have to pay the state tax?

Yes. It is where you physically reside each work day. At my old job it was common to fly in Monday/home Thursday and work from home Friday. They had to pay 20% income tax to their home state (or whatever the actual days in their home state was). The years that people were on a project for 2 months in California, 6 months in Virginia, and then 4 months in Georgia (home in Ohio on Fridays) they had to pay taxes in 4 states.

[frostopsy]

Originally Posted by mayita

I wish i could leave nova but where in the country can you make as much money as here?

Less is more in most other places. Unfortunately, I think a lot of that type of thinking leads to the anti-DC mentality.

[hokiepoke]

Best of luck. I grew up in NoVa and left for CA in my mid twenties too to expand my horizon. Then to TX and now in sunny FL to "pretend" to retire (no state income tax, what's not to like). Visited Portland too and considered it but a bit too wet and gray for my taste.

[evan83]

Northern Virginia is the greatest region to live in the United States. Why move somewhere else?

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by slduvall

Living one of my dreams. Would love to move out there. But I have a question. If your company is still in VA or better yet a tax free state, and you telework, would you have to pay the state tax?

Gosh I'm really not sure to be honest. That's an interesting question. I know in Oregon, if I was paying Virginia income taxes while working in Oregon, I wouldn't have to pay Oregon income taxes.

However, whenever I work in Washington, I don't get a "tax break" because Washington doesn't have an income tax. Oregon just says "Hey since you aren't paying taxes to Washington during your two weeks in Seattle, you have to pay them to us."

No matter where you live, they are going get to you no matter what. Whether it's "eggs in one basket" in Oregon with a 9% income tax and high property taxes. Or more spread out like it is in VA, they'll get you one way or the other.