Figure out if you have to file a MA income tax return and do it online right here on RapidTax

Massachusetts taxes both earned (wages, salaries, tips, etc.) and unearned (interest, dividends, capital gains, etc.) income at 5.25%. Plus there’s a 12% tax on some capital gains.

This means that come tax time you’ll likely have to file a Massachusetts return if you live in the Bay State or earn money there. If you know you have to file, you can get started on your MA return right here on RapidTax, whether or not you have to file a federal return too.

If you’re unsure if you have to file, keep reading.

Who has to file a Massachusetts return?

Whether you have to file a Massachusetts return depends in large part on your residency. Here are the three different categories you can fall into: (more…)

You and your spouse will probably have to file separate returns, but New York does give you the option of filing a joint return – as long as you let it tax all your money

The following is a slightly modified question from one of our readers:

My wife lived and worked in New York City for all of 2012. I lived and worked in Maryland for one month and then lived and worked in NYC for eleven months. I have already filed in MD as a part-time resident. For New York State, though, I am a bit confused. I have filled out a resident return for my wife and a part-time resident return for myself (including a part-time NYC resident worksheet for myself). Do we file jointly as we did for our federal return or do we each file separately? Does this affect our standard deduction? It seems like the two forms we filled out (IT-201 and IT-203) should be filed separately.

This is precisely of the sort of question that boggles taxpayers across the country. State tax residency is such a popular topic on this blog precisely because it is so complicated.

Every taxpayer is responsible for filing a resident return in the state where they live, unless that state happens to be one of the nine that don’t have an income tax. (more…)

One of our readers asks a question about how to file state taxes when he lived in New York and his wife moved from Ohio to New York

In 2012 I was a full-year resident of New York State and got a W-2 in NY. However, my wife was a part-year resident of NY (the other state being Ohio) and got two W-2s, one from NY and one from OH. So for our NY State return are we full-year residents or not?

The above is a (slightly modified) comment from a blog reader left on a different post. I thought it was an interesting enough topic to merit a whole post of its own.

The first important thing all married couples should note before they try to deal with a complicated state tax situation is that they can actually file separate state tax returns, even if they file a joint federal return.

Most married couples will opt to file their federal taxes together, using the married filing jointly filing status, because it provides the greatest benefit. It’s only advantageous to use the married filing separately status in very limited situations. (more…)

Find out when you should receive your 2012 New York state tax refund

Are you still waiting on a tax refund from New York state? You can check the status of your state refund online by using the Income Tax Refund Status tool on the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website. If you prefer to use the phone you can also check the status of your refund by calling 518-457-5149.

These days you can expect your federal refund from the IRS in under twenty-one days. In some cases they are even fast enough to get your money out in a week. State operations are not quite so sophisticated.

New York says to expect your refund six to eight weeks after they receive your return. As with federal taxes, the fastest way to get your refund is by e-filing your return and then requesting your refund by direct deposit. Mailing your return in to the tax office and requesting a paper check will both slow down the refund process.

If you really want to know when you’ll get your refund the moment that information become available, you can sign up to receive an email from New York State as soon as they process your return. The message will include the amount of your refund, the expected payment date, and the payment method. In order to receive this email, you have to sign up through the online services. (more…)

Filing taxes in two states can be difficult, but this information should help you figure out what return you need to file where

For most people, filing a state tax return is just a brief addendum to filing your federal return. Your tax-filing software just transfers your information to your state’s return and you’re done in about five minutes.

But what if you moved during the tax year? What if you worked in a state other than the one where you lived? What if you worked in multiple states? Suddenly state taxes become a lot more complicated.

Basically there are three different types of state tax returns that you need to worry about:

• Resident
• Part-Year Resident
• Nonresident (more…)

Find out if you have to file a Mississippi income tax return when you file your federal

As if filing a federal tax return weren’t complicated enough, the states have to go and add their own tax forms on top of it.

Oftentimes the most complicated thing about state taxes is figuring out whether you have to file at all. There are two different types of state tax returns you have to look out for: resident and nonresident returns.

If you are a Mississippi resident, then you have to file a Mississippi return. This return will tax you on all of your income, no matter where it was earned.

If you moved during the year either into or out of Mississippi, you will have to file a part-year resident return that taxes you on all of your income for the portion of the year that you were a Mississippi resident. You will also have to file a part-year resident return in the state that you moved to/from. (more…)