A move can leave your tax records in several places: a former employer’s payroll system, a new home office, a storage box, and last year’s accountant’s files. Before you prepare your 2026 return, bring those pieces together. The goal is not simply to enter a new mailing address. It is to give your preparer a clear picture of where you lived, worked and earned income during the year.
This checklist is for individuals and families moving into Nassau County, leaving New York, or changing homes while continuing to work across state lines. Go Tax Dude provides individual tax preparation in Port Washington and can work with you remotely when an office visit is not convenient.
1. Build a timeline before sorting the forms
Start with a one-page summary of the move. List the old and new addresses, when each home became available, when you physically moved, and whether you kept access to the former home. Include work-location changes separately. Moving house and changing your assigned office do not necessarily happen on the same day.
Keep supporting records together: leases, closing statements, utility start and stop dates, and a calendar of time spent in each state. If you retained a New York home after moving away, say so at the beginning of the consultation rather than treating it as a minor detail.
New York distinguishes domicile from simply having an address. Domicile is your permanent home, and changing it requires more than updating a mailing address. Residency can also arise from maintaining a qualifying New York abode and spending 184 or more days in the state. These tests require review of your facts. New York’s income tax definitions explain the distinctions.
2. Organize income by the underlying activity
Collect all W-2s, 1099s, investment statements and K-1s when they become available. Add final and recent pay stubs if the move changed payroll withholding. For self-employment or rental activity, include the records used to track receipts, expenses and where the activity occurred.
Do not create your own allocation merely by dividing every annual total at the moving date. Flag bonuses, equity compensation, business distributions, rental income and transactions near the move for discussion. A note explaining what an item relates to is often more useful than a spreadsheet total without context.
For example, tell your preparer if a payment arrived after the move but related to earlier work. That fact helps identify the question to investigate; it does not by itself determine which state taxes the payment.
3. Describe your remote-work arrangement
Keep your employment agreement, assigned-office information and a record of actual work locations. Explain whether remote work was required by the employer, whether the assigned office changed, and whether you traveled back to New York.
Working from another state does not automatically remove New York tax exposure. New York’s telecommuting guidance addresses employees whose primary office remains in New York and its bona fide employer-office rules. A resident credit may help with qualifying income taxed by another state, but eligibility and limitations need review. See New York’s residency and telecommuting FAQs.
Ask payroll about inaccurate address or withholding information promptly. Keep any correction and its effective date with your records so it can be reconciled against the year-end forms.
4. Collect prior returns and payment confirmations
Upload your most recent federal and state returns, not just the first page. Include estimated-payment confirmations and any notices you received. Label each payment with the state, tax year, date and amount rather than putting all tax payments into one total.
If a prior preparer already has part of your file, ask which records are available and keep copies. Tell the new preparer about an unfinished prior-year return or unresolved notice at the outset. A move-year consultation should not assume that earlier filings are complete.
5. Use a focused consultation to agree on the work
Book a consultation, then upload relevant records through the secure client portal before the appointment. A short timeline and clearly labeled documents make the discussion more productive than searching through email attachments during the call.
Helpful questions include:
- Which federal and state returns need to be prepared?
- What additional residency or work-location records are needed?
- Are there prior-year filings or notices to address separately?
- What does the engagement include, and what is the preparation quote?
Our CPA and EA team will discuss how we can help and provide a clear quote during the consultation. You can work with us by phone and secure portal through our virtual tax preparation service, or arrange an appointment at our Port Washington office.
Moving within New York also deserves a note
A move from New York City to Port Washington is different from a move to another state, but do not leave it out of your timeline. Your preparer should review city residency and withholding as well as your state return. Keep the same address, date and payroll records instead of assuming an in-state move has no tax relevance.
Get organized before filing season
Gather the records now and add year-end forms as they arrive. We can identify missing information during a consultation without pretending the return is ready before the documents are complete. For a broader overview, see our personal tax services.
Schedule a consultation or call (516) 336-3316. Go Tax Dude, Inc. is based at 8 Maple St #11, Port Washington, NY 11050. Office visits are by appointment.
General information, not advice for a specific move or return. State residency and income-allocation rules depend on individual facts. Guidance reviewed October 5, 2026; future filing-season dates are not assumed.