Best state to register?

[Loose Cannon]

My name is Brett, I plan to retire in three years and RV full-time. What state would be the most tax-friendly to register my RV (and pickup and Harley)?
For what it's worth, I'm currently a Colorado resident, and the taxes are outrageous, so I intend to change residency soon. Also, I'm an over-the-road trucker and don't own a home, so the transition shouldn't be too difficult.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Joe Hogan]

Depends on where you’ll be most of the time and what tax your looking to avoid. Florida has no income tax and registration fees are reasonable, sales tax is on the high side. Montana has no sales tax. SD and I hear Wy are reasonable.
Depending on your riig you may need a special license in Tx.
You will want to establish residency in state of registration and sync your documents. I.e licensing and registration from same state.

 

[Loose Cannon]

I plan on getting a 38' diesel pusher, will be retired, so mostly looking to avoid sales tax, income tax (from Social Security and 401k), and registration fees. I also plan to just circle the country once a year (no snow!), so at first, no real 'home base'. My target date to retire is February 2025, so would like to start in the south. Hypothetical: could I buy a motorhome in, say, Phoenix and register in Billings? Or maybe buy and register in Florida?

 

[Joe Hogan]

Just a word of caution, State Sales Tax agencies are wise to most tactics to avoid paying, and are very aggressive in pursuing folks to collect what they feel you owe them.

Many stories on the Net about folks running afoul of various laws. You want to think this through carefully. BTW we reside and have all vehicles registered in Florida.

Registering An RV Using A Montana LLC

My wife and I are thinking about registering our motorhome in Montana using an LLC. Our Class A RV is currently registered in California and I know other RV owners have done this who own California-registered RVs. But I wonder what types of problems they may have run into during or after the proc...

community.fmca.com

Montana LLC RV Titling: Tax avoidance or Tax Evasion?

Is doing Montana LLC RV Titling a wise practice or will it get RVers in trouble in their home states? This is one of the longest-lasting controversies in the RV world and it really has to do with the fine line between tax avoidance and tax evasion. It's been raging pretty much ever since we...

rvlifestyle.com

 

[docj]

A key factor involved in establishing a new domicile is that there are only a handful of States that will permit you to use a commercial mal handling service (PMB) as a legal address. That's what makes SD, TX, FL and NV so popular with RVers. We've been residents of SD for ~11 years and have found it very easy to deal with State agencies for motor vehicle registration, driver licenses, etc.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Just a word of caution, State Sales Tax agencies are wise to most tactics to avoid paying, and are very aggressive in pursuing folks to collect what they feel you owe them.

Many stories on the Net about folks running afoul of various laws. You want to think this through carefully. BTW we reside and have all vehicles registered in Florida.

Registering An RV Using A Montana LLC

My wife and I are thinking about registering our motorhome in Montana using an LLC. Our Class A RV is currently registered in California and I know other RV owners have done this who own California-registered RVs. But I wonder what types of problems they may have run into during or after the proc...

community.fmca.com

Montana LLC RV Titling: Tax avoidance or Tax Evasion?

Is doing Montana LLC RV Titling a wise practice or will it get RVers in trouble in their home states? This is one of the longest-lasting controversies in the RV world and it really has to do with the fine line between tax avoidance and tax evasion. It's been raging pretty much ever since we...

rvlifestyle.com

Good advice! I don't want to start retirement dealing with the tax man!

 

[Loose Cannon]

A key factor involved in establishing a new domicile is that there are only a handful of States that will permit you to use a commercial mal handling service (PMB) as a legal address. That's what makes SD, TX, FL and NV so popular with RVers. We've been residents of SD for ~11 years and have found it very easy to deal with State agencies for motor vehicle registration, driver licenses, etc.

Good to know! My dilemma is, I don't plan to 'stay put' in any one particular place for very long, but rather park for 2-3 weeks and move on. Also, my 'target date' to retire is February 2025, and would rather start in a warmer area!

 

[docj]

Good to know! My dilemma is, I don't plan to 'stay put' in any one particular place for very long, but rather park for 2-3 weeks and move on. Also, my 'target date' to retire is February 2025, and would rather start in a warmer area!

Regardless of whether you move around frequently, you still need a domicile. Everyone has to have a location for taxes, licenses, etc. We don't go to SD frequently but it is our legal domicile. Our cars are registered there; we vote there; my wife's nursing license was issued there.

The popular States for RVer domiciles all share a key fact---they don't have State income taxes. Other than that all of them have relatively small pluses and minuses IMO. Insurance rates are higher in some than others; some require higher class licenses for large vehicles, etc.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Regardless of whether you move around frequently, you still need a domicile. Everyone has to have a location for taxes, licenses, etc. We don't go to SD frequently but it is our legal domicile. Our cars are registered there; we vote there; my wife's nursing license was issued there.

The popular States for RVer domiciles all share a key fact---they don't have State income taxes. Other than that all of them have relatively small pluses and minuses IMO. Insurance rates are higher in some than others; some require higher class licenses for large vehicles, etc.

Thanks for the info! I'll start looking now, may change my address sooner, rather than later.