Florida 2025: No State Income Tax and Residency Proof Basics

(FLORIDA, UNITED STATES) Florida remains one of the few places in the United States 🇺🇸 where residents pay no personal state income tax in 2025, and that benefit applies no matter your citizenship or immigration status as long as you are treated as a Florida resident for tax purposes. The state has not adopted any law through late 2025 to add a personal income tax, and recent tax action has instead focused on sales-tax relief and property-tax procedures, including HB 7031, signed June 30, 2025, which did not create a state income tax.

For immigrants and mixed-status families, this matters because state taxes can take a large part of a paycheck in high-tax states. Florida’s policy can make the move feel like an instant raise, but only if you do the work to show Florida is your real home—your domicile—and you stop giving your old state easy reasons to keep treating you as its resident.

What “no state income tax” really means for immigrants in Florida

Florida’s rule is simple on paper: the state does not tax personal income at the state or local level. That covers wages, salary, self-employment income, interest, dividends, and other common personal income. There is also no separate application to “get” the benefit. If you are a Florida resident, you live under Florida’s no-income-tax system.

Two points that often trip people up:

• Federal income tax still applies. You will still file and pay the IRS the same way you would in any other state.
• Your former state may still try to tax you as a resident if you keep strong ties there, even after you move.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, most disputes for new Florida movers come from old-state audits, not from anything Florida does, because Florida is not trying to collect a state income tax from you.

The core test Florida uses: domicile, not a magic day count

Florida residency for these purposes is about domicile—your true, fixed home: the place you mean to return to and keep as your main base. Florida law does not use a strict “183-day rule” that automatically decides residency.

Still, day counts matter in the real world because many other states use 183 days as a presumption that you are their resident if you spend that much time there. That is why the safest pattern is often:

1. Spend more than 183 days per year in Florida when you can.
2. Spend fewer than 183 days in any other single state.
3. Keep records that show where you were, especially if you travel a lot.

Think of it this way: Florida looks at your intent and actions. Your old state may look at your days, your home, your family location, and your paper trail. You need a plan that works for both.

A realistic timeline for establishing Florida residency (first week to first year)

People often ask how fast they can “become a Florida resident.” In practice, you build a strong case in layers.

Week 1 to Week 4: Build your base

• Get a real Florida home: buy, or sign a long-term lease.
• Put utilities and mail in your name at that address.
• Start using the Florida address on key accounts as you move.

First 30 days: Lock in the big identity markers

Florida checklists and practice put heavy weight on getting a Florida driver’s license or ID and registering your vehicle. Florida DMV rules commonly require a new resident to switch their license promptly; the working target is about 30 days.

The most helpful official checklist for what to bring—identity papers and two proofs of Florida residential address—is on the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles driver license documentation page: https://www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/what-to-bring/

Month 2 to Month 6: Add formal “intent” evidence

• Record a Declaration of Domicile with your county clerk.
• Register to vote in Florida, and cancel voter registration in your former state.
• Move insurance, banking, and professional records to Florida.

Month 6 to Month 12: Make your life match the paperwork

• Keep daily-life ties centered in Florida: doctors, dentist, clubs, worship, schools.
• Track travel days and keep receipts and flight logs.

Step-by-step actions that make your domicile claim strong

A Florida domicile claim is “intent plus action.” The strongest cases usually show the same story from many angles.

1. Secure a primary home in Florida
   • A deed or long-term lease is often the first anchor. Short-term stays may not support a permanent-home claim.
2. Get a Florida driver’s license or state ID
   • This is one of the fastest ways to show you changed your legal home. Florida practice expects you to give up your out-of-state license; keeping two licenses sends the wrong message.
3. Register and insure your vehicle in Florida
   • Out-of-state plates can become an easy audit exhibit for a former state.
4. Register to vote in Florida and cancel elsewhere
   • Dual voter records can create tax trouble and election-law trouble.
5. File and record a Declaration of Domicile
   • This sworn statement, recorded locally, is direct proof you claim Florida as your permanent home.
6. Apply for the Florida homestead exemption if you own your home
   • A homestead exemption is both a property-tax benefit and a strong sign your Florida home is your true home.
7. Use your Florida address everywhere that matters
   • Federal tax returns, bank and brokerage accounts, insurance policies, employer payroll records, and school files should all point to Florida.
8. Keep a clean travel log
   • Calendars alone may not be enough in an audit. Keep receipts, flight confirmations, toll records, and other proof.

Cutting ties with your former state so you don’t get taxed twice

Many people move to Florida and do only the “Florida steps.” A year later, a notice arrives from the old state claiming they still owe state income tax as a resident. The guidance is clear: to avoid dual taxation, you must also sever ties with the prior state.

Common steps include:
– Sell your former main home, or rent it out on real market terms and treat it as non-primary.
– Stop using the old address on all official and financial mail.
– Move memberships and daily-life routines to Florida when possible.
– Update estate-planning documents to reflect Florida as your domicile.
– End old-state benefits that are built for residents, including resident tax breaks.

If you keep a home, keep your spouse and children there, keep your doctors there, and keep voting there, the former state may argue Florida was just a “tax address,” not a real move.

Immigration status: what it changes, and what it doesn’t

The source material makes an important point for newcomers: Florida’s lack of a state income tax applies based on state residency, not citizenship. Green card holders, many long-term work visa holders, TPS holders, refugees, and asylees can benefit if they lawfully live in Florida and truly treat it as home.

But immigration categories can affect how believable your Florida domicile claim looks:

• Tourists and short-term visitors (B-1/B-2) generally can’t credibly claim Florida is their permanent home.
• F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors can face harder questions because their status may reflect a temporary stay, and their personal ties may stay anchored elsewhere. Many still build strong Florida ties, but they should be ready for extra questions if a former state challenges them.

Also remember: state tax residency is not the same as federal tax residency. You can be a Florida resident for state purposes while still subject to federal rules that depend on your immigration status and time in the United States 🇺🇸.

Proof you should collect and keep in a single folder

You may need to prove Florida residency to a former state’s tax agency, a bank, or Florida offices that handle benefits like homestead exemptions or in-state tuition. Build a “residency file” that includes:

• Florida driver’s license or state ID
• Florida vehicle registration and insurance
• Voter registration card
• Recorded Declaration of Domicile
• Lease or deed for your Florida home
• Property-tax bill and homestead paperwork (if you own)
• Utility bills with your name and Florida address
• Bank and credit-card statements tied to the Florida address
• Employment records showing Florida as the work location
• School enrollment records for children, if relevant
• Travel logs showing day counts inside and outside Florida

The goal is simple: if someone challenges your move, you can show Florida is not just where you visit, but where you live.

Florida still taxes in other ways: sales tax, property tax, and fees

A move to a no-income-tax state does not mean a “no-tax” life. Florida still funds services through other taxes and fees, and new residents can feel those costs quickly.

• Sales tax: Florida’s state rate is 6%, and counties can add a surtax of 0%–2%, with a combined statewide average of about 7%. Many groceries and prescription medicines remain exempt. HB 7031 added and expanded sales-tax holidays and exemptions, including:
  • A permanent Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday in August on many items
  • Expanded emergency-preparedness exemptions
  • An extended hunting/fishing/camping equipment tax holiday (Sept. 8–Dec. 31, 2025)
  • A full exemption on gold, silver, and platinum bullion regardless of price
• Property tax: Florida’s average effective property-tax rate is about 0.79% of assessed value, but it varies by county and city. The homestead exemption can reduce taxable value and limit certain annual increases.

• Motor fuel tax: As of January 1, 2025, the combined state tax on motor fuel is about $0.37325 per gallon.

• Estate and inheritance tax: Florida levies no estate or inheritance tax, a point that often matters for retirees and families planning long-term.

What a clean Florida move looks like in real life

Consider these examples:

• Maria, a permanent resident who moved to Florida and works remotely for an out-of-state employer. Her Florida benefit is automatic because Florida has no state income tax, but her protection comes from her actions: she builds Florida ties (license, voting, declaration of domicile, primary home, Florida address on records) and limits time and ties in her old state.

• John, a retiree leaving New York. He sells the New York home, buys in Florida, files a declaration of domicile, applies for homestead, switches his license and plates, and spends well over 183 days in Florida. That set of facts makes it hard for New York to argue he stayed a resident.

If your move is recent and your old state has high tax rates, treat your first year in Florida like a record-building year. In audits, small details—where you sleep most nights, where your car is registered, where your mail goes—often carry more weight than what you tell friends on social media.

Key takeaway: Florida’s lack of a state income tax is powerful, but it’s not automatic protection. You must demonstrate domicile through consistent actions and records—and also actively sever ties with your former state to avoid dual taxation.