Does getting a Virginia driver's license and vehicle registration make me a Virginia resident for income tax before I actually move here?

Plain-English summary

The Department received IRS information suggesting the taxpayer might have owed a 2016 Virginia return, found none on file, requested information, got no response, and issued an assessment. The taxpayer appealed, saying she was a resident of State A in 2016. The Commissioner agreed and abated the assessment.

Virginia's residency rules (Va. Code § 58.1-302) recognize two kinds of residents: a domiciliary resident (Virginia is the permanent home to which the person intends to return) and an actual resident (present in Virginia more than 183 days). Changing domicile to another state requires (1) actually abandoning the Virginia domicile with no intent to return and (2) acquiring a new domicile through physical presence plus intent to remain there permanently or indefinitely. The person claiming the change bears the burden of proof, weighing factors like employment, income sources, vehicle registration, and driver's license.

Here the taxpayer had obtained a Virginia driver's license and vehicle registrations in 2016. Under Va. Code § 46.2-323.1, getting a license requires certifying Virginia residency, and doing so is a strong indicator of intent to be a Virginia domiciliary (P.D. 02-149) — though a person can establish domicile elsewhere even while holding a Virginia license (P.D. 00-151). But acquiring domicile requires both intent and personal presence (Coopers' Adm'r v. Commonwealth, 121 Va. 338 (1917)): neither presence alone nor intent alone is enough. The taxpayer still lived in State A in 2016, filed a 2016 State-A resident return, had 2016 W-2s and a federal return with a State-A address, and only started residing in Virginia in 2017 (when she filed a part-year Virginia return). Her 2016 Virginia trips were temporary visits to friends and family. Because a change of domicile is a process in which no single factor controls, the Commissioner found she had not become a Virginia domiciliary in 2016 and abated the assessment.

What this means for you

Getting a Virginia driver's license or registering a vehicle is strong evidence of intent to make Virginia your home — but by itself it does not make you a Virginia resident for income tax. Domicile requires both the intent to stay and actually being here. If you take Virginia steps in one year but don't move until the next, keep the proof of where you actually lived: resident returns filed elsewhere, W-2s and federal returns showing an out-of-state address, and the timing of your move. That contemporaneous record is what rebutted the license here and got the assessment abated. Also respond to the Department's residency questions — this assessment issued only because the taxpayer initially didn't reply.

Common questions

Q: I got a Virginia license before I moved. Am I already a resident?
A: Not necessarily. A Virginia license is strong evidence of intent, but domicile also requires physical presence with the intent to remain. Getting a license before actually moving does not, by itself, establish Virginia domicile.

Q: What proved she wasn't a 2016 Virginia resident?
A: She kept living in State A, filed a 2016 State-A resident return, used a State-A address on her W-2s and federal return, and only moved to Virginia in 2017 — her 2016 Virginia presence was temporary visits.

Q: Who has to prove the residency question?
A: The person claiming a change of domicile bears the burden of proof (§ 58.1-302); if the evidence is inadequate, the Department concludes the person intended to remain a Virginia resident.

Citations and references

• Va. Code § 58.1-302 — defines domiciliary resident and actual resident; a change of domicile requires abandoning the old and acquiring a new domicile through presence plus intent
• Va. Code § 46.2-323.1 — a driver's license applicant must certify Virginia residency
• Coopers' Adm'r v. Commonwealth, 121 Va. 338, 93 S.E. 680 (1917) — neither physical presence alone nor intent alone creates a domicile
• P.D. 00-151 (8/18/2000) and P.D. 02-149 (12/9/2002) — a Virginia license does not preclude domicile elsewhere, but obtaining/renewing one strongly indicates intent to retain Virginia domicile

Source

• Landing page: Virginia Laws, Rules & Decisions
• Ruling: P.D. 20-136

Original ruling text

August 11, 2020

Re: § 58.1-1821 Application: Individual Income Tax

Dear *:

This will reply to your letter in which you seek correction of the individual income tax assessment issued to * (the “Taxpayer”) for the taxable year ended December 31, 2016.

FACTS

The Department received information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) indicating that the Taxpayer may have been required to file a Virginia individual income tax return for the 2016 taxable year. A review of the Department’s records showed that the Taxpayer had not filed a return. The Department requested additional information from the Taxpayer in order to determine if her income was taxable in Virginia. When a response was not received, the Department issued an assessment. The Taxpayer appeals, contending she was a resident of * (State A).

DETERMINATION

Two classes of residents, a domiciliary resident and an actual resident, are set forth in Virginia Code § 58.1-302. The domiciliary residence of a person means the permanent place of residence of a taxpayer and the place to which he intends to return even though he may reside elsewhere. For a person to change domiciliary residency to another state or country, that person must intend to abandon his Virginia domicile with no intention of returning to Virginia. Concurrently, that person must acquire a new domicile where that person is physically present with the intention to remain there permanently or indefinitely. An actual resident of Virginia means a person who, for an aggregate of more than 183 days of the taxable year, maintained his place of abode within Virginia. A Virginia domiciliary resident, therefore, working in other parts of the country or in another country who has not abandoned his Virginia residency continues to be subject to Virginia taxation. Additionally, a person who is not a domiciliary resident of Virginia, but who stays in Virginia for an aggregate of more than 183 days is also subject to Virginia taxation.

In order to change from one legal domicile to another legal domicile, there must be (1) actual abandonment of the old domicile, coupled with an intent not to return to it, and (2) an acquisition of a new domicile at another place, which must be formed by personal presence and an intent to remain there permanently or indefinitely. The burden of proving that the domicile has been changed lies with the person alleging the change.

In determining domicile, consideration may be given to the individual’s expressed intent, conduct, and all attendant circumstances including, but not limited to, financial independence, profession or employment, income sources, residence of spouse, marital status, situs of real or tangible property, motor vehicle registration and licensing, and such other factors as may be reasonably deemed necessary to determine the person’s domicile. A person’s true intention must be determined with reference to all the facts and circumstances of the particular case. A simple declaration is not sufficient to establish residency.

The Department determines a taxpayer’s intent through the information provided. A taxpayer has the burden of proving that he or she has abandoned his or her Virginia domicile. If the information is inadequate to meet this burden, the Department must conclude that he or she intended to remain indefinitely in Virginia.

The Taxpayer states that she was planning to move from State A to Virginia in 2016, but she did not actually begin residing in Virginia until 2017. She explains that she continued to reside in State A and only came to Virginia in 2016 to visit friends and family on weekends. She filed a 2016 resident State A income tax return. Her 2016 W-2s were issued to a State A address, and she filed her 2016 federal income tax return with a State A address as well. In 2017, she filed a part-year Virginia resident income tax return reflecting her 2017 move-in date. She obtained a Virginia driver’s license and motor vehicle registrations, however, in 2016.

Virginia Code § 46.2-323.1 states, “No driver’s license ... shall be issued to any person who is not a Virginia resident.” In fact, this section states that every person applying for a driver’s license must execute and furnish to the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) a statement that certifies that the applicant is a Virginia resident. The Department has found that an individual may successfully establish a domicile outside Virginia even if he retains a Virginia driver’s license. See Public Document (P.D.) 00-151 (8/18/2000). However, obtaining or renewing a Virginia driver’s license is considered to be a strong indicator of intent to retain domiciliary residency in Virginia. See P.D. 02-149 (12/9/2002).

Obtaining connections such as driver’s licenses and motor vehicle registrations may indicate that an individual had the intent to establish domicile in the state or country where such connections were established. Acquiring domicile, however, in a new location requires both intent and personal presence. See Coopers Adm’r v. Commonwealth , 121 Va. 338, 93 S.E 680 (1917), in which the Virginia Supreme Court observed that neither physical presence alone, nor expressed intention alone are sufficient to create a legal domicile for taxation purposes. The Department has determined that individuals cannot establish a domicile despite having some or all of the above connections if they have not yet resided in the jurisdiction with the intention to remain permanently or indefinitely. See, e.g. , P.D. 13-97 (6/11/2013), P.D. 15-4 (1/8/2015) and P.D. 19-83 (8/2/2019).

In this case, it appears that the Taxpayer did not begin residing in Virginia with the intention to remain permanently or indefinitely until 2017. Although the Taxpayer was sometimes physically present in Virginia in 2016, it appears that these visits were temporary in nature, so the requisite intent could not have been established at that time.

The Department acknowledges that a change of domicile occurs as part of a process in which no single factor is dispositive. After carefully considering all of the evidence presented, I find that the Taxpayer was not taxable as a domiciliary resident of Virginia for the 2016 taxable year. Accordingly, the assessment will be abated.

The Code of Virginia sections and public documents cited are available on-line at www.tax.virginia.gov in the Laws, Rules & Decisions section of the Department’s web site. If you have any questions regarding this determination, you may contact * in the Office of Tax Policy, Appeals and Rulings, at ***.

Sincerely,

Craig M. Burns

Tax Commissioner

AR/3254.M

Related Documents

00-151

02-149

13-97

15-4

19-83