In 2014, we were legal residents of two states, and worked in three states.  This may sound like a potential nightmare for filing taxes, but in reality it was not too difficult this year.  And, we opted to try out H & R Block’s software, given all the issues with Turbo Tax this year, having stripped out some of their forms from the Deluxe version. We found Block’s software to be just as user friendly as Turbo Tax, and it was substantially cheaper (we found ours at Target, on sale for $34.99, verse Turbo Tax Premier which was $79.99).

We “resided” in South Dakota and Florida last year, both states that have no income tax, or tax on investments.  So we did not have any forms to complete for these states.  We received W-2’s for our work in South Dakota at Crazy Horse, and multiple W-2’s from Amazon for working in Kentucky and Indiana.  We needed to file Federal and non-resident state forms in Indiana and Kentucky.  We decided to use our “free” state download form on Indiana, since Kentucky’s non-resident tax form is very easy to complete by hand. We made a wise choice, as we found Indiana’s form a bit confusing, so we were glad to have the software assist us.

While everyone’s tax situation is different, we always declare “0” dependents on the Federal W-4 withholding tax forms, and “2” dependents for the state tax forms.  By declaring “2” dependents, we have the least amount of money withheld for state taxes, and that works out well for us.  We do not want to receive a large refund from the states.  That is just our preference.  This year worked out pretty well, as we will be getting less than $250 combined back from both KY and IN.

We may have to rethink our deductions for the Federal form though, as we ended up with a pretty large refund.  Last year we funded, for the first time, a Health Savings Account.  We were not sure how that would impact our taxes, and discovered the HSA saved us money as it is a credit right off the top of your income.  And the HSA is available for anyone who has a high deductible health plan.  We are not experts at taxes, so please don’t rely on us for advice!  I’m just trying to give you an overview on our taxes with work camping in several different states.

FUTURE PLANS

We will be leaving warm and sunny (and humid) Florida next Monday, April 6th.  Originally we wanted to stay one more week, and head back over to the Gulf side of Florida.  But our neighbor here at the campground noticed that one of our hydraulic leveling jacks was leaking fluid on the very hot and humid days.  Since our 5th wheel is still under warranty, we contacted Heatland and they recommended a place in Elkhart, Indiana for warranty work. (we had told them we would be coming up that way).  So we will be leaving a week earlier.  After looking at Google Maps and discussing various routes with our neighbors, we decided to take a new route and go through South Carolina and North Carolina on our way home.  We have not yet decided if we will continue up I-77 through Virginia and Ohio, or cross over I-40 into Kentucky.   We have heard both positive and negative things about both routes.

We need to be in Indiana for our appointment on 4/13, and then back to WI for doctors appointments on the 20th.  Then it will be back to work!!

Summer Work Camping Job

In May, we will be heading West, to work at the Homeroom @ Madison Crossing located in West Yellowstone, Montana.  This gift shop specializes in cabin décor and is located just three blocks from the entrance of Yellowstone National Park.  We will be working with our friends Tom and Ellen (from Amazon), that recommended the job to us.  We are looking forward to having all summer to explore the area, and Dan is looking forward to fishing.

Fall Work Camping Job

In the fall, we will again work at Amazon, this time for a full season in Jeffersonville, IN.  We enjoyed our time there last year, and look forward to spending more time in Louisville on our days off.

We are committed to Amazon through December 23rd.  After that we have not decided which direction to go.

Quote for the day:  “Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller