HoboHealth Discussion Boards

So I have gotten mixed answers about the tax-free housing and per diem stipends. I do not own a home myself, so use my mothers address for my address for everything. An accountant told me I can claim her home as my tax home since I have stuff there and I use her address for everything. I worked with another traveler that told me in order for me to be eligible to have it tax-free, I need to live in a place for most of the year or be paying rent or own a house somewhere else. Any insight into this? Thank you!

You're off to a good start with having a home base at your mothers. Drivers license there, voter registration, car registration, and bank account located there help too.

The initial advice you got probably takes some liberties with interpretation of the rules, the second advice you got would make you safer in the case of an audit. I have heard of people paying their parents rent to solidify tax-home status. Or, much more complicated, but if you'll be traveling for a number of years, you could buy a really cheap condo in an income-tax free state somewhere. You don't need to be living there - by the nature of our work, we are working else where. Make sure you understand that delineation whatever you do: You LIVE at your mother's house, you are temporarily WORKING elsewhere.

Any ways, here's a site with a lot of resources. He does take a more conservative, safer interpretation of the rules: http://www.traveltax.com

-James