Did you know that the percentage of Americans who moved in 2021 was around 20% higher than in 2020? People are moving for dozens of reasons. Some of which include the changing economy, lifestyle shifts, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Moving is a super stressful experience. You have to consider what you want to take, what you want to sell, who you’re going with, and much else. Yet, that’s the simplest aspect if you’re moving in state.
Moving interstate is a whole new game with an all-new set of challenging rules. Doing so requires much more planning on your part. If you’re planning on moving interstate soon, here are 4 essential considerations to take into account beforehand.
1. Consider The Differences in Taxes
We have a federal tax rate in the United States. We’re sure you know that, as it’s something we have to file every fiscal year in order to not get in trouble with the IRS. It generally stays the same for most people across the nation.
However, different states have different taxes depending on what is sold or purchased. For example, Texas does not currently have an individual income tax whereas California does. This will ultimately affect your gross income and the taxes you pay.
It’s good to research ahead of time for local taxes as well. Nothing worse than a surprisingly high payment on food or a surprisingly low paycheck!
2. Moving Interstate With Your Car
You can probably move between states with your vehicle depending on how far you go. This will also change based on how much stuff you’re bringing with you.
For those who want a life reset and are taking nothing but the bare minimum, you’ll probably be fine taking your car on your own. But you’ll need a car shipping process if you’re moving states and taking quite a bit of stuff with you.
There are plenty of ways to ship a car. It’s best to search around and find what works best for your budget and your stress levels.
3. “Visit” The Surrounding Area
Moving across states back before the age of the internet must have been tough, huh? In our day and age, we have the lovely internet to help us get a sense of where we’re moving.
One application you can take great advantage of before you move is Google Maps. You can look around your designated moving space to see what stores, restaurants, jobs, parks, etc. are nearby!
4. Organize A Moving Documents File
Relocating to a new state requires certain types of documentation. This includes changing your driver’s license, passport, and of course the necessary documents that come with the move itself.
Handling all these papers can be an absolute nightmare. We highly suggest you organize all of the necessary papers and their related documents into a moving file to preserve both your time and sanity.
Losing documents is no fun. You might even be able to scan the documents onto a personal drive and store them online or on your PC. Just make sure what you’re doing is safe and legal!
More Moving Tips
These are just four tips to help with the stress of moving interstate in 2022. You can definitely learn much more about this, but we hope this short guide helped in some way.
If you would like more tips on moving, visit the home section of our blog for useful guides!