Moving from Ohio to Florida: the tax picture
Quick answer: Ohio's top rate is about 3.1 percent and the state moves to a flat 2.75 percent for 2026. Florida: zero, with no municipal income taxes either. You file one final part-year OH return for the move year, build your Florida domicile file properly, and the savings start with your first fully Florida year.
Your last Ohio return
The IT 1040 with form IT NRS establishes nonresidency under Ohio's bright-line test.
The rule that catches movers
Ohio municipalities levy their own income taxes, often 2 to 2.5 percent, which vanish with the move. That local layer is the part most calculators miss.
The audit reality
Ohio's bright-line statute is friendlier than most: keep contact periods under the threshold, hold an out-of-state abode, file the IT NRS on time, and nonresidency is presumed.
The domicile checklist
Florida driver license and vehicle registration, voter registration, homestead filing if you buy, new doctors and dentists, updated estate documents, and a calendar that proves where you actually slept. Your old state looks at the whole picture, so build it from day one.
The bigger picture
Ohio shows modest but consistent net out-migration in IRS data.
How we handle move years
Part-year and multi-state returns are a specialty here, not an upcharge surprise. One written quote covers the final OH return, the domicile file, and your first Florida-resident year plan.
Educational overview using state revenue department and IRS migration data, reviewed June 2026. Rates and rules shift; your move year gets reviewed by a real preparer.
Do I file a Ohio return for the year I move?
Yes, one last part-year return. The IT 1040 with form IT NRS establishes nonresidency under Ohio's bright-line test. Income before the move date belongs to Ohio; income after belongs to Florida, which has no income tax return at all.
Will Ohio audit my move?
Ohio's bright-line statute is friendlier than most: keep contact periods under the threshold, hold an out-of-state abode, file the IT NRS on time, and nonresidency is presumed. The defense is boring paperwork done early, and we set it up as part of your move-year return.
What does Florida tax instead?
No state income tax, no state tax on retirement income, and no estate tax. Florida raises revenue through sales and property taxes, so the homestead exemption filing matters.