Moving from Pennsylvania to Florida: the tax picture
Quick answer: Pennsylvania uses a flat 3.07 percent rate, plus over two thousand separate local earned income taxes on top. Florida has neither. You file one final part-year PA return for the move year, build your Florida domicile file properly, and the savings start with your first fully Florida year.
Your last Pennsylvania return
The PA-40 with the part-year resident box checked covers the split year.
The rule that catches movers
Pennsylvania already exempts retirement income, so the savings story is strongest for working income, and remember the local wage taxes disappear too.
The audit reality
Pennsylvania is not an audit hotspot. Get the dates and paperwork right and the exit is usually clean.
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
Pennsylvania shows a steady net outflow of filers in IRS migration 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 PA 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 Pennsylvania return for the year I move?
Yes, one last part-year return. The PA-40 with the part-year resident box checked covers the split year. Income before the move date belongs to Pennsylvania; income after belongs to Florida, which has no income tax return at all.
Will Pennsylvania audit my move?
Pennsylvania is not an audit hotspot. Get the dates and paperwork right and the exit is usually clean. 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.