Ask a Travel Nurse: What is needed to prove my perm address?
Ask a Travel Nurse Question:
What is needed to prove my perm address? Is receiving a credit card bill there enough to demonstrate that it’s my perm address, or would it have to be a utility bill, or even having my driver’s license and voters registration listed there?
Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:
I guess my first question would be, to whom are you trying to prove a permanent residence?
If we are talking a travel company, then that will likely be up to them and they can ask for whatever makes them comfortable in determining a residence for such things like participation in a tax advantage program.
However, please know that a travel company and the IRS may have VERY different criteria for determining your eligibility to participate in any programs allowing a tax advantage.
Also understand that the IRS does not look solely at a permanent residence to determine your tax status or to determine a “tax home.” A tax home is NOT a residence, but rather, an area in which you normally “do business.” Now while having voting registration, car registration, etc., can go a long way to proving a “tax home,” you are still essentially stating that this is an area in which you normally do business. If you have been on the road for a few years and have not worked a single day within that area during that time, the likelihood of the IRS continuing to see that as a “tax home” is pretty slim.
However, since I’m not a tax specialist, I will refer you to what I believe is mandatory reading concerning tax issues with the travel nurse. It is the FAQ page on Joseph Smith’s website. Joseph was a traveling RT and is an enrolled agent with the IRS. He’s sort of THE go-to guy for tax issues with traveling healthcare professionals. You can see his FAQ page here.
Bottom line, the person you need to ask about proof of permanent residence needs to be whomever is requiring it. If it is a travel company, be sure that you meet their criteria AND the criteria of the IRS. I know of NO recruiter out there that is also an account with vast knowledge in tax law. Protect yourself and if uncertain, the people over at traveltax.com still answer questions free of charge.
Hope this helps.
David