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I am currently near Madison, WI but I am considering an internal tranfser to a position where I would need to commute to Westford, MA, about 2-3 days a week. All other time would either be telecommuting, or travel to other states.
I have friends near Amherst, NH and am exploring buying a home there, but I have two dealbreaker questions:
What is the commute to Westford like? Traffic, time, road conditions, weather?
How much of a hassle does Massachusetts make it to get a refund for non-resident income tax withholding?
I've read that if I telecommute (working at home in NH), earnings from services performed outside Massachusetts will not be subject to Massachusetts income tax, but this is only defensible if the employer specifically states on the W-2 what portion of my work was actually done in Massachusetts?
Can anybody report the results of going through a Mass non-resident state income tax audit?
Weather & road conditions are no-worse than where you come from I'm guessing (snowy winters, fairly good road cleaning, normal paved roads).
But traffic/time really depends on WHERE you are coming from. I can get from Nashua NH to Bedford MA in 45-60 minutes; during rush-hour on most days. That includes the area between exit 32 and 28 on route 3 that jams up a bit (the biggest delay of the trip). The Westford exit is well north of that and therefore you won't really hit much traffic on the highway getting to Westford.
That said- getting out of Amherst to the highway could take some time. Amherst has some areas that are a distance west/northwest with no really good straight roads to the highway. Yet if you lived in other areas of Amherst or other nice towns in the area...this isn't the case.
So; commute time I'd "estimate" 20 to 50 minutes door to door with 30 minutes of that depending entirely on where you choose to live and where you will commute too (exactly).
As for taxes, I have co-workers who only work 2 days a week actually "in MA" and they have had no issues with taxes. Not sure if that's the rule or exception- I'm sure it depends on the documentation you have as well.
The Westford exit is well north of that and therefore you won't really hit much traffic on the highway getting to Westford.
That said- getting out of Amherst to the highway could take some time. Amherst has some areas that are a distance west/northwest with no really good straight roads to the highway. Yet if you lived in other areas of Amherst or other nice towns in the area...this isn't the case.
So; commute time I'd "estimate" 20 to 50 minutes door to door with 30 minutes of that depending entirely on where you choose to live and where you will commute too (exactly).
Thanks, that is reassuring.
I'm planning on finding someplace to stay short-term and check out the area and commute before I commit to a purchase and a more permanent move, so I'll definitely check out the issues involved in getting from Amherst to the highway.
Your options for getting to Rte 3 are somewhat limited by where in Amherst you'd be living. If you're in the northern areas of town (towards Bedford) I think your best bet would be to take back roads to Exit 10 or 11. You'll have to pay the toll (I think .50) but that's most likely preferable to Rte 101A (to , which on mapquest looks easy, direct and no toll, but in reality has dozens of traffic lights and every big box store and fast food joint. Even in the middle of the day, it can be maddening to drive... If you're in the southern area of town (near Hollis) you could travel through Hollis along Rte 122 and Rte 130 and jump on at Exit 6 Note that while roads are normally well maintained in winter, there are several roads currently closed in Amherst due to the 10 or so inches or rain in the last week or so...
I'm planning on finding someplace to stay short-term and check out the area and commute before I commit to a purchase and a more permanent move, so I'll definitely check out the issues involved in getting from Amherst to the highway.
Excellent idea. If you like Amherst I would encourage you to checkout the surrounding towns as well (in order of density): Hollis/Merrimack/Bedford/Nashua.
I have never heard of Mass withholding taxes being refunded to a NH resident working in Mass. Are you talking about a refund from Mass if you overpay? Because as far as I know if you live in NH and work in Mass, they will need you to pay withholding (and unemployment) taxes. If this is incorrect I would greatly appreciate someone straightening me out so I can stop paying.
I have never heard of Mass withholding taxes being refunded to a NH resident working in Mass. Are you talking about a refund from Mass if you overpay? Because as far as I know if you live in NH and work in Mass, they will need you to pay withholding (and unemployment) taxes. If this is incorrect I would greatly appreciate someone straightening me out so I can stop paying.
You are legally required to be taxed on income earned in MA by MA.
However if you earn the income in NH (a documented telework arrangement for example) then you did not earn the income in MA and it is not subject to MA withholding.
This doesn't apply to paid sick/vacation/holiday days of course since you weren't "working" in NH when you earned that time.
The clearest way to handle this (and the correct way) is to setup a documented agreement with your employer and have your employer process two states on your W-2 that breaks out your income between that earned in MA and that earned in NH. Anything short of that is a risk.
Full details for non-residents on the Mass Revenue site.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisa g
Because as far as I know if you live in NH and work in Mass, they will need you to pay withholding (and unemployment) taxes.
Full details for non-residents on the Mass Revenue site. See specifically this FAQ (http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=dorterminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Individuals+and +Families&L2=Personal+Income+Tax&L3=Personal+Incom e+Tax+FAQs&sid=Ador&b=terminalcontent&f=dor_help_n onres&csid=Ador#12 - broken link).
I'm in the office less than half of the days I work, so this is a big deal to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BF66389
The clearest way to handle this (and the correct way) is to setup a documented agreement with your employer and have your employer process two states on your W-2 that breaks out your income between that earned in MA and that earned in NH. Anything short of that is a risk.
Exactly.
I'm going to check with my employer and their payroll provider to verify that the W-2 breakout is an option, it does seem like the "letter from your employer" approach is risky at best.
If I were working in Westford and had choice of towns to move to I would chose Westford, MA preferably within walking or bicycle range of work. The Massachusetts taxes are well worth the lack of hassle and expense created by a long commute. Second best would be just north of the border in Hollis or Brookline, NH. There is a very good network of fairly well maintained roads in the area. Anywhere north and west of Nashua involves Rt 102 and that is a genuine PIA.
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Note that while roads are normally well maintained in winter, there are several roads currently closed in Amherst due to the 10 or so inches or rain in the last week or so...
Full details for non-residents on the Mass Revenue site.
