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March 15, 2025
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How to claim excluded days worked in Texas due to business travel from my resident California taxable income? Where I can find Schedule CA (540) in Turbotax?

  • March 15, 2025
  • 1 reply
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I am a remote employee of a Texas company but live in California. I travel to Texas over 100 days a year and have a business presence with a Texas company.
    Best answer by Hal_Al

     Q. I can exclude the income earned during the business trip in Texas. Is there any reason why I cannot do this?

    A. Yes, it's against the law. 

    As others have said, You report all your income on your resident state return, including the income earned in the other state. Your home state calculates tax on all your income, but gives you a credit, or partial credit, for tax you paid to the other state.

    When you worked in a state without an income tax (e.g. Texas ), there will be no credit, since there was no TX tax. In other words, having worked in a state without an income tax does not get you out of paying state tax on that income, to your home state.

     

    Q. Does TurboTax (TT) support this input?

    A. No, because it's not allowed. The closest thing TT has is "income taxed by another state". 

    1 reply

    March 16, 2025

    If you are a California resident, you must report and pay tax on all of your income.  You would be able to claim a credit for taxes paid to another jurisdiction, but since Texas does not have a personal income tax you do not have to file a Texas return for the days you worked there.

    Sun99Author
    March 16, 2025

    Thanks for the quick reply. So California has adopted a residency tax system, but is abusing a state's tax system with no income tax to take tax revenues. If a resident of another state works in California, they are required to pay taxes to California.