Retirement Tax Friendliness
For seniors who plan to move to a new city or state for their retirement, there are a number of factors to consider. Weather is important to many retirees, as are amenities and attractions such as golf courses, beaches, parks and senior centers. Another major consideration is the cost of living in a certain area. Taxes are a big part of that.
State and local taxes can have a particularly significant effect on retirees. As described below, income taxes on things like Social Security retirement benefits and retirement account withdrawals vary widely from one state to the next. Likewise, there are vast differences between the property and sales tax rates across the country.
In short, the taxes seniors pay during retirement can vary greatly depending on where they live. In a state like Wyoming, which has no income tax along with low sales and property taxes, retirees can expect to have a very small tax bill. On the other hand, taxes in a state like Nebraska, which taxes all retirement income and has high property tax rates, the overall state and local tax bill for a senior could be thousands of dollars higher.
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Social Security
Most states do not tax Social Security income whatsoever. Some of these, like Texas and Florida, do not have an income tax at all. Others provide a specific deduction or exemption for Social Security retirement benefits. The 11 states that tax Social Security are Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah and Vermont.
Among these states, 11 provide some sort of deduction, credit or income limit to minimize or offset the cost of the tax for retirees. Beginning in tax year 2022, New Mexico amended its law to offer most seniors a tax exemption. Individuals with income under $100,000 (joint filers, surviving spouses and heads of household under $150,000) do not have to pay taxes on Social Security benefits.
Retirement Account and Pension Income
The way a state handles retirement account and pension income can have a huge impact on the finances of a retiree. Many states do not provide any kind of deduction, exemption or credit on withdrawals from a retirement account such as a 401(k) or IRA.
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How might that affect a typical retiree? Let’s say your effective state tax rate in one of these states is 4% and your annual income from your 401(k) is $30,000. That would add up to taxes of $1,200 on that retirement account income — taxes that you wouldn’t have to pay in states like Alaska (which has no income tax) and Mississippi (which exempts retirement account income).
Exemptions for pension income are more common. Only a handful of states fully tax income from a government pension, while a few more tax income from a private employer pension. The other states either exempt that income or provide a deduction or credit against it.
Property Taxes and Senior Property Tax Relief Programs
Homeownership is a good way for seniors to lock in their housing costs for the long run so that they don’t have to worry about shifts in the housing or rental market. In some states, however, high property taxes or property taxes that can grow rapidly from one year to the next serve to discourage retirees from owning a home. Property tax rates and rules are drastically different between states.
For example, New Jersey homeowners typically spend around $8,800 annually in property taxes. In Alabama, most homeowners spend much less, at right around $650 a year.
One way many states help retirees limit the burden of property taxes is by offering exemptions or circuit breakers. The terminology varies by state, but exemptions (sometimes called homestead exemptions) typically allow seniors to protect part of their home’s value from property taxes. They often have income limits, so households earning more than a certain amount are not eligible.
Circuit breakers can have the same effect as an exemption. Sometimes, they also limit the amount property taxes can increase from one year to the next for seniors.
Property tax deferrals are another helpful form of property tax relief for seniors. Deferrals allow seniors and retirees to put off payment of some or all of their property taxes until a later time. It is typical for deferred property tax payments to be subtracted from the revenue of an eventual home sale, meaning they never come out of a senior’s income.
Sales Taxes
It is easy to overlook or forget about sales tax because they are paid gradually instead of all at once. You don’t receive a sales tax bill, in other words. But sales taxes are important for seniors because they often have a fixed income and spend a significant portion of that income on potentially taxable items.
Four states (Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon) have no state or local sales taxes. Alaska has no state sales tax, but does have some local sales taxes. Hawaii has a general excise tax that's very similar to a sales tax, though at 4% it would be one of the lowest sales taxes in the U.S. In the remaining states, total state and average local tax rates range up to 9.55%. Tennessee and Louisiana tie for the highest average sales tax rates in the U.S.
Most states with a sales tax provide a number of exemptions that benefit seniors. The most common exemptions are for groceries, prescription drugs and medical equipment.
Estate and Inheritance Taxes
Another type of tax that is of particular importance to retirees is the estate tax. In recent years, legislatures across the U.S. have either repealed their state estate taxes or have increased the local estate tax exemption. For reference, the estate tax exemption is the limit below which estates do not owe taxes.
The federal estate tax exemption has increased over the years to $13.61 million in 2024 (from $12.92 million in 2023). Of the 12 states and Washington, D.C. that have their own estate tax, nine have an exemption of $5 million or less. Oregon have the lowest exemption at $1 million.
Similar to the estate tax, an inheritance tax affects property that's passed on to loved ones. The tax applies not to the estate itself, but to the recipients of the property from that estate. For example, if you receive $1,000 as an inheritance and are subject to a 10% inheritance tax, you would pay $100 back in taxes.
Six states have an inheritance tax. Of these, one state (Maryland) also has an estate tax. Inheritance taxes typically provide exemptions or lower rates for direct family members, while fully taxing non-relatives.
