VA, unemployment, and state taxes!

January 4, 2012 3:44 PM

Simple (I hope!) tax question: my only income in Virginia for 2011 was unemployment benefits (~$9k). I now live in CA. Will I need to file a Virginia income tax return? I believe that in VA unemployment benefits are not taxed at the state level... so I shouldn't need to file, no? Thanks!
posted by alaijmw to Work & Money (3 answers total)

Whether you need to file or not doesn't depend on what you might owe, but on that state's rules. There is probably an income level that says whether you need to file or not. It can't hurt to file when you don't need to, but it CAN hurt to not file if you should have. Look up their regs, but I would err on the side of caution.
posted by gjc at 5:21 PM on January 4, 2012

I think you'll need to file, you just won't owe the state anything. Otherwise, how do they know that you don't owe taxes? You could have contractor income, cash income to report, etc.
posted by COD at 5:57 PM on January 4, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks for the tips, guys. I actually did find the rules: http://www.tax.virginia.gov/site.cfm?alias=WhoMustFile

I *think* wouldn't have to file... except I then remembered that my last paycheck from my last job actually came in January (though I stopped working there in Dec). So even if I don't have to file, I will as I'll be getting a small amount back.
posted by alaijmw at 6:44 PM on January 4, 2012