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State Tax Savings and Exposure Calculator

Enter your income and pick two states. See the estimated state income tax delta from 2026 bracket data, then see what it actually takes to make that savings survive an audit.

General information, not tax or legal advice. See methodology and sources below.

Calculator

Compare state income tax between two states.

Leaving Northern Mariana Islands

Not reducible to one figure

see the jurisdiction guide

Northern Mariana Islands mirrors the federal tax code with its own local filing instead of layering a state-style bracket table on top of it. A single-rate calculator would misstate it. See the Northern Mariana Islands guide for how the mirror code actually works.

Moving to Alabama

$12,310

estimated annual state income tax

Alabama taxes this income at a top marginal rate of 5% under its bracket schedule.

Marginal rate: 5% · Effective rate: 4.92%

Northern Mariana Islands cannot be reduced to a single comparable figure here. See its jurisdiction guide for the actual rules.

Savings only survive an audit you can win.

Moderate audit aggressiveness (2/5)

Northern Mariana Islands uses a statutory 183-day threshold. Here is what Northern Mariana Islands would need to see before an exit claim survives an audit.

No widely published CNMI-specific bona fide residency court case surfaced in research. The exposure runs through the same federal IRC section 937 framework as the other territories: a claimed bona fide CNMI resident whose actual business and family life is centered on Guam, another territory, or the mainland is the fact pattern an examiner would pursue, similar to the Guam/CNMI worked example in Publication 570 itself.

Statute of limitations

No CNMI-specific statute of limitations figure distinct from the general mirrored federal framework was independently verified in research; as a mirror-code jurisdiction the CNMI would be expected to follow the same general structure (3 years standard, 6 years for a substantial omission, unlimited for fraud or an unfiled return), but this should be confirmed with the Division of Revenue and Taxation.

Defense cost range

No published figures exist specifically for a CNMI bona fide-residency audit. Because the CNMI applies the same federal IRC section 937 framework used across all five territories, a contested CNMI residency case is reasonably comparable in scope to other territorial residency disputes, but no CNMI-specific practitioner estimate was found in research.

What Northern Mariana Islands checks

standard federal bona fide-residency examination on presence, tax home, and closer connection
cross-referencing mainland or Guam-source W-2/1099 filings against CNMI Division of Revenue and Taxation filings
Commonwealth Development Authority compliance review for Qualifying Certificate holders' ongoing investment commitments

Common exit mistakes

Splitting time between the CNMI and Guam without a clear tax home, the exact ambiguity Publication 570's own worked example is built around
Assuming a rebate percentage from a prior year still applies without confirming the current Chapter 7 rebate rate with the Division of Revenue and Taxation, since CNMI rebate legislation has changed over time
Overlooking Form 5074 when required for a partial-year or non-bona-fide-resident filer, creating a documentary gap between IRS and CNMI DOF records
See the full Northern Mariana Islands exit and audit profile

How the estimate is built

Each state's bracket schedule, standard deduction, and no-tax or flat-tax status come from data/residency/tax-tables.json, a 2026 tax year table compiled 2026-08-05 and sourced primarily from the Tax Foundation, cross-checked against state revenue agency pages.

The calculator subtracts the standard deduction from your entered income, then applies the state's marginal bracket schedule (or its single flat rate, or $0 for the nine states with no income tax) to what remains. It does not model itemized deductions, credits, local income taxes, or capital gains treatment that differs from ordinary income.

Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands run regimes that cannot be reduced to a single bracket rate honestly, so the calculator explains why instead of guessing.

Why the exposure panel matters

A lower number on a calculator only becomes real money if your former state agrees you actually left. High-tax states with aggressive enforcement audit departing high earners on domicile, not just day counts: family location, retained property, financial relationships, and the timing of the move relative to a liquidity event.

The exposure panel pulls your origin state's exit audit risk, enforcement methods, common exit mistakes, statute of limitations, and audit aggressiveness directly from its researched dossier, the same data behind the full state guide.

See all 56 state and territory guides

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is this state tax calculator?+

The calculator applies each state's actual published 2026 income tax brackets and standard deduction from data/residency/tax-tables.json, sourced primarily from the Tax Foundation and cross-checked against state revenue agency pages. It is a planning estimate, not a filing: it does not account for itemized deductions, credits, local or city income taxes, or income other than ordinary wage-style income.

Does this include local or city income taxes?+

No. The figures shown are state-level income tax only. Some cities layer their own income tax on top of the state figure (New York City is the best-known example), so your actual bill in a city with a local tax will be higher than what this tool shows.

Why can't I get a dollar estimate for Puerto Rico, Guam, or the other territories?+

The five U.S. territories do not run state-style bracket tables. Puerto Rico has its own separate tax code plus a decree-based Act 60 incentive program, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands mirror the federal code with local filing instead of state brackets. Reducing any of these to one calculator rate would misstate the actual regime, so the tool shows an honest explanation instead of a fabricated number. Use the jurisdiction guide for the real rules.

If the calculator shows savings, is that savings guaranteed?+

No. A state income tax bill only drops if your residency change actually holds up under audit. States with aggressive enforcement, especially high-tax states losing a high earner, look closely at whether your domicile genuinely moved: where your family lives, where you spend your time, and whether you kept ties like a home, doctors, or bank relationships behind. That is what the exposure panel below the calculator explains for your origin state.

Does this account for capital gains, stock options, or business income?+

The calculator applies each state's general income tax brackets, which most states tax the same as ordinary income (a few exceptions are noted on the state guides). It does not model deferred compensation, stock vesting schedules, or business income sourcing rules, all of which several states keep taxing after you leave under trailing-income rules. Check your origin state's guide for its specific trailing-income treatment before assuming a move date changes when that income is taxed.

What income figure should I enter?+

Enter your expected annual gross income (wages, salary, and similar ordinary income). The calculator subtracts each state's standard deduction automatically to estimate taxable income, then applies that state's bracket schedule. It does not know about your itemized deductions, pretax retirement contributions, or credits, so treat the result as a starting estimate rather than a completed return.

Methodology and sources

Tax figures: 2026 state individual income tax brackets and standard deductions from data/residency/tax-tables.json, compiled 2026-08-05, sourced primarily from the Tax Foundation's state income tax rates publication and cross-checked against individual state revenue agency pages.

Exposure figures: each state's exit audit risk, enforcement methods, statute of limitations, and audit aggressiveness come from that state's researched dossier at data/residency, with sources listed on the corresponding state guide.

ResidencyIQ organizes public tax and residency research into a reviewable estimate. It does not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. Consult a qualified professional before making a residency decision or filing a return.

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