Who Should File?
You may need to file an Indiana income tax return if:
- You lived in Indiana and received income, or
- You lived outside Indiana and had any income from Indiana.
Note: If you and your spouse file a joint federal return, you must file a joint return with Indiana. If you and your spouse file separate federal returns, you must file separate returns with Indiana.
There are four types of returns available. The type you need to file is generally based on your residency status. Read the following to decide if you are a full-year resident, part-year resident, or nonresident of Indiana, and which type of return you should file.
Full-year residents:
Full-year residents must either file Form IT-40, an Indiana Full-Year Resident Individual Income Tax Return.
You are a full-year Indiana resident if you maintain your legal residence in Indiana from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of the tax year. You do not have to be physically present in Indiana the entire year to be considered a full-year resident. Residents, including military personnel, who leave Indiana for a temporary stay, are considered residents during their absence.
Retired persons spending the winter months in another state may still be full-year residents if:
- They maintain their legal residence in Indiana and intend to return to Indiana during part of the taxable year,
- They retain their Indiana driver's license,
- They retain their Indiana voting rights, and/or
- They claim a homestead deduction on their Indiana home for property tax purposes.
**To figure your exemptions for filing requirement purposes, Indiana allows $1,000 for each exemption claimed on your federal return, plus an additional $1,000 for certain dependent children.
Part-year residents and full-year nonresidents
If you were a part-year resident and received income while you lived in Indiana, you must file Indiana Form IT-40PNR, Part-Year Resident or Nonresident Individual Income Tax Return.
If you were a legal resident of another state and had income from Indiana (except certain interest, dividends, or retirement income), you must file Form IT-40PNR.
Full-year residents of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin
If you were a full-year resident of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, and your only income from Indiana was from wages, salaries, tips or commissions, then you need to file Form IT-40RNR, Indiana Reciprocal Nonresident Individual Income Tax Return.