Legal & Tax

State of Legal Residence (SLR) — Pick a No-Income-Tax State

Service members can maintain a single State of Legal Residence (SLR) regardless of where they're physically stationed. Pick a no-income-tax state (TX, FL, NV, WA, TN, NH, AK, SD, WY) and keep it for your entire career — your military pay is taxed only by your SLR, not by the stat

MSRRA — Military Spouses Residency Relief Act

Military spouses can claim the service member's State of Legal Residence as their own for state-tax purposes, even if they're physically living in another state due to PCS orders. Effectively extends the SLR no-income-tax play to the spouse's W-2 income.

CZTE — Combat Zone Tax Exclusion

Pay earned by enlisted, warrant officers, and (capped) commissioned officers in a designated combat zone is FEDERAL-INCOME-TAX-FREE. Includes base pay, hardship duty pay, hostile fire/imminent danger pay, and reenlistment bonuses signed while in-theater.

Military Vehicle Sales Tax — Pay HOR Rate, Not Duty-Station Rate

When buying a vehicle in your duty-station state, you can pay the lower sales-tax rate of your State of Legal Residence and register the vehicle there. SCRA + state-specific dealer paperwork covers this — most dealers have a "military out-of-state title" form ready.

IRS Section 121 — Military Capital Gains Exclusion Extension

The standard IRS Section 121 home-sale capital-gains exclusion ($250K single / $500K married) requires you to have lived in the home as your primary residence for 2 of the last 5 years. Service members on qualifying official extended duty can SUSPEND the 5-year clock for up to 10

USFSPA + SCRA — Spouse Lease Break Mechanics

Under SCRA, a service member can break a lease at any time during active-duty service for a PCS, deployment, or initial entry. The Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA) and parallel SCRA provisions govern what happens to the spouse's lease rights during divorc

RMC Calculator (Civilian Salary Equivalent)

Civilian Salary Equivalent (CSE) = Base Pay + BAH + BAS + Tax Advantage. Use to negotiate civilian offers correctly post-separation.

State Tax + Cost-of-Living Tools (SmartAsset)

Free paycheck/retirement-tax/cost-of-living calculators. Critical for picking which state to retire to — state income tax + property tax can swing $10K+/yr.

Military Retirement Pay Calculator + DD 2656

Use the projected retirement calculator + complete DD 2656 to estimate retirement pay. Don't include disability pay in baseline calculation — treat it as bonus.

Cost of Living Comparison (multiple calculators)

BankRate / BestPlaces / PayScale / Expatistan — run before any retirement-location decision. State + city level differences are massive.

Key Financial Action Items (SCRA refresh + DFAS + DCFSA)

SCRA expires once no longer active — get APR refresh BEFORE that date. Free MyFICO access via Fleet and Family. Dependent care FSA at FSAFEDS.

MilTax (free tax prep via Military OneSource)

Free H&R Block-powered tax prep + filing for active, Guard, Reserve, recent veterans (1 year post-separation), survivors. No income cap, handles military situations like combat zones, multi-state filing.

JAG Legal Assistance (free for active/retiree/dependents)

Free legal help on personal civil matters (wills, POA, family law, consumer issues) from base JAG offices. Available to active, retirees, and dependents.

ABA Military Pro Bono Project (free civil legal help)

American Bar Association project — free representation by volunteer civilian attorneys for service members + families on civil legal matters (beyond what JAG can cover).

Stateside Legal

Free legal info + state-by-state legal aid directory for veterans and military families. Covers benefits, housing, family, consumer law.