These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. I have a car licensed in the state of the 2nd home and it is listed as my residence with my employer. I frequently hear this question from married couples trying to protect two homes from their joint creditors under Floridas Constitutional homestead exemption, where each spouse owns individually one of the two homes. Get unlimited access to tools and resources that make it easier to find, analyze, and manage deals with confidence! And even if you split your time evenly between two residences, you cant designate both as your main home. This distinction matters because interest rates and fees differ between vacation home and investment property loans. Rental income could help cover the cost of holding two home mortgages at once. In some cases, spouses who live in different states can submit their federal tax returns as married filing jointly while filing their respective state returns as married filing separately. Other times, there may be tax advantages to filing jointly in one state, or the nonresident spouse will be required to file. Sometimes this question is presented by out-of-state clients who want to claimFlorida residencyto protect assets, but they do not want to move their entire family to Florida. Can a second home be classified as a primary residence? If children, where do the children live and where do they attend school? When you buy a home, mortgage lenders need to know whether you plan to live there full time. However, a taxpayer who disposes of more than one residence within two years or who otherwise fails to satisfy the requirements, for example due to a job change or health problem, may qualify for a reduced exclusion amount. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Can a married couple claim and protect two separate Florida? It does not store any personal data. It's perfectly legal to be married filing jointly with separate residences, as long as your marital status conforms to the IRS definition of "married." Many married couples live in separate homes because of life's circumstances or their personal choices.