Question for Americans and how they handle domiciling their banking/brokerage accounts and handling mail given most of the mail services are CMRA's and will be flagged in any official banking/govt systems as invalid.
Posted by AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 32 comments
I have the unfortunate hassle of originating from California. Everyone knows their tax board has long arms and doesn't care about logic and will try to claw at you no matter where you are.
So while I'd love to leave my accounts with family members to receive mail I want to avoid having to fight a tax battle to prove I'm not a resident from the other side of the world.
I know about people getting 1 day residence in South Dakota and all the mailbox services in places like South Dakota, Nevada, Texas, and Florida. But most of them are classified officially as "commercial mail receiving agency" (CMRA). If you try to move your bank or brokerage or tax status address to them it will be flagged as invalid and then I dont know what happens.
So how are you guys actually doing this legitimately? Which services are you using that your bank/brokerage/govt tax returns dont complain about?
ShinsOfGlory@reddit
This is a Top 3 asked question in every expat sub.
Establish residency in SD, NV, TX, or FL. Use the CMRA’s mailing address. They know it’s a CMRA address so they’ll ask for a physical residential address. Give them anyone’s address who will receive mail for you in any state with no income tax. It doesn’t need to be in a state with no income tax, but if something did happen, I would rather not to owe any back taxes than fight with the state over whether or not I’m a resident.
The last time I moved overseas, I used my sister’s address in OK as a residential address and a CMRA address in SD for my mailing address.
Unfortunately for me, a trust that I receive funds from decided I‘m a OK resident and filed a state income tax return in OK even though they know I’m in Thailand. They filed a correction when I notified them of the error but I wanted to cut ties with OK after that just in case that set off any red flags for them to start looking deeper.
I’m flying back sometime this year to do Escapee’s in TX. I already have all my bank and brokerage accounts moved over using their address. Like I said, the only issue I ran into with any financial institution was providing a US residential address if I was using a CMRA.
I’ve been using a CMRA since the 1990s as I’ve lived and worked overseas since then. For most of my banking and brokerage, they’ve been using my CMRA in SD since I created the accounts.
It’s unfortunate because these guys were owned by Intuit and for something like $5 or $7 a month they received all your mail, opened it, scanned it, and notified you that the scans were ready to view. Escapees charges something similar but you have to pay for them to scan the contents ($1 a page).
I was using it even when I lived in the US because they automatically tossed out junk mail. LOL.
The reasons I was switching to TX are:
a) The company I was using since the 1990s said that they were no longer providing services and that I had until a certain date to change addresses.
b) I will also be renewing my drivers license when I return on this trip. I have a NV DL but no longer have an address in NV. I need a state where I can domicile in order to obtain a RealID DL. I guess I could just get a regular DL but if I can pull everything together and get a RealID in TX, why not?
c) Although I have had residency in FL before, the CMRAs there need someone who is a FL resident to vouch that you live in the state if you want a RealID DL. I have friends in FL but I just don’t want to ask someone to commit perjury.
d) Escapees in TX seems to understand exactly what you’re trying to accomplish and has pages of info on their website on establishing domicile in TX. They also are in a very small town where the people at the DMV know what’s up with the Escapees address and are apparently very lax on proof of residency/domicile documentation.
e) Probably not relevant but I’m a veteran and there are a lot of military bases and VA hospitals in TX. I did basic in El Paso and my advanced training at Fort Sam in San Antonio so I got some love in my heart for TX.
f) Who wants to go to SD? LOL.
g) NV requires you to stay there a month.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
You say this as if its no big deal and easy.
ShinsOfGlory@reddit
Ok, then figure it out yourself.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
What do you think I'm doing here? Asking questions. But when people say to manifest a family member in a no tax state as if that isn't the obvious first choice for everyone its not really helping.
ShinsOfGlory@reddit
No, I think you’re speaking to people like they owe you something.
I don’t owe you anything. You figure it out on your own with that attitude.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
Nobody owes anyone anything. But patronizing ideas/suggestions dont help anyone.
Feisty_Kitchen_3173@reddit
From Claude:
Yes, Escapees is considered a CMRA. Despite being more community-oriented and legitimate-feeling than a typical virtual mailbox service, it is still registered with the USPS as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency because it receives and handles mail on behalf of third parties. That's the definitional trigger regardless of how the service is structured or marketed.
This is actually a well-documented frustration in the full-time RV community — people sign up for Escapees or similar services specifically for the domicile benefits, then discover that certain banks and brokerages reject the address precisely because the PMB designation flags it as a CMRA in USPS databases.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
Part of me is just thinking "move" to texas for a few months in a rented room. List that as my physical. Setup my mailing as any of the texax mail forwarding services. Then silently "move" and never update my address with any of the banks or brokerages. I still get all my mail and they never send anything to the physical anyway and everyones happy.
Feisty_Kitchen_3173@reddit
The only downside as far as I could research was that you might get official email to that address after you left, like Social Security, IRS, etc. At that point the mail would be sent back as unknown and could/would trigger something by these authorities. But I have no idea what the likelihood is.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
Thats federal. Federal doesn't care. You can file your tax returns using any address.
Feisty_Kitchen_3173@reddit
Understood. What I meant was that in your scenario you would not be living there anymore at some point and the mail might go back as unknown or the new tenant would find a way to get creative with your information.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
I can't imagine what piece of random mail from the key important places would randomly be sent to the physical address. You can set it up to all bank and brokerage statements or digital and online only. And with the mailing address you'd have to just get the card sent once every couple years.
I understand what you're saying, but I can't foresee the scenario where one of the key institutions with randomly send something to the physical
eml_raleigh@reddit
This 'Escapees in TX', is this the website? https://escapeesmailservice.com/domicile-residency/texas/ ? Thanks
ShinsOfGlory@reddit
That’s them.
You have to sign up for their RV Club and then you can join the Mail Service.
They’re pretty good so far. I would prefer if the whole thing was a little more automated but overall it’s been pretty reliable and was accepted at every bank/brokerage I tried. I think only one or two requested a residential address.
Feisty_Kitchen_3173@reddit
I am joining this chat because I am trying to solve the same/similar problem. I had one thought that I did some research on, but could not find a lot of information posted...fractional ownership. Basically have xxx number of people purchase a property in SD, NV, TX, or FL, but make sure everyone is on the deed. Has anyone come across this construct? You would still need a CRMA for the mail stuff, but you would have a legit residential address. IMHO
No-Age-1944@reddit
I use US Global Mail and haven’t had major issues with it. Yeah it’s technically a CMRA, but in practice most banks/platforms don’t instantly reject it -they might just ask for extra verification. What helped for me is using it as a mailing address, and keeping everything else consistent (LLC docs, EIN, etc.).Also worth noting: a lot of people separate things - registered agent for legal address, virtual mailbox for mail. That setup seems to be pretty standard.
for the California part, the bigger issue isn’t really the mailing address but whether it looks like you still have ties there. That’s usually what triggers problems more than the CMRA flag itself.
FreedomLifeYBA@reddit
This is a really common pain point, and you're asking the right questions.
Full disclosure, I run Your Best Address — a mail forwarding and domicile service in South Dakota. We've been helping full-timers, van lifers, and people in transitions like this since 2005.
So here's the deal with CMRA flagging — it depends entirely on the service you use and how the address is structured. A lot of the cheaper virtual mailbox services register as CMRAs, which means banks and brokerages will flag them. That's what you're running into.
What we do differently: Your Best Address provides a real South Dakota street address — not a PO Box, not a CMRA-flagged address. It's a physical street address that works with banks, brokerages, the DMV, insurance, IRS — all of it. We've had clients with Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, USAA, and dozens of other institutions with zero issues.
The process is straightforward:
- You get a real SD street address from us
- All your mail is received and digitally scanned same day — it shows up on your phone
- One overnight visit to SD gets you your driver's license and legal residency
- No state income tax in SD
- We walk you through every step
To the commenter who said "Who wants to go to SD?" — fair enough, you only need to visit once. After that, everything is handled remotely. Most of our clients never go back unless they want to.
The California piece is important too. You'll want to sever your CA ties cleanly — new DL, new voter registration, no CA mailing address. We help people through that exact transition regularly.
Happy to answer any specific questions. No pressure at all.
PhilosopherChoice793@reddit
This is incorrect information. Any service who is receiving mail for you has to be registered as a CMRA. If you are not, you are running afoul of USPS federal regulations and will be shut down.
Are you suggesting that Your Best Address is not a CMRA and yet you are having people sign a Form 1583, which is the only way legally you can accept mail for them?
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
This is what I asked. Directly on their website it says "USPS-certified CMRA address"
I dont know if this person is lying or just a pure sales person who says whatever they have to.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
Thank you very much for the personal response and info. Its good to hear verification from you that your service works with banking.
Question about the different tiers. The base tier "Personal traditional" says "USPS-certified CMRA address"
So Im confused because you said yours is "not a CMRA-flagged address"
Can you clarify
JTeim@reddit
I think your query covers two topics: 1. Financial accounts: Use the residence of a relative or friend in a state with no income tax. If that is not possible, move your financial accounts to brokers (IB) or banks (Federal Credit Unions like Pentagon/Navy/State Dept) who do not care if you live abroad. Or, use a CMRA service but have an IB or Federal Credit Union account as backup, in case your bank/broker tells you to close your account. 2. California: severe all connections (no driver's license, auto registration, mobile phone account, mailing address for bank/broker). Change your voting registration to tell the state you are living abroad (by federal law, you can continue to vote in federal elections via your last state of residence).
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
Brokers and credit unions may not care if you're abroad. But the regulations they have to abide by care what address you use when you make your account/receive certain pieces of mail at.
i-love-freesias@reddit
First, do you have any need to avoid state taxes? If not, just keep your California residency. Banks will figure out you’re living abroad, so get a bank account that doesn’t care, like Wise, Resolut, Schwab International. Other banks will probably freeze your account if they discover you are living abroad, and you should expect they will figure it out.
Social Security doesn’t care if you live abroad, but base everything you need to get done by your mailing address, not your residence address abroad. Your mailing address determines your field office which takes care of you.
It’s much better to give them a US address, so your field office is near your mailing address, because for instance, if you move to Thailand and you use your Thai address as your mailing address, then the nearest field office to take care of any problems is Manila, the Philippines, and believe me from experience, you don’t want that, if you ever have a problem you need resolved.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
Everyone should avoid taxes they shouldn't have to pay. California doesn't recognize long term captial gains tax rates or qualified dividends. So when retired abroad what should be 0% tax rate risks getting taxed just because I have mail sent to family in California
Its a joke to call wise and resolute banks. Would never keep money with them as they shut down accounts all the time.
So far 10 years in Canada and the banks/brokerages haven't "figured out" anything.
The question for this is only how people abroad are maintaining their banks/brokerages using mailbox services that otherwise are normally flagged as invalid
i-love-freesias@reddit
Which I answered as a Californian who moved to Thailand.
But hey, you already appear to know the answer to your question, so carry on.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
How did you answer? You didn't anywhere in your response
ShinsOfGlory@reddit
> get a bank account that doesn’t care, like Wise, Resolut, Schwab International.
AlaskanSnowDragon@reddit (OP)
Wise and resolut aren't banks and Schwab International doesn't allow you to open accounts in all locations
i-love-freesias@reddit
You are not worthy of my time.
i-love-freesias@reddit
My banks are told the truth. I have a mailing address in the US at a mail service, and an address in Thailand.
This is okay with Wise and Schwab International. My understanding is it’s okay also with Revolut.
It was not okay with Schwab domestic account or Wells Fargo.
wagdog1970@reddit
Why would any expat want to continue to pay taxes to a state where they don’t reside? You don’t drive on the roads, use public schools, benefit from police or fire protection, have state subsidized health insurance, tuition or unemployment, etc, etc. In short you would pay into benefits for everyone else but get none yourself. Thanks but no.
i-love-freesias@reddit
Depends on your income. The state taxes are based basically on federal income taxes.
If your only income is social security, you probably don’t have to pay any taxes.
I don’t have to pay federal or state income taxes.