Moving from Maine to New Hampshire

The tax picture, stated plainly

Maine levies a personal income tax and a state sales tax. New Hampshire has neither a broad-based personal income tax nor a general sales tax, and the interest and dividends tax was repealed for taxable periods beginning after December 31, 2024.

New Hampshire shifts that weight onto local property tax, set town by town. Two towns on either side of a line can carry very different bills on the same assessed value, so compare the total tax rate together with the assessment.

If you keep working at a Maine workplace after moving, Maine generally taxes that income as Maine-source wages even though you live in New Hampshire, and remote-work arrangements are fact-specific. Confirm your own situation with a tax professional before assuming a change in take-home pay.

Crossing back, day to day

The Seacoast crossings are I-95 over the Piscataqua, the Route 1 Memorial Bridge and the Route 1 Bypass into Kittery. The Little Bay bridges on the Spaulding Turnpike connect Newington and Dover within New Hampshire; they do not cross into Maine. Peak-hour behaviour on those bridges differs sharply from off-peak map time — drive it at the hour you would actually drive it, both directions.

Route 16 and the Spaulding Turnpike carry the Rochester, Somersworth and Dover traffic; Route 202 and Route 25 handle the inland crossings toward Sanford and the Sebago area; Route 302 and Route 2 cross in the north.

Amtrak's Downeaster links Brunswick and Portland with Dover, Durham, Exeter and Boston, which makes the Seacoast towns along that line practical for people who still travel into Maine or Boston regularly.

Deadlines in your first weeks

• Driver's licence: RSA 263:35 generally requires a new resident driver licensed in another jurisdiction to obtain a New Hampshire licence within 60 days of establishing residency.
• Vehicle registration: New Hampshire registration is a two-part process — you register at your town or city clerk first, then complete the state portion. Budget for the municipal permit fee, which is based on the vehicle's list price and age.
• Voter registration: register with your town or city clerk, or at a supervisors of the checklist session.
• Utilities and trash: many New Hampshire towns do not provide curbside collection, and some have no municipal water or sewer. Confirm with the town before you assume a service exists.

What differs at the closing table

Private wells and septic systems are common outside the larger cities and villages. Treat them as a separate diligence item from the general home inspection: locate the septic system, review the approved design and any state approvals on file, and have it evaluated by an appropriately qualified professional. For a private well, follow current NH DES guidance and property-specific professional advice on what to test.

New Hampshire's Real Estate Transfer Tax generally applies separately to the buyer and seller at $0.75 per $100 of price or consideration for each party. Confirm exemptions, rounding and your transaction with the Department of Revenue Administration and your closing attorney.

For developed waterfront property with any part of its septic system within 250 feet of the statutory reference line, RSA 485-A:39 generally requires a licensed septic evaluation before transfer. A buyer may accept a seller evaluation completed within 180 days of transfer by acknowledging it in writing. Older or unapproved systems also require a permitted designer assessment. Failure findings, planned replacement and extensions have specific duties and deadlines; confirm the applicable process before closing.

Much of this will be familiar from Maine — wells, septic, radon, older housing stock — but the paperwork is not interchangeable. New Hampshire runs registration through the town or city clerk first, and municipal permit fees vary by town.

Small differences that add up

There is no general sales tax in New Hampshire, which changes the arithmetic on vehicles, appliances and anything else you buy around a move. Vehicle costs move instead into the annual municipal permit fee at registration.

Trash and recycling are handled town by town, and many New Hampshire towns operate a transfer station rather than curbside pickup. Confirm before you assume.