Dear Joe,

I retired last month, and my wife and I were planning to move closer to where our children live. We currently live in Texas, which has no state income tax and doesn't tax my retired pay. Most of our children live in Utah but I'm not sure if my retired pay will be taxed there. Can you help me find out?

Thanks, 

Moving for the grandkids

Dear Moving,

As of April 2025, Utah does tax some military retired pay. If you want to keep up with the tax changes on Utah and other states, use the MyArmyBenefits state and territory fact sheets at: https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Benefit-Library/State/Territory-Benefits. There is a fact sheet for each state and territory with up-to-date state tax information regarding retired pay. Besides Utah, you may want to check into living in a nearby state that may have a more favorable tax situation.

Best of luck,

Joe

Dear Joe,

My husband was recently laid off from his job due to budget cuts, and I retired from the Army last year. It’s been quite a while since he’s been in the job market and is unsure of where to begin. Are there any Army benefits or programs available to family members of Retired Soldiers to help with his job search?

Thanks,

Helping with a change

Dear Change,

I’m sorry to hear about his situation. One program your spouse is eligible to use is the Employment Readiness Program (ERP) operated by Army Community Service (ACS) at: https://www.armymwr.com/programs-and-services/personal-assistance/employment-readiness-program. The ERP can help with up-to-date resource information on job openings, resume critiques, career counseling, and more. They also have information on job fairs and other hiring opportunities, both in-person and virtual. You can utilize the MyArmyBenefits resource locator at: https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Benefit-Library/Resource-Locator to find the closest ACS Center to you and visit the ERP manager. For more information about the ERP, check out the MyArmyBenefits fact sheet at: https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-Benefits/Employment-Readiness-Program-(ERP).

Hope this helps!

Joe