Professional — and now college — athletes could face unexpected tax bills if they don’t plan carefully. Multistate taxation used to be an issue only for pros. Now that college players earn revenue from profit-sharing and endorsement deals, they may need to worry about the “jock tax,” which many states and cities impose on income earned by athletes playing road games. Also, athletes need to consider their state of domicile before they receive signing bonuses or other large payments. For example, those moving from low-tax to high-tax states may want to negotiate to receive payments before they move. For these (and other) reasons, all paid athletes should get professional tax advice.
