1099 Contractor in Alabama with a Florida Client: Where Do You File?
Answer
One state, paid quarterly. Your services are performed in Alabama, which makes the income Alabama-source and Alabama-taxed; Florida taxes no personal income at all. Set aside for Alabama estimated payments — no client withholds anything for you.
Last verified
Self-employment income from personal services is sourced to the place where the services are performed. You perform them in Alabama; Florida would have no claim even if it levied an income tax, which it does not.
What you file
- 1Quarterly estimated payments · Alabama
Make quarterly estimated payments to Alabama Department of Revenue — nothing is withheld from a 1099.
- 2Resident return · Alabama
File a Alabama resident return reporting your full self-employment income.
The two states, side by side
| Alabama | Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | No |
| Reciprocity partners | None | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 40NR | Not applicable |
| Credit for other-state tax | Schedule CR | No income tax |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | Not applicable |
| Local income tax | Yes | No |
| Revenue department | Alabama Department of Revenue | Florida Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Florida and working in Alabama gives:Client state only, if you work there.
Same two states, different situation
The withholding answer turns on how you are paid and where the work happens, not only on which two states are involved.
- W-2 commuter: Alabama → FloridaHome state only
- Remote worker: Alabama → FloridaHome state only
- Moved mid-year: Alabama → FloridaOne part-year return — the state you left
Other Alabama pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Alabama and my client is in Florida. Do I have to file a Florida tax return?
One state, paid quarterly. Your services are performed in Alabama, which makes the income Alabama-source and Alabama-taxed; Florida taxes no personal income at all. Set aside for Alabama estimated payments — no client withholds anything for you.
Do reciprocity agreements help a 1099 contractor?
No. Every state reciprocity agreement in the country is an arrangement about wage withholding between two revenue departments, and a 1099 has no withholding to switch off. Whether Alabama and Florida hold an agreement makes no difference to a self-employed filer — sourcing rules decide the answer instead.
How current is this?
The Alabama and Florida rules on this page were last checked against Alabama Department of Revenue and Florida Department of Revenue on 2026-08-07. We re-check the full grid every December after state legislative sessions close, and re-check the convenience-of-the-employer states quarterly because that is where the rules move fastest.
Sources
Every fact above comes from the revenue department that publishes the rule. We do not cite secondary summaries, and we do not restate a figure we could not find at source.
- Alabama Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Florida Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07