1099 Contractor in Alabama with a Pennsylvania Client: Where Do You File?
Answer
Alabama always, Pennsylvania sometimes. With no withholding on a 1099 the whole tax is yours to manage: estimate to Alabama through the year, and file a Pennsylvania nonresident return for any income from work you physically performed in Pennsylvania, claiming the credit back on the Alabama return.
Last verified
Reciprocity agreements are the first thing contractors ask about and the first thing that does not apply to them. Every agreement in the country is a wage-withholding arrangement, and a 1099 has no withholding to switch off.
Pennsylvania publishes no de minimis day count or dollar floor for nonresidents. Any Pennsylvania-source wage income above the state's general filing threshold requires a nonresident return, and that threshold is reset each year — check the current figure on the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue nonresident instructions before filing.
What you file
- 1Quarterly estimated payments · Alabama
Make quarterly estimated payments to Alabama Department of Revenue on your full self-employment income — nothing is withheld from a 1099.
- 2Nonresident return · PennsylvaniaForm PA-40 (nonresident)
File a Pennsylvania nonresident return only if you performed services inside Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania publishes no de minimis day count or dollar floor for nonresidents. Any Pennsylvania-source wage income above the state's general filing threshold requires a nonresident return, and that threshold is reset each year — check the current figure on the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue nonresident instructions before filing.
- 3Resident return · AlabamaSchedule CR
File the Alabama resident return last and claim the credit for any tax paid to Pennsylvania.
The two states, side by side
| Alabama | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | Yes — flat |
| Reciprocity partners | None | 6 (Form REV-419) |
| Convenience rule | No | Yes — general rule |
| Nonresident return | Form 40NR | Form PA-40 (nonresident) |
| Credit for other-state tax | Schedule CR | Schedule G-L |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | Yes | Yes |
| Revenue department | Alabama Department of Revenue | Pennsylvania Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Pennsylvania and working in Alabama gives:Home state, plus the client state 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 → PennsylvaniaBoth states — credit offsets the double tax
- Remote worker: Alabama → PennsylvaniaConvenience-of-the-employer rule — both states tax you
- Moved mid-year: Alabama → PennsylvaniaTwo part-year returns
Other Alabama pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Alabama and my client is in Pennsylvania. Do I have to file a Pennsylvania tax return?
Alabama always, Pennsylvania sometimes. With no withholding on a 1099 the whole tax is yours to manage: estimate to Alabama through the year, and file a Pennsylvania nonresident return for any income from work you physically performed in Pennsylvania, claiming the credit back on the Alabama return.
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 Pennsylvania hold an agreement makes no difference to a self-employed filer — sourcing rules decide the answer instead.
How current is this?
The Alabama and Pennsylvania rules on this page were last checked against Alabama Department of Revenue and Pennsylvania 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
- Pennsylvania Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Pennsylvania — Form REV-419accessed 2026-08-07
- Pennsylvania Personal Income Tax Guide — Income Subject to Tax Withholdingaccessed 2026-08-07