1099 Contractor in Alabama with a Washington Client: Where Do You File?
Answer
Alabama only. Nothing about invoicing a Washington client changes where your work is performed, and Washington has no income tax in any event — so the whole obligation is Alabama estimated payments during the year and a Alabama resident return at the end of it.
Last verified
Nothing is withheld from a 1099, so the tax that a W-2 employee never sees is money you are holding on someone else's behalf. In this pairing all of it belongs to Alabama, and none of it to Washington.
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 | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Washington State Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Washington 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 → WashingtonHome state only
- Remote worker: Alabama → WashingtonHome state only
- Moved mid-year: Alabama → WashingtonOne part-year return — the state you left
Other Alabama pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Alabama and my client is in Washington. Do I have to file a Washington tax return?
Alabama only. Nothing about invoicing a Washington client changes where your work is performed, and Washington has no income tax in any event — so the whole obligation is Alabama estimated payments during the year and a Alabama resident return at the end of it.
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 Washington hold an agreement makes no difference to a self-employed filer — sourcing rules decide the answer instead.
How current is this?
The Alabama and Washington rules on this page were last checked against Alabama Department of Revenue and Washington State 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
- Washington State Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07