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1099 Contractor in Montana with a District of Columbia Client: Where Do You File?

Home state, plus the client state if you work thereNo withholding — 1099

Answer

Two possible returns, one certainty. The certainty is Montana, which taxes residents on all self-employment income and expects quarterly estimated payments. The possibility is District of Columbia, which taxes nonresidents on services actually performed inside the state — invoices sent there do not count.

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.

Nonresidents have no District filing obligation on wages, whatever the amount or the number of days worked. Form D-40B exists only to recover District tax that an employer withheld in error.

What you file

  1. 1Quarterly estimated payments · Montana

    Make quarterly estimated payments to Montana Department of Revenue on your full self-employment income — nothing is withheld from a 1099.

  2. 2Nonresident return · District of ColumbiaForm D-40B (Nonresident Request for Refund)

    File a District of Columbia nonresident return only if you performed services inside District of Columbia. Nonresidents have no District filing obligation on wages, whatever the amount or the number of days worked. Form D-40B exists only to recover District tax that an employer withheld in error.

  3. 3Resident return · MontanaForm 2 (credit for income tax paid to another state)

    File the Montana resident return last and claim the credit for any tax paid to District of Columbia.

The two states, side by side

 MontanaDistrict of Columbia
Taxes wagesYes — graduatedYes — graduated
Reciprocity partners1 (Form MW-4)2 (Form D-4A)
Convenience ruleNoNo
Nonresident returnForm 2 with the nonresident/part-year scheduleNone — nonresidents exempt
Credit for other-state taxForm 2 (credit for income tax paid to another state)Schedule U (Form D-40)
Nonresident safe harbourNone publishedNot applicable
Local income taxNoNo
Revenue departmentMontana Department of RevenueDistrict of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue
Last verified

The other direction

Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in District of Columbia and working in Montana gives:Home state, plus the client state if you work there.

District of Columbia to Montana →

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.

Other Montana pairs

Questions people actually ask

I live in Montana and my client is in District of Columbia. Do I have to file a District of Columbia tax return?

Two possible returns, one certainty. The certainty is Montana, which taxes residents on all self-employment income and expects quarterly estimated payments. The possibility is District of Columbia, which taxes nonresidents on services actually performed inside the state — invoices sent there do not count.

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 Montana and District of Columbia hold an agreement makes no difference to a self-employed filer — sourcing rules decide the answer instead.

How current is this?

The Montana and District of Columbia rules on this page were last checked against Montana Department of Revenue and District of Columbia Office of Tax and 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.