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1099 Contractor in Rhode Island with a Alabama 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 Rhode Island, which taxes residents on all self-employment income and expects quarterly estimated payments. The possibility is Alabama, 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.

Alabama publishes no de minimis day count or dollar floor for nonresidents. Any Alabama-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 Alabama Department of Revenue nonresident instructions before filing.

What you file

  1. 1Quarterly estimated payments · Rhode Island

    Make quarterly estimated payments to Rhode Island Division of Taxation on your full self-employment income — nothing is withheld from a 1099.

  2. 2Nonresident return · AlabamaForm 40NR

    File a Alabama nonresident return only if you performed services inside Alabama. Alabama publishes no de minimis day count or dollar floor for nonresidents. Any Alabama-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 Alabama Department of Revenue nonresident instructions before filing.

  3. 3Resident return · Rhode IslandForm RI-1040NR Schedule II

    File the Rhode Island resident return last and claim the credit for any tax paid to Alabama.

The two states, side by side

 Rhode IslandAlabama
Taxes wagesYes — graduatedYes — graduated
Reciprocity partnersNoneNone
Convenience ruleNoNo
Nonresident returnForm RI-1040NRForm 40NR
Credit for other-state taxForm RI-1040NR Schedule IISchedule CR
Nonresident safe harbourNone publishedNone published
Local income taxNoYes
Revenue departmentRhode Island Division of TaxationAlabama Department of Revenue
Last verified

The other direction

Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Alabama and working in Rhode Island gives:Home state, plus the client state if you work there.

Alabama to Rhode Island →

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 Rhode Island pairs

Questions people actually ask

I live in Rhode Island and my client is in Alabama. Do I have to file a Alabama tax return?

Two possible returns, one certainty. The certainty is Rhode Island, which taxes residents on all self-employment income and expects quarterly estimated payments. The possibility is Alabama, 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 Rhode Island and Alabama hold an agreement makes no difference to a self-employed filer — sourcing rules decide the answer instead.

How current is this?

The Rhode Island and Alabama rules on this page were last checked against Rhode Island Division of Taxation and Alabama 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.