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1099 Contractor in Vermont with a Iowa Client: Where Do You File?

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

Answer

Vermont always, Iowa sometimes. With no withholding on a 1099 the whole tax is yours to manage: estimate to Vermont through the year, and file a Iowa nonresident return for any income from work you physically performed in Iowa, claiming the credit back on the Vermont 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.

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

What you file

  1. 1Quarterly estimated payments · Vermont

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

  2. 2Nonresident return · IowaForm IA 1040 with Schedule IA 126

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

  3. 3Resident return · VermontSchedule IN-117

    File the Vermont resident return last and claim the credit for any tax paid to Iowa.

The two states, side by side

 VermontIowa
Taxes wagesYes — graduatedYes — flat
Reciprocity partnersNone1 (Form 44-016)
Convenience ruleNoNo
Nonresident returnForm IN-111 with Schedule IN-113Form IA 1040 with Schedule IA 126
Credit for other-state taxSchedule IN-117Form IA 130
Nonresident safe harbourNone publishedNone published
Local income taxNoYes
Revenue departmentVermont Department of TaxesIowa Department of Revenue
Last verified

The other direction

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

Iowa to Vermont →

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 Vermont pairs

Questions people actually ask

I live in Vermont and my client is in Iowa. Do I have to file a Iowa tax return?

Vermont always, Iowa sometimes. With no withholding on a 1099 the whole tax is yours to manage: estimate to Vermont through the year, and file a Iowa nonresident return for any income from work you physically performed in Iowa, claiming the credit back on the Vermont 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 Vermont and Iowa hold an agreement makes no difference to a self-employed filer — sourcing rules decide the answer instead.

How current is this?

The Vermont and Iowa rules on this page were last checked against Vermont Department of Taxes and Iowa 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.