1099 Contractor in Washington with a Massachusetts Client: Where Do You File?
Answer
Massachusetts only, and only for on-site work. Nothing is withheld from a 1099, and Washington levies no income tax, so the single question is whether any of the services were performed in Massachusetts. If none were, no Massachusetts nonresident return is required.
Last verified
Two things make this pairing simple. Washington levies no personal income tax, so there is no resident return; and Massachusetts taxes nonresidents only on services actually performed inside Massachusetts, which for a fully remote contractor is normally nothing.
Massachusetts publishes no de minimis day count or dollar floor for nonresidents. Any Massachusetts-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 Massachusetts Department of Revenue nonresident instructions before filing.
What you file
- 1Nonresident return · MassachusettsForm 1-NR/PY
File a Massachusetts nonresident return only for income from services you physically performed in Massachusetts. Washington does not tax wage or self-employment income.
The two states, side by side
| Washington | Massachusetts | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | No | Yes — flat |
| Reciprocity partners | None | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Not applicable | Form 1-NR/PY |
| Credit for other-state tax | No income tax | Schedule OJC |
| Nonresident safe harbour | Not applicable | None published |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Washington State Department of Revenue | Massachusetts Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Massachusetts and working in Washington gives:Home state only — estimated payments.
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: Washington → MassachusettsWork state only
- Remote worker: Washington → MassachusettsNo state income tax on your wages
- Moved mid-year: Washington → MassachusettsOne part-year return — the state you moved to
Other Washington pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Washington and my client is in Massachusetts. Do I have to file a Massachusetts tax return?
Massachusetts only, and only for on-site work. Nothing is withheld from a 1099, and Washington levies no income tax, so the single question is whether any of the services were performed in Massachusetts. If none were, no Massachusetts nonresident return is required.
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 Washington and Massachusetts hold an agreement makes no difference to a self-employed filer — sourcing rules decide the answer instead.
How current is this?
The Washington and Massachusetts rules on this page were last checked against Washington State Department of Revenue and Massachusetts 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.
- Washington State Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07