Moved from Washington to Minnesota Mid-Year: Which State Tax Returns Do You File?
Answer
Only the state you moved to wants a return. Living in Washington produced no state filing obligation at all, and Minnesota taxes you from the date your residency began. Expect Minnesota withholding to start with your first post-move paycheck.
Last verified
This move takes you into the state income tax system rather than out of it. Washington asked nothing of you; Minnesota does, from the date your residency there begins.
What you file
- 1Part-year return · MinnesotaForm M1 with Schedule M1NR
File a Minnesota part-year return covering the months you lived in Minnesota. Washington has no wage income tax, so there is nothing to file for the earlier part of the year.
The two states, side by side
| Washington | Minnesota | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | No | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | None | 2 (Form MWR) |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Not applicable | Form M1 with Schedule M1NR |
| Part-year return | Not applicable | Form M1 with Schedule M1NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | No income tax | Schedule M1CR |
| Nonresident safe harbour | Not applicable | None published |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Washington State Department of Revenue | Minnesota Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Minnesota and working in Washington gives:One part-year return — the state you left.
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 → MinnesotaWork state only
- Remote worker: Washington → MinnesotaNo state income tax on your wages
- 1099 contractor: Washington → MinnesotaClient state only, if you work there
Other Washington pairs
Questions people actually ask
I moved from Washington to Minnesota mid-year. Do I have to file in both states?
Only the state you moved to wants a return. Living in Washington produced no state filing obligation at all, and Minnesota taxes you from the date your residency began. Expect Minnesota withholding to start with your first post-move paycheck.
How do I split my income between Washington and Minnesota?
By when you received it, measured against the date your domicile actually changed. Income received while you were a Washington resident belongs on the Washington return and income received afterwards on the Minnesota return. Keep evidence of the move date — a lease, a closing statement, a licence issue date.
How current is this?
The Washington and Minnesota rules on this page were last checked against Washington State Department of Revenue and Minnesota 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
- Minnesota Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07