Live in Washington, Work Remotely for a Maine Employer: Who Taxes You?
Answer
Nothing is owed on either side. Washington has no wage income tax, and Maine taxes nonresidents only on work actually performed inside Maine. Never setting foot in Maine keeps the income entirely outside its reach, so this pair produces no state return at all.
Last verified
Wages are sourced to the place where the work is physically performed. That default is what makes remote work simple, and it is only disturbed when the employer's state runs a convenience-of-the-employer rule. Maine does not.
What you file
There is nothing to file in either Washington or Maine on these wages. Your federal return is unaffected — the federal government taxes the income whatever the states do.
The two states, side by side
| Washington | Maine | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | No | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | None | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Not applicable | Form 1040ME with Schedule NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | No income tax | Form 1040ME Schedule A |
| Nonresident safe harbour | Not applicable | 12 days or a dollar floor |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Washington State Department of Revenue | Maine Revenue Services |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Maine and working in Washington gives:Home state only.
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 → MaineWork state only
- 1099 contractor: Washington → MaineClient state only, if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Washington → MaineOne part-year return — the state you moved to
Other Washington pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Washington and work remotely for a Maine employer. Which state do I pay?
Nothing is owed on either side. Washington has no wage income tax, and Maine taxes nonresidents only on work actually performed inside Maine. Never setting foot in Maine keeps the income entirely outside its reach, so this pair produces no state return at all.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Neither. There is no state income tax to withhold on either side of this pairing, so a state line on your pay stub for Washington or Maine is an error worth querying.
Does my Maine employer's location alone create a Maine tax obligation?
No. Maine sources wages to the place where the work is physically performed, and it does not apply a convenience-of-the-employer rule that would override that. Days you actually spend working inside Maine are a different matter — those are Maine-source income and can require a nonresident return.
How current is this?
The Washington and Maine rules on this page were last checked against Washington State Department of Revenue and Maine Revenue Services 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
- Maine Revenue Services — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07