Live in Alabama, Work in Arizona: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Arizona withholds and Alabama credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in Arizona by a Alabama resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Alabama resident return, which is why the Arizona return has to be completed first.
Last verified
Two states can lawfully tax the same wages: Arizona because the work happened there, Alabama because you live there. Nothing prevents the overlap in advance — it is unwound afterwards, on the Alabama return, through the credit for taxes paid to another state.
A Alabama resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Schedule CR. The credit is capped at the Alabama tax on that income, so it removes the double tax but never refunds the excess when the other state charges more.
What you file
- 1Nonresident return · ArizonaForm 140NR
File the Arizona nonresident return FIRST — you need the Arizona tax figure before you can complete Alabama.
- 2Resident return · AlabamaSchedule CR
File a Alabama resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Arizona. The credit is capped at what Alabama would have charged on that same income, so if Arizona taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Alabama | Arizona | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | None | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 40NR | Form 140NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | Schedule CR | Form 309 |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | Yes | No |
| Revenue department | Alabama Department of Revenue | Arizona Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Arizona and working in Alabama gives:Both states — credit offsets the double tax.
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.
- Remote worker: Alabama → ArizonaHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Alabama → ArizonaHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Alabama → ArizonaTwo part-year returns
Other Alabama pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Alabama and work in Arizona. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Arizona withholds and Alabama credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in Arizona by a Alabama resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Alabama resident return, which is why the Arizona return has to be completed first.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Arizona. The wages are sourced to Arizona, so Arizona withholding is correct and there is no Alabama withholding to set up.
Will I end up paying tax twice on the same income?
Not twice over, but you will pay the higher of the two rates. Alabama gives residents a credit for tax paid to Arizona on the same income, claimed on Schedule CR. The credit is capped at the Alabama tax on that income, so if Arizona taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Alabama and Arizona rules on this page were last checked against Alabama Department of Revenue and Arizona 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.
- Alabama Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Arizona Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07