Live in Arizona, Work in Minnesota: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Both states tax the same wages, and a credit undoes the overlap. Minnesota withholds as your work state and you file a Minnesota nonresident return; Arizona taxes residents on all income, so you also file at home and claim the credit for tax paid to Minnesota. File Minnesota first.
Last verified
Without an agreement between Arizona and Minnesota, the overlap is handled after the fact rather than prevented. That is why the filing order matters: the Minnesota figure is an input to the Arizona return, so completing Arizona first means doing it twice.
A Arizona resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Form 309. The credit is capped at the Arizona 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 · MinnesotaForm M1 with Schedule M1NR
File the Minnesota nonresident return FIRST — you need the Minnesota tax figure before you can complete Arizona.
- 2Resident return · ArizonaForm 309
File a Arizona resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Minnesota. The credit is capped at what Arizona would have charged on that same income, so if Minnesota taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Arizona | Minnesota | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | None | 2 (Form MWR) |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 140NR | Form M1 with Schedule M1NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | Form 309 | Schedule M1CR |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Arizona 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 Arizona 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: Arizona → MinnesotaHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Arizona → MinnesotaHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Arizona → MinnesotaTwo part-year returns
Other Arizona pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Arizona and work in Minnesota. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Both states tax the same wages, and a credit undoes the overlap. Minnesota withholds as your work state and you file a Minnesota nonresident return; Arizona taxes residents on all income, so you also file at home and claim the credit for tax paid to Minnesota. File Minnesota first.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Minnesota. The wages are sourced to Minnesota, so Minnesota withholding is correct and there is no Arizona 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. Arizona gives residents a credit for tax paid to Minnesota on the same income, claimed on Form 309. The credit is capped at the Arizona tax on that income, so if Minnesota taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Arizona and Minnesota rules on this page were last checked against Arizona 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.
- Arizona Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Minnesota Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07