Live in Colorado, Work in Iowa: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Both states tax the same wages, and a credit undoes the overlap. Iowa withholds as your work state and you file a Iowa nonresident return; Colorado taxes residents on all income, so you also file at home and claim the credit for tax paid to Iowa. File Iowa first.
Last verified
Two states can lawfully tax the same wages: Iowa because the work happened there, Colorado because you live there. Nothing prevents the overlap in advance — it is unwound afterwards, on the Colorado return, through the credit for taxes paid to another state.
A Colorado resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Form DR 0104CR. The credit is capped at the Colorado tax on that income, so it removes the double tax but never refunds the excess when the other state charges more.
Iowa also has a layer below the state one, and it is the layer that survives every agreement: Many Iowa school districts levy a surtax calculated as a percentage of state income tax. It is reported on the state return rather than separately.
What you file
- 1Nonresident return · IowaForm IA 1040 with Schedule IA 126
File the Iowa nonresident return FIRST — you need the Iowa tax figure before you can complete Colorado.
- 2Resident return · ColoradoForm DR 0104CR
File a Colorado resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Iowa. The credit is capped at what Colorado would have charged on that same income, so if Iowa taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Colorado | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — flat | Yes — flat |
| Reciprocity partners | None | 1 (Form 44-016) |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form DR 0104 with Schedule DR 0104PN | Form IA 1040 with Schedule IA 126 |
| Credit for other-state tax | Form DR 0104CR | Form IA 130 |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | Yes | Yes |
| Revenue department | Colorado Department of Revenue — Taxation Division | Iowa Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Iowa and working in Colorado 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: Colorado → IowaHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Colorado → IowaHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Colorado → IowaTwo part-year returns
Other Colorado pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Colorado and work in Iowa. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Both states tax the same wages, and a credit undoes the overlap. Iowa withholds as your work state and you file a Iowa nonresident return; Colorado taxes residents on all income, so you also file at home and claim the credit for tax paid to Iowa. File Iowa first.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Iowa. The wages are sourced to Iowa, so Iowa withholding is correct and there is no Colorado 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. Colorado gives residents a credit for tax paid to Iowa on the same income, claimed on Form DR 0104CR. The credit is capped at the Colorado tax on that income, so if Iowa taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Colorado and Iowa rules on this page were last checked against Colorado Department of Revenue — Taxation Division and Iowa 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.
- Colorado Department of Revenue — Taxation Division — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Iowa Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07