Live in Idaho, Work in Maine: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Two returns, one credit. Maine has the first claim on wages earned inside the state and withholds accordingly. Idaho then taxes you as a resident on everything and gives credit for what Maine already took, capped at what Idaho would have charged on that same income.
Last verified
Two states can lawfully tax the same wages: Maine because the work happened there, Idaho because you live there. Nothing prevents the overlap in advance — it is unwound afterwards, on the Idaho return, through the credit for taxes paid to another state.
A Idaho resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Form 39NR. The credit is capped at the Idaho 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 · MaineForm 1040ME with Schedule NR
File the Maine nonresident return FIRST — you need the Maine tax figure before you can complete Idaho.
- 2Resident return · IdahoForm 39NR
File a Idaho resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Maine. The credit is capped at what Idaho would have charged on that same income, so if Maine taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Idaho | Maine | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — flat | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | None | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 43 | Form 1040ME with Schedule NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | Form 39NR | Form 1040ME Schedule A |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | 12 days or a dollar floor |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Idaho State Tax Commission | Maine Revenue Services |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Maine and working in Idaho 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: Idaho → MaineHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Idaho → MaineHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Idaho → MaineTwo part-year returns
Other Idaho pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Idaho and work in Maine. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Two returns, one credit. Maine has the first claim on wages earned inside the state and withholds accordingly. Idaho then taxes you as a resident on everything and gives credit for what Maine already took, capped at what Idaho would have charged on that same income.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Maine. The wages are sourced to Maine, so Maine withholding is correct and there is no Idaho 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. Idaho gives residents a credit for tax paid to Maine on the same income, claimed on Form 39NR. The credit is capped at the Idaho tax on that income, so if Maine taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Idaho and Maine rules on this page were last checked against Idaho State Tax Commission 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.
- Idaho State Tax Commission — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Maine Revenue Services — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07