Live in Idaho, Work in Rhode Island: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Two returns, one credit. Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island already took, capped at what Idaho would have charged on that same income.
Last verified
Two states can lawfully tax the same wages: Rhode Island 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 · Rhode IslandForm RI-1040NR
File the Rhode Island nonresident return FIRST — you need the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island. The credit is capped at what Idaho would have charged on that same income, so if Rhode Island taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Idaho | Rhode Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — flat | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | None | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 43 | Form RI-1040NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | Form 39NR | Form RI-1040NR Schedule II |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Idaho State Tax Commission | Rhode Island Division of Taxation |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Rhode Island 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 → Rhode IslandHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Idaho → Rhode IslandHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Idaho → Rhode IslandTwo part-year returns
Other Idaho pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Idaho and work in Rhode Island. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Two returns, one credit. Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island already took, capped at what Idaho would have charged on that same income.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Rhode Island. The wages are sourced to Rhode Island, so Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island on the same income, claimed on Form 39NR. The credit is capped at the Idaho tax on that income, so if Rhode Island taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Idaho and Rhode Island rules on this page were last checked against Idaho State Tax Commission and Rhode Island Division of Taxation 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
- Rhode Island Division of Taxation — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07