Live in Illinois, Work in Missouri: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
You file twice: Missouri first, then Illinois. There is no reciprocity agreement between these two states, so Missouri taxes the income where it was earned and Illinois taxes it again as resident income — with the resident credit removing the double charge rather than an exemption form preventing it.
Last verified
Without an agreement between Illinois and Missouri, the overlap is handled after the fact rather than prevented. That is why the filing order matters: the Missouri figure is an input to the Illinois return, so completing Illinois first means doing it twice.
A Illinois 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 Illinois tax on that income, so it removes the double tax but never refunds the excess when the other state charges more.
Missouri also has a layer below the state one, and it is the layer that survives every agreement: Kansas City and St. Louis each levy a one per cent earnings tax on wages earned inside the city, collected by the city. Nonresidents pay it on the portion of work performed there.
What you file
- 1Nonresident return · MissouriForm MO-1040 with Form MO-NRI
File the Missouri nonresident return FIRST — you need the Missouri tax figure before you can complete Illinois.
- 2Resident return · IllinoisSchedule CR
File a Illinois resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Missouri. The credit is capped at what Illinois would have charged on that same income, so if Missouri taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Illinois | Missouri | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — flat | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | 4 (Form IL-W-5-NR) | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form IL-1040 with Schedule NR | Form MO-1040 with Form MO-NRI |
| Credit for other-state tax | Schedule CR | Form MO-CR |
| Nonresident safe harbour | 30 days | None published |
| Local income tax | No | Yes |
| Revenue department | Illinois Department of Revenue | Missouri Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Missouri and working in Illinois 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: Illinois → MissouriHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Illinois → MissouriHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Illinois → MissouriTwo part-year returns
Other Illinois pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Illinois and work in Missouri. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
You file twice: Missouri first, then Illinois. There is no reciprocity agreement between these two states, so Missouri taxes the income where it was earned and Illinois taxes it again as resident income — with the resident credit removing the double charge rather than an exemption form preventing it.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Missouri. The wages are sourced to Missouri, so Missouri withholding is correct and there is no Illinois 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. Illinois gives residents a credit for tax paid to Missouri on the same income, claimed on Schedule CR. The credit is capped at the Illinois tax on that income, so if Missouri taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Illinois and Missouri rules on this page were last checked against Illinois Department of Revenue and Missouri 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.
- Illinois Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Missouri Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07