Live in Maine, Work in North Dakota: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Both states tax the same wages, and a credit undoes the overlap. North Dakota withholds as your work state and you file a North Dakota nonresident return; Maine taxes residents on all income, so you also file at home and claim the credit for tax paid to North Dakota. File North Dakota first.
Last verified
Without an agreement between Maine and North Dakota, the overlap is handled after the fact rather than prevented. That is why the filing order matters: the North Dakota figure is an input to the Maine return, so completing Maine first means doing it twice.
A Maine resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Form 1040ME Schedule A. The credit is capped at the Maine 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 · North DakotaForm ND-1 with Schedule ND-1NR
File the North Dakota nonresident return FIRST — you need the North Dakota tax figure before you can complete Maine.
- 2Resident return · MaineForm 1040ME Schedule A
File a Maine resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to North Dakota. The credit is capped at what Maine would have charged on that same income, so if North Dakota taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Maine | North Dakota | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | None | 2 (Form NDW-R) |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 1040ME with Schedule NR | Form ND-1 with Schedule ND-1NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | Form 1040ME Schedule A | Schedule ND-1CR |
| Nonresident safe harbour | 12 days or a dollar floor | None published |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Maine Revenue Services | North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in North Dakota and working in Maine 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: Maine → North DakotaHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Maine → North DakotaHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Maine → North DakotaTwo part-year returns
Other Maine pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Maine and work in North Dakota. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Both states tax the same wages, and a credit undoes the overlap. North Dakota withholds as your work state and you file a North Dakota nonresident return; Maine taxes residents on all income, so you also file at home and claim the credit for tax paid to North Dakota. File North Dakota first.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
North Dakota. The wages are sourced to North Dakota, so North Dakota withholding is correct and there is no Maine 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. Maine gives residents a credit for tax paid to North Dakota on the same income, claimed on Form 1040ME Schedule A. The credit is capped at the Maine tax on that income, so if North Dakota taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Maine and North Dakota rules on this page were last checked against Maine Revenue Services and North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner 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.
- Maine Revenue Services — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07