Live in Maryland, Work in Indiana: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Indiana withholds and Maryland credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in Indiana by a Maryland resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Maryland resident return, which is why the Indiana return has to be completed first.
Last verified
Without an agreement between Maryland and Indiana, the overlap is handled after the fact rather than prevented. That is why the filing order matters: the Indiana figure is an input to the Maryland return, so completing Maryland first means doing it twice.
A Maryland resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Form 502CR. The credit is capped at the Maryland tax on that income, so it removes the double tax but never refunds the excess when the other state charges more.
Indiana also has a layer below the state one, and it is the layer that survives every agreement: Every Indiana county levies its own income tax, and the reciprocal agreements do not cover it. A resident of a reciprocal state who works in Indiana still pays Indiana county tax on those wages.
What you file
- 1Nonresident return · IndianaForm IT-40PNR
File the Indiana nonresident return FIRST — you need the Indiana tax figure before you can complete Maryland.
- 2Resident return · MarylandForm 502CR
File a Maryland resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Indiana. The credit is capped at what Maryland would have charged on that same income, so if Indiana taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Maryland | Indiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | Yes — flat |
| Reciprocity partners | 4 (Form MW507) | 5 (Form WH-47) |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 505 with Form 505NR | Form IT-40PNR |
| Credit for other-state tax | Form 502CR | Schedule 6 (Form IT-40PNR) |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | Yes | Yes |
| Revenue department | Comptroller of Maryland | Indiana Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Indiana and working in Maryland 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: Maryland → IndianaHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Maryland → IndianaHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Maryland → IndianaTwo part-year returns
Other Maryland pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Maryland and work in Indiana. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Indiana withholds and Maryland credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in Indiana by a Maryland resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Maryland resident return, which is why the Indiana return has to be completed first.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Indiana. The wages are sourced to Indiana, so Indiana withholding is correct and there is no Maryland 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. Maryland gives residents a credit for tax paid to Indiana on the same income, claimed on Form 502CR. The credit is capped at the Maryland tax on that income, so if Indiana taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Maryland and Indiana rules on this page were last checked against Comptroller of Maryland and Indiana 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.
- Comptroller of Maryland — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Maryland — Form MW507accessed 2026-08-07
- Indiana Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07