Live in Rhode Island, Work in Michigan: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Michigan withholds and Rhode Island credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in Michigan by a Rhode Island resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Rhode Island resident return, which is why the Michigan return has to be completed first.
Last verified
Without an agreement between Rhode Island and Michigan, the overlap is handled after the fact rather than prevented. That is why the filing order matters: the Michigan figure is an input to the Rhode Island return, so completing Rhode Island first means doing it twice.
A Rhode Island resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Form RI-1040NR Schedule II. The credit is capped at the Rhode Island tax on that income, so it removes the double tax but never refunds the excess when the other state charges more.
Michigan also has a layer below the state one, and it is the layer that survives every agreement: Two dozen Michigan cities levy their own income tax, Detroit among them, and the state reciprocal agreements do not cover city tax. A reciprocal-state resident working in Detroit still owes Detroit.
What you file
- 1Nonresident return · MichiganForm MI-1040 with Schedule NR
File the Michigan nonresident return FIRST — you need the Michigan tax figure before you can complete Rhode Island.
- 2Resident return · Rhode IslandForm RI-1040NR Schedule II
File a Rhode Island resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Michigan. The credit is capped at what Rhode Island would have charged on that same income, so if Michigan taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Rhode Island | Michigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | Yes — flat |
| Reciprocity partners | None | 6 (Form MI-W4) |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form RI-1040NR | Form MI-1040 with Schedule NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | Form RI-1040NR Schedule II | Form MI-1040 (credit for income tax imposed by another state) |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | No | Yes |
| Revenue department | Rhode Island Division of Taxation | Michigan Department of Treasury |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Michigan and working in Rhode Island 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: Rhode Island → MichiganHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Rhode Island → MichiganHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Rhode Island → MichiganTwo part-year returns
Other Rhode Island pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Rhode Island and work in Michigan. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Michigan withholds and Rhode Island credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in Michigan by a Rhode Island resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Rhode Island resident return, which is why the Michigan return has to be completed first.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Michigan. The wages are sourced to Michigan, so Michigan withholding is correct and there is no Rhode Island 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. Rhode Island gives residents a credit for tax paid to Michigan on the same income, claimed on Form RI-1040NR Schedule II. The credit is capped at the Rhode Island tax on that income, so if Michigan taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Rhode Island and Michigan rules on this page were last checked against Rhode Island Division of Taxation and Michigan Department of Treasury 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.
- Rhode Island Division of Taxation — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Michigan Department of Treasury — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07