Live in Virginia, Work in Arizona: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
Arizona withholds and Virginia credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in Arizona by a Virginia resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Virginia resident return, which is why the Arizona return has to be completed first.
Last verified
Two states can lawfully tax the same wages: Arizona because the work happened there, Virginia because you live there. Nothing prevents the overlap in advance — it is unwound afterwards, on the Virginia return, through the credit for taxes paid to another state.
A Virginia resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Schedule OSC. The credit is capped at the Virginia 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 · ArizonaForm 140NR
File the Arizona nonresident return FIRST — you need the Arizona tax figure before you can complete Virginia.
- 2Resident return · VirginiaSchedule OSC
File a Virginia resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Arizona. The credit is capped at what Virginia would have charged on that same income, so if Arizona taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Virginia | Arizona | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | Yes — graduated |
| Reciprocity partners | 5 (Form VA-4) | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 763 | Form 140NR |
| Credit for other-state tax | Schedule OSC | Form 309 |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Virginia Department of Taxation | Arizona Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Arizona and working in Virginia 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: Virginia → ArizonaHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Virginia → ArizonaHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Virginia → ArizonaTwo part-year returns
Other Virginia pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Virginia and work in Arizona. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
Arizona withholds and Virginia credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in Arizona by a Virginia resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Virginia resident return, which is why the Arizona return has to be completed first.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Arizona. The wages are sourced to Arizona, so Arizona withholding is correct and there is no Virginia 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. Virginia gives residents a credit for tax paid to Arizona on the same income, claimed on Schedule OSC. The credit is capped at the Virginia tax on that income, so if Arizona taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Virginia and Arizona rules on this page were last checked against Virginia Department of Taxation and Arizona 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.
- Virginia Department of Taxation — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- Virginia — Form VA-4accessed 2026-08-07
- Virginia Tax — Reciprocityaccessed 2026-08-07
- Arizona Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07