work in one state, live in another

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
April 10, 2026
1 reply
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I work full time in Massachusetts. All my income comes from Massachusetts. However I live full time in Rhode Island. What forms do i include in my return? How do i calculate deductions (non-Mass portion of deductions page from TT Desktop)? Thanks so much in advance

maglib

Level 11

Massachusetts and Rhode Island NOT have a tax reciprocity agreement therefore as you live in one state and work in the other, you must file non-resident tax returns in the state where you work and resident returns in the state where you live. You first must complete your non-resident state tax return, then you complete your resident state return. You normally get a credit for taxes paid to another state on your resident return although it is not dollar for dollar, it is based on income and tax rates. Make sure during the Rhode Island interview you may have to select to remove a W-2, which you would remove the MASS one.

TT will walk you through the returns.

Did your employer withhold Rhode Island and Mass taxes? They should be and if they don't, you may need to start paying estimated taxes to the state they don't withhold from.

@Donna1957

**I don't work for TT. Just trying to help. All the best. . ***Say "Thanks" by marking as BEST ANSWER and clicking the thumb icon in a post and that I solved your question. **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer" I am NOT an expert and you should confirm with a tax expert.

Donna1957Author

Level 2

I'm really confused. Some of the community said I have to declare income from w2 on all state returns, resident and non (where 100% of income comes from). then u say "Make sure during the Rhode Island interview you may have to select to remove a W-2, which you would remove the MASS one." Does that mean entirely remove all income (that shows on MA W2) from RI return which would then show$0 income for both returns?? Sorry to be so dense...

DaveF1006

Level 15

There is no need to apologize! Multi-state taxes are notoriously confusing because the software often makes it look like you're being taxed twice or reporting things incorrectly. It doesn't help when you receive confusing answers.

No, you do not remove the income from your RI return. As a Rhode Island resident, you must report 100% of your income to RI, regardless of where you earned it. The "removal" or "selection" you are hearing about refers to a specific step to prevent double-counting the same income. Here is how to file your Massachusetts and Rhode Island returns.

After completing the federal return, begin to prepare your Massachusetts non-resident State return first. As you complete it, make note of the allocation screens so that you only report the W2 wages being taxed and not other parts of your income.
Secondly, prepare your Rhode Island return.

What will happen is your MA Non-Resident Return will show 100% of the wages earned in MA. Your RI Resident Return will also show 100% of those same wages.

RI will then apply a "Credit for Taxes Paid to Another State." This credit works like a coupon, lowering your RI tax bill by the amount you already paid to MA.

Hopefully, this will ease some of the confusion you may have felt. Write back if you have additional questions.

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