Seattle, Washington Sales Tax 2026

Seattle is located in King County, Washington. The combined sales tax rate is 10.55%.

The total sales tax rate in Seattle comprises the Washington state tax and the city’s additional 4.05% sales tax. The table below provides a breakdown of the sales tax rate by jurisdiction.

Combined Sales Tax Rate	10.55%
Washington	6.50%
King County	0.00%
Seattle	4.05%
District / Special Tax	0.00%

Seattle Sales Tax Calculator

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The TaxHero sales tax calculator provides a combined sales tax rate based on a full address lookup. A complete address ensures precision since ZIP codes may cross different tax jurisdictions. Results are for reference and may need additional context for compliance. Contact us today for a demo and learn how TaxHero can support your business.

Who Needs to Collect Sales Tax in Seattle, Washington?+

Home to Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and a thriving tech and retail economy, Seattle, Washington, is a prime city for launching and scaling a business.

Businesses in Washington must collect sales tax if they have a sales tax nexus and make taxable sales within the state. This applies whether your business has a physical presence in Seattle (such as an office, store, or warehouse) or sells remotely to Washington customers after establishing nexus.

What Creates Sales Tax Nexus in Seattle, Washington?+

A sales tax nexus is created based on your business’s significant presence in a state. Two types of sales tax nexus determine your business’s presence in a state: physical nexus and economic nexus.

Physical Nexus+

A physical nexus is established by having a substantial physical presence or engaging in enough taxable sales activities within a state. Several factors determine a physical nexus in Washington.

Physical Location: This means having an office, a place for distribution, sales, or showcasing products, a warehouse or storage facility, or any other place where you conduct business.
Inventory in the State: This applies to situations where you store products within the state, whether it’s done via a third-party fulfillment center or 3PL (such as Amazon FBA) or an online marketplace.
Business Representatives: Having employees, independent contractors, agents, or other representatives operating within the state on your behalf.
Presence at Trade Show: An out-of-state seller’s trade show participation in Washington creates a nexus if it establishes or maintains a market. However, attending one convention yearly without making retail sales or taking orders does not count.

Economic Nexus+

Economic nexus is established based on two common factors. First is your business’s total sales revenue, and second is the number of transactions you’ve had within the state. In Dallas, Texas, the economic nexus threshold is:

$100,000 in gross revenue

Business & Occupation (B&O) Tax

Meeting the $100,000 threshold does more than require sales tax compliance. It also creates Business & Occupation (B&O) tax obligations, which many businesses overlook.

Washington’s B&O tax is a gross receipts tax, meaning it applies to revenue, not profit. Once a nexus is established, businesses may be required to:

Register with the Washington Department of Revenue
File and pay State B&O tax
Collect and remit applicable sales tax

In addition to the State of Washington B&O tax, the City of Seattle imposes its own local B&O tax. These are separate taxes, filed through different systems, and confusing the two is a common compliance mistake.

CATEGORY	WASHINGTON STATE B&O TAX	SEATTLE B&O TAX
Tax Authority	Washington Department of Revenue	City of Seattle
Filing Portal	MyDOR	FileLocal
Applies To	Businesses with a WA economic nexus	Businesses with Seattle-sourced revenue
Tax Type	Gross receipts tax	Gross receipts tax
Filing Required Even If	No physical presence	No physical presence
Threshold	$100,000 WA revenue	Seattle-specific thresholds apply

To read a comprehensive list of all sales tax rules in Seattle, Washington, you may visit and refer to the sales tax nexus requirements in Washington.

What are Taxable and Non-Taxable Products in Seattle, Washington?+

Every state has different rules regarding the taxability of goods and services. In Seattle, Washington, a variety of goods are subject to sales tax, and a few are exempt. Check the table below for reference:

PRODUCT	TAXABLE	EXEMPT
Tangible Products	Clothing Electronics Cosmetics Furniture Jewelry Home Goods Diapers	Groceries Feminine Hygiene Products (i.e., pads, tampons, and menstrual cups) Prescription Medications Medical Devices Energy-efficient Appliances – Equipment used directly in generating electricity using qualified renewable energy sources. Agricultural Supplies – Seeds, fertilizers, and machinery used directly in farming are exempt.
Services	Most service-based transactions are taxable in Washington. As of 2025, Washington expanded the sales tax to include the following services: Advertising IT Services Custom Software Temporary Staffing	n/a
SaaS and Digital Products	SaaS and Digital Products are taxable in Washington. Under ESSB 5814, the distinction between custom and prewritten software has been eliminated for tax purposes. As a result, both custom-developed software and prewritten software delivered electronically are generally taxable.	n/a
Shipping and Handling	Shipping and handling charges are generally taxable in Washington.	n/a

For in-depth guidance on taxabilities and exemptions on goods and services, read our Ultimate Business Guide to Sales Tax in Washington.

How to Get a Sales Tax Permit in Seattle, Washington?+

Once you’ve established a sales tax nexus in Seattle, Washington, your next step is making sure you stay compliant by registering your business for a sales tax permit, also known as a seller’s permit or a business license in other states.

However, as of 2026, a Seattle-specific business license is not required if both of the following are true:

You do not have a physical location in Seattle, and
You generate less than $4,000 in gross revenue annually from Seattle

If you exceed this threshold or operate physically within the city, you may be required to register for a Seattle Business License Tax Certificate (BLTC) in addition to your state registration.

To get a sales tax permit in Seattle, follow our step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Go to the Washington Department of Revenue website, click “Sign Up,” create a login, and confirm your account via email.
Step 2: Sign in, go to Business Licensing, and click “Apply for a New Business License.”
Step 3: Select “Start a business in WA State,” choose “Outside Washington State,” answer “No” for having a UBI, and follow the prompts to submit the required information.
Step 4: Complete the registration process until your account is fully set up.

After receiving your Washington sales tax permit, you must keep it displayed at all times in your business’s physical locations. The Seattle Business License Tax Certificate (BLTC) has a base annual fee of $73 or higher for businesses with higher revenue.

How Do You File and Remit Sales Tax in Seattle, Washington?+

After registering your business in Seattle, Washington, your next step is filing and remitting sales tax returns on time. But before filing your sales tax returns, you must know the filing schedule assigned to you by the state.

To begin filing and remitting your sales tax returns in Washington, follow our step-by-step guide:

Step 1. Go to the Washington State Department of Revenue – My DOR website.
Step 2. Log in using your username and password. Check your shared email/phone number and enter the OTP when applicable.
Step 3. Prepare your Ecommerce Sales Tax Data (e.g., Taxes Report from Shopify).
Step 4: Under File and Pay, click File and Pay Your Return.
Step 5: Enter the Gross Sales amount accurately, then click Next.
Step 6: Enter the applicable City/County Sales Tax information, then click Next.
Step 7: Review the Total Tax Due and make sure it matches the amount shown in the Tax Report. Once confirmed, click Next.
Step 8: Enter the client’s bank details and set the payment date according to the return’s due date. After verifying the information, click Next.
Step 9: Enter the login password to authorize the filing, then click Submit.
Step 10: Save the confirmation in your preferred location for recordkeeping purposes. Keeping online records using Google Drive is a common practice.

NOTE: Late filings result in penalties and fees.

For more filing tips, you can read our comprehensive guide: How To File Washington Sales Tax Online.

Seattle District and Special Tax Rates: Local Law Enforcement Program Tax+

If you make retail sales in Seattle subject to Washington sales tax from a business located in a taxing district, the district sales tax is generally due on your sales of tangible personal property and other taxable items.

As of January 2026, Seattle’s total sales tax rate includes a 0.1% Local Law Enforcement Programs Tax. To ensure you apply the correct rate, you can look up Seattle sales tax by address or ZIP code using our calculator.

Seattle City Finance Contact Information+

State: Washington Department of Revenue

City: Seattle Office of City Finance

Contact: ocf@seattle.gov; 206-684-8484

Popular ZIP codes in Seattle, Washington+

98101 98102 98103 98104 98105 98107 98109 98112 98115 98118

Frequently Asked Questions+

1. Why is Seattle sales tax so high?

The city’s growing employment and strong income gains, especially in high-tech and internet companies, drove significant growth in taxable retail sales.

2. Is Washington state sales tax 8%?

Washington’s state sales tax rate is 6.5%, and local city or county taxes can push the combined rate up to 10.4%.

3. What city has the highest sales tax in Washington state?

As of 2026, Edmonds and Lynnwood have the highest combined sales tax rate in Washington at 10.7%, following a 0.1% increase in the public safety tax. In the past, Seattle and Tacoma often had the state’s highest rates.

Having Trouble Navigating Seattle, Washington Sales Tax?

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