Washington Sales Tax Calculator
No sign-up State + local rates Runs in your browser
Add Washington’s 6.5% state sales tax plus your local rate, or remove tax from a total.
Washington’s state rate is 6.5%. Cities, counties, and transit districts add their own local rate, and the state publishes updated local rates every quarter. Leave the local rate at 0 to see the state-only figure. Find your exact rate in the Washington Department of Revenue rate tables before you file anything official.
Why a Washington sales tax calculator needs a local rate
I once priced a hardware order for a client near Seattle using only the 6.5% state rate. The invoice looked right to me. Their accountant sent it back, because the local tax in their city added several more points. My tax line was too low, and I had to reissue it.
That is the catch with Washington. The state rate is the smaller part of the bill in many places. A Washington sales tax calculator that ignores local rates will under-collect almost every time. That is why this one has a local rate box.
How the Washington sales tax calculator works
The calculator adds two layers:
- State tax: 6.5%. This applies everywhere in Washington.
- Local tax: your rate. Enter the local rate for the buyer’s location, and the calculator adds it on top.
Washington taxes sales based on where the buyer receives the goods, so the buyer’s location sets the local rate.
How to use the Washington sales tax calculator
- Enter your amount.
- Look up the local rate for the buyer’s location on the Department of Revenue site, then type it into the local rate box.
- Choose “Add tax” to start from a price before tax, or “Remove tax” to start from a total.
- Read the breakdown: price before tax, state tax, local tax, and the total.
Real example: A $500 purchase at the 6.5% state rate adds $32.50, for a $532.50 total. If the buyer’s local rate is 3.5%, the combined rate is 10%. Tax becomes $50, and the total is $550. That is a $17.50 difference on one order. To work backward, divide $550 by 1.10 to return $500.
What Washington taxes
Washington taxes more than physical goods. Many services and digital products carry sales tax too. Most food bought for home use is exempt, while prepared food is not. Because rules vary by product, check the Department of Revenue for your specific item.
Two Washington extras worth knowing
First, Washington has no state income tax. It relies heavily on sales tax and on a separate business and occupation tax, which applies to a business’s gross receipts. Sales tax and that business tax are different things, so do not mix them up on your books.
Second, out-of-state sellers can create sales tax duties in Washington through sales volume alone. The state’s economic nexus threshold is $100,000 in sales. Our guide on sales tax nexus explains how that works.
A mistake to avoid
Do not use an old local rate from memory. Local rates change, and the state updates its tables each quarter. Look up the current figure each time you quote a new customer location.
For all 50 states, use the USA Sales Tax Calculator. To see how a high-tax state compares with others, read our sales tax comparison by state, or visit the California page. Wondering which states skip the tax? See states with no sales tax. If you sell downloads, read about selling digital products internationally. To avoid repeat errors, browse common sales tax mistakes, learn why dividing works in reverse tax calculation, or open the guides page. For general rate data, the Tax Foundation’s state rate table shows how Washington compares nationally.
Also see our Washington sales tax calculator.