Washington Income Tax Calculator

Taxes in Washington State

Washington State Tax Quick Facts

• Income tax: None
• Sales tax: 6.5% - 10.60%
• Property tax: 0.88% average effective rate
• Gas tax: 52.82 cents per gallon of regular gasoline

Washington is one of several states without a personal income tax, but that doesn’t mean that the Evergreen State is a tax haven. While taxpayers in Washington dodge income taxes, they pay some of the highest sales taxes in the country, with a combined state and average local rate of 9.452%. The state’s property taxes rank among the top 25 in the country and the gas tax is fourth-highest overall.

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Washington State Income Taxes

There are no income taxes in Washington State. While the idea to enact an income tax has been floated in the state legislature and at the ballot box over the years, none of the proposed measures have passed. This means that once you’ve finished your federal tax return, you’re done with your taxes for the year.

Washington State Sales Tax

The flip-side of the state’s income tax-free status is its high sales taxes. The state’s base sales tax rate is 6.5%. But since cities and counties collect additional sales taxes on top of that rate, rates are typically at least 8%, and sometimes higher than 10%. The table below shows sales tax rates for all of the counties in Washington.

Those taxes apply to nearly all tangible goods sold in the state of Washington as well as many services. Among the services subject to sales tax are cleaning, construction, installations, altering, lawn maintenance, fitness club memberships, tattoos, catering services and recreational activities. Digital purchase (music, videos, etc.) are also subject to the tax. Vehicle sales face an additional 0.3% tax on top of the total sales tax rate.

On the other hand, there are a number of important exemptions. Food and food ingredients are exempt, although prepared food and soft drinks are not. Prescription medicine and newspapers are also exempt.

Washington State Property Tax

If you’re thinking about buying a house on the Puget Sound or in sunny Eastern Washington, you’ll want to take the cost of local property taxes into account. Effective property tax rates (property taxes as a percentage of total home value) in Washington generally hover right around or below 1%.

At the county level, effective rates in Washington range from 0.59% in San Juan County up to 0.98% in Pierce County. Statewide, residents pay an average of $4,158 a year in property taxes. But because home values here are high, that's a statewide effective property tax rate of only 0.88%, which is actually slightly lower than the 0.90% national average.

There is also a statewide tax on real estate sales in Washington. This tax, officially called the real estate excise tax (REET), is equal to a specific percentage of the price of the home being sold, and it is typically paid by the seller. Cities also have the option to levy an additional 0.25% tax on property sales.

In recent years, Washington revamped the rate structure for its REET tax. Below is a breakdown of what Washington residents will pay in these taxes when they sell their home.

Washington State Estate Tax

The estate tax in Washington State ranges from 10% up to a top rate of 20%, but this only applies to gross estates with a value exceeding $2,193,000. The table below shows the marginal estate tax rates for qualifying estates. These rates apply to the Washington taxable estate amount, which is likely less than the actual gross estate.

Washington State Spirits Tax

There are two taxes on spirits in Washington, which has the largest alcohol tax in the country. The first is a sales tax of 20.5% for retail sales and 13.7% for sales made in restaurants and bars. The second is a volume tax, called the spirits liter tax, which is equal to $3.7708 per liter (retail) or $2.4408 per liter (restaurants and bars). Those taxes combined give Washington one of the highest liquor taxes in the country.

Washington State Marijuana Tax

As of 2014, recreational marijuana is legal in the state of Washington. It's also heavily taxed, facing an excise tax rate of 37% of the sales price.

• Seattle, the largest city in Washington State, averages 71 sunny days a year.
• Mount Rainier National Park is the fifth oldest national park in the country. It receives over 1.5 million visitors per year.
• Washington State is the nation’s leading producer of apples.