Sales tax in Ada County, Idaho
The sales tax rate in Ada County, Idaho is 6%. That is a 6% state rate, with nothing on top: Idaho counties cannot levy a sales tax, and it is the same at every address in the county.
What is the sales tax rate in Ada County?
| Idaho state rate | 6% |
|---|---|
| Combined rate | 6% |
Why the rate here is not the whole story
Idaho's state sales tax is 6 percent and Idaho counties have no authority to levy a general sales tax at all, so this county's own rate is a confirmed zero. Idaho Code section 50-1044 gives the power to resort cities only, meaning a city of 10,000 or fewer people that derives the major portion of its economic well being from businesses catering to visitors, and section 50-1046 requires 60 percent voter approval before a city may adopt one. Section 50-1048 speaks of what would follow "in the event that counties are given local-option nonproperty tax authority", which is the legislature saying plainly that they have not been. No city in Ada County appears on the Tax Commission's list of Idaho cities levying a local sales tax, so the rate is 6 percent at every address in the county. Boise and the surrounding area sit in the Greater Boise Auditorium District, which charges 5 percent on short term lodging only. Idaho does not exempt groceries. Food is taxed at the full 6 percent and residents instead claim a food tax credit on their Idaho income tax return, worth $155 per person for 2025 or up to $250 if receipts for sales tax paid on food are submitted, so a grocery receipt in Idaho carries tax that a shopper gets back once a year rather than at the register.
How do I find the exact rate for an address in Ada County?
The rate is the same across Ada County, but if you are collecting tax it is worth confirming against the source. Use Idaho's own lookup. A vendor's calculator is not the state speaking.
Who has to collect sales tax in Ada County?
A seller with a physical presence in Idaho collects at the rate for the address where the sale takes place. A remote seller collects once it passes Idaho's economic nexus threshold, which is a separate question from the rate and is covered on our sales tax nexus checker. Marketplace facilitators generally collect on behalf of their sellers.
How does Ada County compare?
See Idaho sales tax for the statewide picture, including the average local rate and what is exempt. Property tax is a separate tax with separate rules: property tax in Ada County.
Sources
- Ada County rates: Idaho State Tax Commission, City Sales Taxes (https://tax.idaho.gov/taxes/sales-use/sales-tax/local-sales-tax/city-sales-tax/, page updated January 13, 2026), which names every Idaho city levying a local sales tax and states that only resort cities may levy one; state rate from the Tax Commission's Sales and Use Taxes Basics Guide (https://tax.idaho.gov/taxes/sales-use/online-guide/, updated April 1, 2026), which states "Idaho's sales tax rate is 6%", confirmed independently against the Tax Commission's 2025 Annual Report (https://tax.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/reports/EPB00033/EPB00033_07-31-2026.pdf), which lists Sales/Use at 6 percent; auditorium district scope from the Tax Commission's Auditorium District Taxes page (https://tax.idaho.gov/taxes/taxes-on-sales/aud/); absence of county levying authority from Idaho Code sections 50-1044 through 50-1048 (https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title50/T50CH10/); food tax credit from the Tax Commission's Idaho Food Tax Credit page (https://tax.idaho.gov/taxes/income-tax/individual-income/popular-credits-and-deductions/idaho-grocery-credit/, updated February 19, 2026)
- Collected and verified September 9, 2026. Confidence: P on the rate components, P on the range (P read on a primary agency page, S strong but indirect, U unverified).