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Sales tax in Taos County, New Mexico

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated

There is no single sales tax rate in Taos County. It runs from 7.5% to 9.4375% depending on the exact address, because cities and special districts inside the county levy their own on top of the 4.875% state rate. The 4.875% state rate applies everywhere in the county; everything above that depends on where you are standing. These rates were read from New Mexico's own published schedule and checked on September 9, 2026.

What is the sales tax rate in Taos County?

Sales tax rate components in Taos County, New Mexico
New Mexico state rate4.875%
Lowest combined rate in the county7.5%
Highest combined rate in the county9.4375%

The combined figures are the lowest and highest totals anywhere in Taos County, so the rows above do not add up to them.

How much sales tax is that on a purchase in Taos County?

At 7.5%, a $100 purchase carries $7.50 in sales tax and a $1,000 purchase $75.00, at the lowest rate in the county. At the highest, 9.4375%, the same purchases carry $9.44 and $94.38. That is general merchandise; New Mexico taxes some categories, often groceries, differently, as the note below explains.

Among New Mexico's 33 counties, Taos County's lowest rate ranks 2nd highest. See every New Mexico county.

Sales tax in counties next to Taos County

Taos County borders 5 counties, 2 of them in another state. The lowest rate next door is 4.9% in Conejos County, CO, which is $26.00 less on a $1,000 purchase than the lowest rate in Taos County.

Taos County and its neighbors, highest rate first
CountyCombined sales tax
Taos County, NM (this county)7.5% to 9.4375%
Rio Arriba County, NM6.625% to 8.6875%
Mora County, NM6.5208% to 7.5208%
Colfax County, NM6.25% to 8.675%
Conejos County, CO4.9% to 8.9%
Costilla County, CO4.9% to 8.9%

Why the rate here is not the whole story

New Mexico has no sales tax in the strict sense. It levies a gross receipts tax, or GRT, on the seller for the privilege of doing business, and the seller normally passes it on at the register, so it works like a sales tax for a buyer. The state charges 4.875 percent and municipalities add their own on top, but Taos County's own levy is not one number either: it runs from 2.125 percent to 2.875 percent depending on where in the county you are, 2.625 percent in the unincorporated remainder, because some county levies apply only outside city limits and some water and sanitation district levies apply only inside their district. The floor of 7.5 percent is the remainder of the county, outside any municipality. The ceiling of 9.4375 percent is at Taos Ski Valley. The schedule carries separate location codes for pueblo and tribal land in this county, and those codes can sit above or below the county rate; any tax a sovereign nation levies of its own is not collected or published by the department. Food for home consumption sold by a retail food store is deductible from gross receipts under Section 7-9-92 NMSA 1978, so groceries are generally not taxed at the till, while prepared food and restaurant meals are. Confirm an address on the department's own rate map before charging it.

How do I find the exact rate for an address in Taos County?

Use New Mexico's own address lookup. In Taos County the rate depends on the address, anywhere from 7.5% to 9.4375%.

Who has to collect sales tax in Taos County?

Any seller with a physical presence in New Mexico collects at the rate for the address of the sale; a remote seller does once it passes New Mexico's economic nexus threshold. New Mexico sales tax covers the statewide rules and what is exempt.

Work out your own numbers

Sources