Sales tax in Snohomish County, Washington

Updated

There is no single sales tax rate in Snohomish County. It runs from 7.9% to 10.7% depending on the exact address, because cities and special districts inside the county levy their own on top of the 6.5% state rate. The 6.5% state rate applies everywhere in the county; everything above that depends on where you are standing.

What is the sales tax rate in Snohomish County?

Sales tax rate components in Snohomish County, Washington
Washington state rate6.5%
Lowest combined rate in the county7.9%
Highest combined rate in the county10.7%

The two combined figures are the lowest and highest totals found anywhere inside the county. They are not a state rate plus a county rate added together, and adding the rows above will not reproduce them, because cities and special districts levy in between.

Why the rate here is not the whole story

Washington charges 6.5 percent statewide and then cities, counties, transit authorities and other special purpose districts add local rates whose boundaries do not follow county lines, so a single rate for the whole county does not exist. The Department of Revenue publishes one combined local rate for each location code and does not split out the county's own share of it, so the county rate is recorded as unknown here rather than estimated. Washington counties do levy taxes of their own that apply countywide. The floor of 7.9 percent applies in the unincorporated county outside the Sound Transit district. The ceiling of 10.7 percent is in Edmonds and Lynnwood. The Sound Transit Regional Transit Authority adds 1.4 percent inside its own district, which covers the southwestern part of the county but not the north or the east, and a public transportation benefit area covers a further overlapping area. Those district taxes are neither state nor county levies, so do not try to rebuild these totals by adding the state and county rates.

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

Because the rate changes within the county, an address is the only way to get it right. Use Washington's own lookup. A vendor's calculator is not the state speaking.

Who has to collect sales tax in Snohomish County?

A seller with a physical presence in Washington collects at the rate for the address where the sale takes place. A remote seller collects once it passes Washington'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 Snohomish County compare?

See Washington 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 Snohomish County.

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