Yakima County sales tax increases in 2026
Yakima County is increasing local sales and use tax to fund emergency communication systems. Sellers must apply new rates at the city and county level beginning in January 2026.
Written by Ryan Pinkham
VP of GTM
Published
Key points
- Yakima County approved a 0.2% sales and use tax increase for emergency communications.
- New total sales tax rates vary by city within the county.
- Sellers that do not update rates risk under-collecting starting January 1, 2026.
What’s changing
- Local sales and use tax across Yakima County will increase by 0.2%. The added tax funds emergency communication systems and facilities, including radio and dispatch infrastructure. [1]
- The increase affects both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas, with different total rates by location.
- Effective date: January 1, 2026. The new rates apply to retail sales and services provided on or after that date, and to use tax where sales tax was not paid.
Who this affects
- Retailers with physical locations in Yakima County
- Remote sellers shipping taxable goods to Yakima County addresses
- Service providers performing taxable services in the county
- Accounting teams responsible for Washington sales tax accuracy
- Developers maintaining location-based tax rate logic
Next steps for sellers
- Calculation: Update tax calculation to apply the correct Yakima County and city-specific rates starting January 1, 2026.
- Review: Verify customer addresses against Washington location codes, since total rates differ by city.
- Reporting: Ensure returns for reporting periods that include January 1, 2026 reflect the updated local rates for each applicable location.
If you use TaxCloud
TaxCloud applies Washington sales tax using location codes and address-level logic, helping ensure Yakima County rate increases are reflected correctly when the change takes effect.
Official sources:
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1.
Washington State Department Of Revenue Yakima County, Emergency Communication Tax, Effective January 1, 2026. Source link
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