Yakima County sales tax increases in 2026

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.