Economic nexus laws by state: Washington (Notice & Report)
by November 21, 2023
Please note: This blog was originally published in 2018. It’s since been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
State laws on economic nexus vary and it’s hard to keep up if you’re doing business in multiple states. We’ve done the research for you and here’s all the information you need to know about economic nexus in Washington.
What is economic nexus in Washington?
With the recent South Dakota v. Wayfair Supreme Court ruling in favor of South Dakota, states are now free to pursue sales tax from eCommerce businesses who have a “significant presence” in their state.
Significant presence or “nexus” was previously defined as having a physical presence (ex: a brick & mortar store, employee or inventory in a fulfillment center like FBA). But with this recent ruling, now this definition has been expanded to include economic activity in a state as well. This concept of triggering sales tax responsibility because of your economic activity in a state is now referred to as economic nexus.
Most importantly, what this means is that if you pass a state’s economic threshold for total revenue in that state, you’re now legally required to register, collect and remit sales tax for that state.
How are economic nexus laws different from notice and report laws?
“Notice and report” laws are state laws that require online sellers with no physical presence in a state to either collect sales tax or provide a significant amount of reporting to states and their buyers if they meet a certain revenue or transaction threshold. While these sound similar to economic nexus laws, they are slightly different.
The biggest difference between economic nexus laws and notice and report laws are that notice and report laws have been legally in effect starting July 1, 2017, starting with the state of Colorado’s notice and report law. Economic nexus laws were not declared Constitutional until June 21, 2018 when SCOTUS handed down their decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair.
As a seller, this could make a big difference to you if have not been sales tax compliant. For example, as of right now, no states have attempted to apply economic nexus sales tax laws to online sellers retroactively. So if you are just now learning about economic nexus, you do have time to become compliant. But if you have not been compliant in states with notice and report laws, you may want to consult a sales tax expert on how to mitigate any damage since these laws have been in effect for a while at this point.
*Note: Washington has both economic nexus law & a notice & report law
What’s the threshold for economic nexus in Washington?
- State: Washington
- Threshold: Sales of $100,000 or more into the state in the current or last calendar year.
- Full text: You can read more about Washington’s economic nexus law here.
What’s the threshold for notice & report laws in Washington?
- State: Washington
- Threshold: Sales of $10,000 or more into the state
- Summary: Summary: According to Washington, sellers who make $10,000 or more in sales to buyers in the state are required to do one of two things:
- Register for a Washington sales tax permit, collect sales tax on sales that ship into Washington, and remit sales tax to the state.
- Comply with Washington’s rigorous notice and reporting requirements.
- Full text: You can read more about Washington’s notice and reporting requirements here.
When did this Washington law go into effect?
Washington’s notice & report law went into effect November 1, 2019.
Washington’s economic nexus law went into effect on October 1, 2018.
I’m close to meeting this threshold for Washington. Will TaxJar notify me when I reach it?
With TaxJar’s Economic Nexus Insights Dashboard, you can see where you currently have nexus, where you’re approaching nexus, and recommended next steps on how to begin complying with sales tax in all states.
Proactive notifications let you know when you’re approaching or have reached thresholds, so you can stay in front of any changes to your nexus requirements. To be automatically notified when your business reaches economic nexus in a state, get started at TaxJar.com/how-it-works.
I meet the economic threshold requirement in Washington. Now what?
Here’s a quick checklist of what to do next:
- Register for a sales tax permit in Washington (info below)
- Choose a technology like TaxJar to help you manage multi-state compliance. Sign up for a free 30-day trial to see how we can help you save time!
- Connect TaxJar once to all of the places you sell
- Ensure all your e-commerce channels are setup correctly to collect sales tax
- Enroll in AutoFile and tell us how often you need to file
- Relax, you now handled your sales tax exposure. We’ll handle the rest for you.
Can you help me register for a sales tax permit?
Certainly! TaxJar offers these two options:
- Read our do it yourself instructions for every state
- Visit our registration page to request TaxJar manage your Washington registration for you
Who can handle my Washington sales tax filings for me?
At TaxJar, we help more than 10,000 sellers manage their sales tax needs every month. We help your business save on submitting your returns with our automated filing service called AutoFile. Read more about how AutoFile can handle all of your returns in as many states as you’d like.
I’ve met this threshold in Washington, now where can I ask questions?
Above all, we recommend speaking with a vetted sales tax expert to answer specific questions for your business.
Ready to automate sales tax? To learn more about TaxJar and get started, visit TaxJar.com/how-it-works.
