The sales tax rate in Mukilteo is 10.6 percent as of 2026. That total combines Washington’s 6.5 percent state rate with a 4.1 percent local share, which includes a 1.4 percent Regional Transit Authority charge for Sound Transit. The Department of Revenue lists Mukilteo under location code 3114.1Washington Department of Revenue. Local Sales and Use Tax Rates
How the 10.6 Percent Breaks Down
The 6.5 percent state portion is set by statute and applies everywhere in Washington.2Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.020 – Tax Imposed, Retail Sales, Retail Car Rental The remaining 4.1 percent is local: Snohomish County taxes plus the 1.4 percent Regional Transit Authority levy that funds Sound Transit operations.3Washington Department of Revenue. Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Tax
That RTA charge is why Mukilteo’s rate runs higher than some neighboring areas. Addresses outside the Sound Transit boundary skip the 1.4 percent, so two cities in Snohomish County can end up with noticeably different totals even though the state share is identical.
What the Rate Applies To
The 10.6 percent applies to most tangible personal property you’d buy in Mukilteo: clothing, electronics, furniture, household goods. Washington also taxes a wider range of services than many states do, including construction, repair work on buildings or vehicles, and landscaping.4Washington Department of Revenue. Retail Sales Tax When someone replaces your roof or installs new flooring, both the labor and the materials are taxable.
Vehicles carry an extra layer. On top of the 10.6 percent, Washington imposes a separate 0.5 percent motor vehicle sales tax on all retail sales, leases, and transfers of motor vehicles as of January 1, 2026.5Washington Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales/Use Tax Buying a car in Mukilteo triggers 10.6 percent plus that additional 0.5 percent.
What’s Exempt
Groceries
Most food and food ingredients sold for home consumption are exempt from sales tax. Produce, dairy, bread, meat, and canned goods aren’t taxed. The exemption excludes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, dietary supplements, and prepared food.6Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.0293 – Exemptions, Sales of Food and Food Ingredients
Prepared food means anything sold heated, two or more ingredients mixed by the seller for sale as a single item, or food sold with eating utensils. A rotisserie chicken from the deli is taxable; a raw chicken from the meat case is not. Bakery items like bread, cookies, and tortillas have their own carve-out and stay exempt even though the store technically prepared them.7Washington State Legislature. WAC 458-20-244 – Food and Food Ingredients Classification of a single item can hinge on whether the store handed you a fork.
Prescription Drugs
Drugs dispensed under a prescription are exempt from Washington’s retail sales tax, and the exemption extends to prescription devices used for family planning.8Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.0281 Over-the-counter medications that don’t require a prescription remain taxable.
Nonprofits and Tax Holidays
Nonprofit status does not automatically exempt an organization from paying sales tax in Washington. Nonprofits are generally taxed the same as for-profit businesses on their purchases, with only limited exemptions for specific activities such as fundraising by youth character-building organizations.9Washington Department of Revenue. Nonprofit Organizations
Washington also does not run sales tax holidays. Unlike roughly 20 other states with tax-free weekends for back-to-school or emergency supplies, the full rate applies year-round.
Online Orders and Deliveries
Washington uses destination-based sourcing, so the rate depends on where the buyer receives the goods rather than where the seller is located.10Washington State Department of Revenue. Destination-Based Sales Tax Buy furniture from a Seattle store and have it delivered to your Mukilteo address, and the seller charges Mukilteo’s 10.6 percent. Walk into a shop in Mukilteo and carry the item out, and the storefront’s rate applies, which is also 10.6 percent.
For purchases through Amazon, Etsy, or other large platforms, the platform collects and remits the tax regardless of where the individual seller is based. State law requires marketplace facilitators to handle sales tax on all taxable sales they process.11Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.0531 Your Mukilteo delivery address determines the rate they apply.
Use Tax When the Seller Doesn’t Charge You
When you buy something from an out-of-state seller who doesn’t collect Washington sales tax, you owe use tax at the same 10.6 percent rate. This comes up with small online retailers, private-party sales, or things you buy while traveling. The legal obligation falls on the buyer.12Washington Department of Revenue. Use Tax
Because Washington has no state income tax, there’s no annual return where you’d report use tax as a line item. Instead you file a Consumer Use Tax Return directly with the Department of Revenue, either through the My DOR portal or on a paper form. Compliance on small consumer purchases is low in practice, but the Department of Revenue does audit and can assess penalties and interest on unpaid amounts.
Claiming Sales Tax on Your Federal Return
Washington residents have an advantage worth knowing about. Because the state has no income tax, the state and local tax (SALT) deduction on your federal return comes from sales tax rather than income tax. You make the election by checking box 5a on Schedule A of Form 1040.13Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 503, Deductible Taxes
You don’t need to save every receipt. The IRS publishes optional sales tax tables based on income, family size, and local tax rate, and offers a Sales Tax Deduction Calculator.14Internal Revenue Service. Use the Sales Tax Deduction Calculator Large purchases like a car or boat can be added on top of the table amount using actual receipts. At a 10.6 percent rate, the table estimate adds up quickly for most households.
For the 2026 tax year, the overall SALT deduction is capped at $40,000 for most filers ($20,000 if married filing separately), with the cap phasing down above $500,000 of modified adjusted gross income.13Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 503, Deductible Taxes If you itemize, the deduction is still worth claiming.