Washington Bag Tax: Fees, Exempt Bags, and Covered Stores

The Washington bag fee is a mandatory per-bag charge collected at checkout: as of January 1, 2026, at least 12 cents for a reusable plastic film carryout bag and 8 cents for a compliant paper carryout bag. The money is not a tax. Retailers keep it to cover the higher cost of sturdier, recyclable bags. Single-use plastic carryout bags are banned outright.¹

What You Actually Pay at the Register

The 8-cent and 12-cent figures are minimums. A store can charge more, but not less. The charge appears as its own line on your receipt, so you can see exactly what was added.²

One detail catches shoppers off guard: the bag charge itself is subject to Washington retail sales tax. The Department of Revenue treats the bag as a taxable retail sale, so the total you pay is a little more than 8 or 12 cents once sales tax is added.³

There is also a temporary surcharge worth knowing about. Until December 31, 2027, a retailer who provides plastic film bags that are already 4 mils thick or more must collect an extra 4 cents on top of the 12-cent charge. That extra 4 cents does not stay with the store; it goes into the state’s waste reduction, recycling, and litter control account. Starting January 1, 2028, the 4-mil thickness becomes the standard for all reusable film plastic bags.¹

When You Do Not Pay the Fee

Shoppers paying with benefits from any of the following programs are exempt, and the retailer must waive the charge:

SNAP (the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called basic food in Washington)
WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
FAP (Washington’s state Food Assistance Program)

The waiver applies when you pay with a voucher or electronic benefits card from one of these programs.¹ The exemption exists partly because SNAP benefits cannot be used to pay bag fees under federal rules, so without the state exemption low-income shoppers would have to cover the charge out of pocket.⁴

Bags That Never Trigger the Fee

The charge only applies to carryout bags handed to you at the register or point of departure. Bags used inside a store for practical reasons are outside the law. You will not be charged for bags used to hold:

Produce, bulk fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, or small hardware like nails and screws
Meat, fish, poultry, or frozen food where dampness or sanitation is a concern
Unwrapped prepared food or bakery goods
Flowers or potted plants
Prescription medications

Several other bag types are also excluded: newspaper bags, mailing pouches, sealed envelopes, door hanger bags, laundry and dry-cleaning bags, and bags sold in multi-packs for household use such as food storage, garbage, or pet waste.²

Small paper bags are also outside the fee. The 8-cent charge only applies to paper carryout bags with a capacity of at least one-eighth of a barrel, or 882 cubic inches. A small bakery-counter bag does not qualify.²

Which Stores Have to Charge It

The law defines “retail establishment” broadly. It covers any person, business, or organization that sells food, merchandise, goods, or materials directly to customers. Grocery stores, department stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies are covered. So are restaurants, takeout counters, home delivery services, and temporary vendors at farmers markets, street fairs, and festivals.⁵

If a business hands you goods and offers a bag at the point of departure, the fee applies.

What Makes a Bag “Compliant”

Only two types of carryout bag can be offered at checkout under the state rules: a compliant paper bag or a reusable film plastic bag. Stores may also sell durable reusable bags made from other materials, such as woven polypropylene or canvas, which are not subject to the pass-through charge rules.¹

A compliant paper carryout bag must contain at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled material, at least 40 percent nonwood renewable fiber such as North American wheat straw, or a combination reaching 40 percent. It must be compostable under ASTM D6868 and display its recycled content or wheat straw percentage on the outside.¹

A reusable film plastic carryout bag must currently be at least 2.25 mils thick, contain at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled content, and display the word “Reusable” along with its thickness and recycled-content percentage on the exterior. The minimum thickness rises to 4 mils on January 1, 2028.³

Local Bag Rules No Longer Apply

The state law preempts every local bag ordinance. A city or county cannot set its own bag fee or impose different bag standards. If you remember paying a different amount under a local rule in Seattle or elsewhere, that local fee has been replaced by the statewide charge.⁶

1
Washington State Legislature. Chapter 70A.530 RCW Carryout Bags
2
Washington Department of Revenue. Reusable Bag Fees
3
Washington State Department of Ecology. Plastic Bag Ban
4
Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Retailer Notice – Bag Fees, Sales Tax, Seasonal Items
5
Washington State Legislature. RCW 70A.530.010 Definitions
6
Washington State Legislature. RCW 70A.530.020 Carryout Bags