Washington D.C. Sales Tax Calculator 2026

Washington, D.C. Sales Tax Rate Quick Facts

Washington, D.C. has a 6.00% general sales tax rate through September 30, 2026. Beginning October 1, 2026, the general rate increases to 7.00%. D.C. does not have separate city, county, or local add-ons, so the main rate is District-wide. Complexity comes from special category rates for restaurant meals (10%), soft drinks (8%), hotels (15.95%), commercial parking (18%), alcohol, rental vehicles, digital goods, software, and data processing services.

How to Use the Washington, D.C. Sales Tax Calculator

For most taxable retail goods, use 6.00% through September 30, 2026 and 7.00% beginning October 1, 2026. For restaurant meals and prepared food, use 10.00%. For soft drinks, use 8.00%. For hotels, use 15.95%. For commercial parking, use 18.00%. For alcohol, rental vehicles, and certain venue items, use the special category rate. For grocery food, use 0.00% if qualifying.

How Washington, D.C. Sales Tax Works

Washington, D.C. applies sales and use tax to the sale, lease, or rental of tangible personal property and certain taxable services in the District. D.C. is simpler than most states because it has one general sales tax jurisdiction — there are no county, city, transit, or special district rates. However, the general rate is 6% through September 30, 2026 and 7% beginning October 1, 2026, and several categories use special rates including restaurant meals, soft drinks, hotels, parking, alcohol, rental vehicles, digital goods, software, data processing, and event-related sales.

Washington, D.C. Sales Tax Formula

Washington, D.C. Sales Tax Examples

Washington, D.C. Area and ZIP Code Rates

Do not create fake neighborhood, ward, or ZIP-code rates. The general sales tax rate is District-wide. The page should explain special product and service rates instead of inventing local rate variation.

Why Sales Tax Does Not Vary Locally in D.C.

Washington, D.C. is a single sales tax jurisdiction with no county governments, city tax districts, parish rates, borough rates, or local option add-ons. A normal taxable item in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Capitol Hill, Navy Yard, Downtown, Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan, Petworth, Anacostia, Tenleytown, Foggy Bottom, and Southwest Waterfront uses the same general rate. The variation comes from what is being sold, not where in the District it is sold.

What Is Taxable in Washington, D.C.?

Online Purchases and Remote Sellers in D.C.

Online purchases delivered into Washington, D.C. may be subject to D.C. sales or use tax. D.C.'s economic nexus threshold requires remote sellers to collect if they have more than $100,000 in gross receipts from retail sales delivered into the District or more than 200 separate retail sales delivered into the District. Marketplace facilitators must collect on behalf of marketplace sellers for taxable marketplace transactions.

D.C. Food, Grocery, Restaurant, and Soft Drink Notes

Food sold for home preparation or consumption is generally exempt when sold in the same form, quantities, and packaging as food commonly sold in grocery-type stores. Prepared food served or prepared for immediate consumption is subject to the 10% food and beverage tax. Soft drinks have their own special 8% rate.

D.C. Digital Goods, Software, SaaS, and Data Processing Notes

Washington, D.C. is a strong digital-taxability jurisdiction. D.C. taxes digital goods (apps, digital books, digital music, streaming, digital news), software (canned, prepackaged, or customized), data processing services, and information services. SaaS and cloud software should generally be treated as taxable.

D.C. Hotel, Lodging, Parking, and Special Category Notes

Hotel and transient accommodation receipts in D.C. are taxed at 15.95% through September 30, 2027. Commercial parking is taxed at 18%. Alcoholic beverages, rental vehicles, Nationals Park items, and Capital One Arena items use special rates. These categories should be separated from ordinary retail sales tax.

D.C. Taxable Services Notes

D.C. taxes selected services including real property maintenance, landscaping, data processing, information services, car washing, security services, health club services, and tanning studios. Businesses should not assume a service is exempt just because many states do not tax that service.

Common D.C. Sales Tax Mistakes

• Saying D.C. has local city or county sales tax rates.
• Creating fake rates for Georgetown, Capitol Hill, or other neighborhoods.
• Saying every D.C. sale is 6%.
• Forgetting the general rate increases to 7% on October 1, 2026.
• Applying the general rate to restaurant meals instead of 10%.
• Applying the general rate to hotel rooms instead of 15.95%.
• Applying the general rate to commercial parking instead of 18%.
• Forgetting soft drinks have an 8% rate.
• Forgetting off-premises alcohol has a 10.25% rate.
• Treating SaaS as exempt because there is no physical software delivery.
• Ignoring data processing and information service taxability.
• Missing the $100,000 or 200-transaction remote seller threshold.
• Forgetting use tax on untaxed online, software, or service purchases.
• Hard-coding the 6% rate without a scheduled Oct 1, 2026 update.

D.C. Sales Tax for Businesses

Businesses selling taxable goods, taxable services, digital goods, software, SaaS, prepared food, hotel rooms, parking, or other taxable categories in D.C. may need to register with the Office of Tax and Revenue. The first issue is the rate and category classification. The second is the 2026 rate change. The third is remote seller and marketplace treatment. Keep records of all taxable sales, exempt sales, product categories, and customer locations.

Official D.C. Sales Tax Sources

• D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue — Sales & Use Tax
• D.C. OTR — Tax Rates and Revenues
• D.C. OTR — Digital Goods Taxability Chart
• D.C. OTR — Remote Sellers FAQs
• D.C. OTR — Taxable Services
• D.C. OTR — Data Processing Services
• MyTax.DC.gov
• Tax Foundation — State Sales Tax Rates

Last reviewed: June 2026. Rates and rules can change.