2026 tax year · Washington
Services and task work taxes in Washington
TaskRabbit, Rover, Upwork and the rest report your gross and withhold nothing. The gap between that and what you are taxed on is mileage, in Washington that gap is worth $1,947 in tax.
Take a driver who grossed $34,000 over 18,000 business miles. After mileage at 74.3 cents and the rest of the stack, worked through on the services and task work page $9,030 comes off and $24,970 is left as taxable profit. That profit is what Washington and the IRS charge against.
What that leaves you owing in Washington
| Self-employment tax | $3,528 |
| Federal income tax | $568 |
| Washington income tax | $0, no state income tax |
| Total tax | $4,097 |
| Effective rate on gross | 12.0% |
Earning more in Washington
A single filer taking the standard deduction, standard mileage method, this work as the only income, the calculator above handles the other filing statuses. Miles rise with earnings, so the deduction rises too, and the effective rate on gross climbs more slowly than it would for someone whose income grew without expenses attached:
| Volume | Gross | Mileage off | Taxable profit | Washington tax | Total tax | Rate on gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time | $11,000 | $1,485 | $9,515 | $0 | $1,344 | 12.2% |
| Steady side income | $34,000 | $4,455 | $29,545 | $0 | $5,083 | 15.0% |
| Full-time | $55,000 | $7,425 | $47,575 | $0 | $9,173 | 16.7% |
Washington specifics that change the number
On the 2026 rate itself: no general income tax. Capital gains tax 7% on gains >$262,000 (2026), 9.9% on gains >$1M.
Washington is a community property state. In community property states, income earned during marriage is generally owned equally by both spouses. This affects QJV eligibility, MFS filing strategies, and retirement account contribution rules.
Washington is the big exception among no-income-tax states: its business and occupation (B&O) tax is a gross receipts tax, on revenue, not profit, with no deduction for expenses, from the first dollar. For services the rate is 1.5% when prior-year receipts are under $1,000,000 (1.75% from $1,000,000, 2.1% from $5,000,000); retailing is 0.471%. Two reliefs matter for small operators: you only need to register with the Department of Revenue once gross income reaches $12,000 a year, and the small business credit wipes out B&O liability below $3,840 a year for service businesses filing annually.
Working across a Washington line
Services income is sourced to where the work was physically done. A job over the line can create a filing obligation in that state even for a single afternoon, and reciprocity agreements do not help, they cover wages paid by an employer, not self-employment income.
On $24,970 of profit, what the states around Washington would charge:
| State | Its tax | vs Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $1,317 | +$1,317 |
| Idaho | $1,323 | +$1,323 |
- Oregon would take $1,317 more, $1,317 against Washington's $0.
- Idaho would take $1,323 more, $1,323 against Washington's $0.
Services and task work tax questions in Washington
How much should a Washington contractor set aside?
About 12.0% of gross on the $34,000 example, $4,097 across self-employment tax, federal income tax and nothing to Washington. In practice that means moving about $120 of every $1,000 payout into a separate account the day it lands, and sending roughly $1,024 to the IRS each quarter, no platform withholds any of this for you. Set aside from each payout rather than finding it in April.
Does the $34,000 on my 1099-NEC match what Washington taxes?
No. Washington taxes profit, not gross. After $9,030 of deductions the taxable figure is $24,970, so there is no Washington tax either way. But the federal side drops by $1,947. The form reports what the platform paid out, it knows nothing about your costs, and no one subtracts them for you. On this example 27% of the gross never becomes taxable income, but only for the contractor who kept the records to prove it.