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Bookkeeping and payroll in Washington

Bookkeeping and payroll for Washington businesses.

Visory provides bookkeeping and payroll services for growing Washington businesses, from professional firms and agencies to nonprofits. A dedicated team you know by name works inside your own QuickBooks or Xero file, with Delphi AI taking the repetitive parts under that team’s oversight, and keeps your books and pay runs to Washington’s B&O tax, sales tax, and paid leave premium rules. One flat monthly fee covers the agreed scope.

  • A dedicated team you know by name
  • Washington rules in every pay run and close
  • One flat monthly fee for the agreed scope
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The Space Needle and downtown Seattle under a golden sky, with Mount Rainier on the horizon, from Kerry Park.
Photo: Stephen Plopper, Unsplash License

Who we work with in Washington State

Growing businesses across Washington State.

Health care and social assistance is Washington’s largest private industry, with about 486,000 jobs, and aerospace product and parts manufacturing employs about 80,000 people, more than six times its share of jobs nationally (BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages). Across the state, private employers averaged 3.0 million jobs in 2025.

  • Services businesses with revenue of roughly $750k to $20m, led by a CEO, president, or founder.
  • Nonprofits with grants, programs, and a board to report to.
  • Franchise networks and payroll-heavy operations, with many sites and many pay runs.

All the industries we work with

Washington rules

The Washington rules your finance function runs on.

Eight rules set by Washington State, each with the law that sets it and what it does to your month. Your team works to them every pay run and every close.

Pay runs carry no state income tax for now.

Wages are withheld for federal income tax only, while the new tax on income over $1 million starts on January 1, 2028, so owners who expect to reach it plan for the change well ahead.

Set by Washington millionaires’ tax, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6346, Chapter 238, Laws of 2026 (new Title 82A RCW)

Washington does not currently have an individual income tax, so employers withhold only federal income tax from wages. The 2026 Legislature passed Senate Bill 6346, which from January 1, 2028, applies a 9.9% tax to individuals and married couples filing jointly with annual adjusted gross income over $1 million; the first returns are due in April 2029. The state’s main business tax is the B&O tax on gross receipts instead.

Washington millionaires’ tax, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6346, Chapter 238, Laws of 2026 (new Title 82A RCW); no individual income tax in 2026; 9.9% tax on income over $1 million from January 1, 2028.

Sources Washington Department of Revenue: Income tax Washington Department of Revenue: Frequently asked questions about income tax Washington Department of Revenue: Business and occupation tax Washington State Legislature: Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6346, Chapter 238, Laws of 2026

The cost runs through most of the year.

With a $78,200 wage base, contributions continue well past the first quarter for most staff and stop only for higher earners, so the monthly accrual follows each employee’s pay to date.

Set by Revised Code of Washington, Title 50 (Employment Security), RCW 50.29.025

Employers pay unemployment taxes on the first $78,200 of each employee’s wages in 2026, up from $72,800 in 2025. New employers pay 115% of the average rate for their industry, at least 1%, until they have been in business 2½ to 3 years. For qualified employers, total 2026 rates, including the employment administration fund, run from 0.27% to 6.03%. Quarterly tax and wage reports are due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31.

Revised Code of Washington, Title 50 (Employment Security), RCW 50.29.025; 2026 taxable wage base and tax rates, from January 1, 2026.

Sources Washington Employment Security Department: How we determine tax rates Washington Employment Security Department: 2026 tax rates for employers Washington Employment Security Department: How to file your quarterly tax and wage reports

The rate follows the work location.

A business with staff in Seattle and in Spokane pays two different floors, and each rate moves on January 1, so each employee’s work location in the payroll file decides which one applies.

Set by Washington Minimum Wage Act, chapter 49.46 RCW

The Washington minimum wage is $17.13 an hour in 2026 and rises to $17.73 on January 1, 2027, after the Department of Labor and Industries’ annual cost-of-living adjustment. There is no tip credit: tips and service charges belong to employees and cannot count toward the hourly minimum. Several cities set higher rates, including Seattle at $21.30 and Tukwila at $21.65 for employers with at least 15 employees.

Washington Minimum Wage Act, chapter 49.46 RCW; $17.13 from January 1, 2026; $17.73 from January 1, 2027.

Sources Washington Department of Labor and Industries: Minimum wage Washington Department of Labor and Industries: Local minimum wage rates

Gross receipts are taxed before any costs.

The B&O rate is set by last year’s service income, so crossing $1 million moves the next year’s rate, and an agency’s invoices now separate taxable advertising or web work from the rest, with the sales tax held for the return.

Set by RCW 82.04.290 (business and occupation tax); ESSB 5814 (2025)

Most businesses pay business and occupation tax on gross receipts, with no deduction for costs. Service income is taxed at 1.5% if the prior year’s was under $1 million, 1.75% from $1 million to $4,999,999, and 2.1% at $5 million or more. Since October 1, 2025, advertising, IT, custom website development, and temporary staffing services also carry retail sales tax: 6.5% state, 7.6% to 10.7% combined. Returns are monthly, quarterly, or annual.

RCW 82.04.290 (business and occupation tax); ESSB 5814 (2025); retail sales tax on advertising, IT, and website services from October 1, 2025.

Sources Washington Department of Revenue: Business and occupation tax Washington Department of Revenue: Business and occupation tax classifications Washington State Legislature: RCW 82.04.290, tax on service and other activities Washington Department of Revenue: Retail sales tax Washington Department of Revenue: Services newly subject to retail sales tax Washington Department of Revenue: Local sales and use tax rates, Quarter 4 2026 (effective October 1, 2026) Washington Department of Revenue: Filing frequencies and due dates

Every hour worked earns leave.

Accrual runs on all hours, and up to 40 hours rolls into the next year, so the payroll file keeps a running balance for every employee, part-time and seasonal staff included.

Set by Washington Minimum Wage Act, as amended by Initiative 1433

Every employee earns at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, whether full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal, paid at the normal hourly rate. Employees may use it from no later than 90 days after starting, and unused balances of 40 hours or less carry over to the next year. Balances are reinstated for an employee rehired within 12 months unless they were paid out.

Washington Minimum Wage Act, as amended by Initiative 1433; accrual from January 1, 2018.

Source Washington Department of Labor and Industries: Paid sick leave

Final pay follows the pay calendar.

A leaver is paid at the end of the current pay period, not on their last day, and job postings carry the pay range, so the payroll file and the hiring plan work from the same rates.

Set by WAC 296-126-023; RCW 49.48.010; RCW 49.58.110

Employers pay all wages owed on an established regular payday, at intervals no longer than monthly; pay periods may be daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly. When an employee leaves, whether discharged or by resigning, wages due are paid at the end of the established pay period. Employers with 15 or more employees also disclose the wage scale or salary range and benefits in every job posting.

WAC 296-126-023; RCW 49.48.010; RCW 49.58.110.

Sources Washington State Legislature: WAC 296-126-023, payment interval Washington State Legislature: RCW 49.48.010, payment of wages on ceasing work Washington State Legislature: RCW 49.58.110, disclosure of wage or salary range

Onboarding is part of the pay run.

The new-hire report draws on the same details as the first pay, so it is filed the day someone is added to the payroll file, with Paid Leave and WA Cares premiums set up at the same time.

Set by Washington State new hire reporting program

Employers report each new hire to Washington’s new hire reporting program within 20 days of the hire date, giving the employee’s name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of hire, with the employer’s name, address, and federal employer identification number. Reports can be made online, by mail, by fax, or by phone.

Washington State new hire reporting program.

Source US Office of Child Support Services: State new hire reporting contacts and requirements

Two deductions, two different caps.

The Paid Leave premium stops at $184,500 of wages while WA Cares has no cap, and missed premiums cannot be collected in later pay periods, so both are set up correctly from the first pay run.

Set by Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave program; WA Cares Fund

From January 1, 2026, the Paid Family and Medical Leave premium is 1.13% of each employee’s gross wages, excluding tips, up to the $184,500 Social Security cap. Employees pay up to 71.43%, and employers with 50 or more employees pay 28.57%; smaller employers may skip the employer share. WA Cares long-term care premiums add 0.58% of gross wages, paid by employees, with no cap. Both are reported each quarter on one report.

Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave program; WA Cares Fund; Paid Leave premium rate for wages paid on or after January 1, 2026.

Sources Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Employer roles and responsibilities Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Updates WA Cares Fund: Employers

Rules last checked October 9, 2026 against the sources at the foot of this page. General information only. It does not take your circumstances into account.

Local rules

Where the rules change across Washington.

Your team applies the local rules as well as the Washington ones. These are the places where a local tax, a wage rate, or a leave law differs from the rest of the state.

The Seattle Great Wheel on its pier at dusk, with a ferry crossing Elliott Bay and port cranes in the distance.
Photo: Zoshua Colah, Unsplash License

Seattle

Seattle sets its own minimum wage and sick leave rules, adds a city B&O tax, and taxes the payroll of its largest employers.

  • The Seattle minimum wage is $21.30 an hour in 2026 for every employer, whatever its size, and neither tips nor payments toward medical benefits count toward it.
  • Under Paid Sick and Safe Time, employees earn one hour per 40 worked, or per 30 at employers with 250 or more full-time equivalents, and carry over 40, 56, or 72 hours depending on employer size.
  • Seattle’s B&O tax on service activities is 0.658% from 2026, and the combined sales tax rate is 10.55%. The payroll expense tax applies in 2026 to businesses with $9,074,409 or more of Seattle payroll in 2025, on employees paid $194,452 or more.

King County

Tukwila, Renton, Burien, SeaTac, and unincorporated King County set minimum wages above the state rate, mostly tied to employer size.

  • Tukwila’s 2026 rate is $21.65 an hour for employers with at least 15 employees worldwide. Renton’s is $21.57 for employers with more than 500, and those with 15 to 500 reach $21.57 on July 1, 2026.
  • Burien’s rate is $21.63 at employers with 500 or more employees and $20.63 at those with 21 to 499; employers with 20 or fewer are not covered. SeaTac’s $20.74 applies to hospitality and transportation employers.
  • In unincorporated King County, rates run from $18.32 for employers with 15 or fewer employees and under $2 million of revenue to $20.82 for those with more than 500.

How it works from anywhere

Can a team outside Washington run a Washington business?

Yes. Visory’s US leadership team is in New York, and its teams work with businesses across the United States remotely, inside your own accounting file, so nothing about the work depends on where your office is.

Your own file

Your books stay in your own QuickBooks or Xero file. Your team works inside it, so you see the same numbers they do, whenever you look.

A team you know by name

A dedicated team runs the work, led by a Business Performance Partner. You meet them by video call, and you always know who to ask.

Washington rules, built in

Visory runs the finance function for growing businesses across the United States, with its US leadership team in New York. Your books stay in your own QuickBooks or Xero file, and your team works inside it with you. Every pay run and every close is checked against the rules on this page.

Business hours, and the platform after them

Your team works 9am to 5pm Eastern Time on business days, all year round, and the Visory platform is open to you around the clock for documents, approvals, and your numbers.

What we run for Washington businesses

The whole finance function, actually handled.

Bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable, run end to end by a dedicated team with Delphi AI working under their oversight. Flat monthly fee. No hourly billing.

Bookkeeping

Every transaction coded and reconciled, month-end closed on schedule.

Explore bookkeeping

Payroll

Pay runs prepared, checked, and paid on time, every cycle.

See how payroll runs

Accounts payable

Bills captured, checked against what's already paid, and paid when you say so.

See accounts payable

Accounts receivable

Invoices out on schedule, overdue accounts followed up in your name.

See accounts receivable

Visory Insights

Once a month: what changed, what it means, and what to do next.

See how Insights works

Business Performance Partner

A named partner who walks you through the numbers and the next move.

How your partner works

Visory Insights

What your numbers should show in Washington State.

Clean books are the start. Every month, Insights turns them into a plain-English report, and a named Business Performance Partner walks your leadership team through what they mean for the year ahead.

The B&O rate steps up at $1 million

Service income of $1.5 million last year moves this year’s B&O rate from 1.5% to 1.75%: on the same income, that is $26,250 instead of $22,500, or $3,750 more. Insights shows the year your revenue plan crosses the line, so pricing and the forecast reflect it.

Paid Leave on a $100,000 salary

At 1.13%, the Paid Leave premium on a $100,000 salary is $1,130: up to $807.16 from the employee and $322.84 from an employer with 50 or more staff, plus $580 of WA Cares from the employee. Insights shows what crossing 50 employees adds to the cost of every hire.

Sales tax now sits on agency invoices

A $20,000 advertising campaign billed to a Seattle customer carries $2,110 of sales tax at the 10.55% combined rate. The tax is held for the state until the return is due, and Insights keeps it apart from operating cash, so the cash you plan from is the business’s own.

Looking for a fractional CFO in Washington? Visory has no standalone CFO offer. That work sits inside Visory Insights and your sessions with a Business Performance Partner. See Visory Insights

What customers say

In a customer’s words.

“Visory applies a commercial lens to how we manage client revenue, always ensuring we balance serving our clients with our business' best interests.”

Rachelle Harper Co-founder and COO, BrandBossHQ

Common questions

Questions Washington businesses ask.

Straight answers about bookkeeping and payroll for a Washington business, from a team that works remotely.

Does Visory have an office in Washington?

Visory’s US leadership team is in New York, and its teams work with growing businesses across the United States remotely, so we support businesses in Washington as we do everywhere else. A Washington business gets a dedicated team you know by name, who keep the books and run payroll inside your own QuickBooks or Xero file and meet you by video call. Your records stay in your file, which you can open at any time.

What hours does my Visory team work?

Your team works 9am to 5pm Eastern Time on business days, all year round. Outside those hours, the Visory platform is your 24/7 access point, so your financial information is there whenever you need it.

Can a bookkeeper outside my office look after a Washington business?

Yes. What matters is that the team knows Washington’s rules and works inside your own accounting file. Visory connects to your bank feeds and software, codes and reconciles transactions through the month with Delphi AI working under an expert team, and meets you by video call. Nothing about the work depends on where your office is.

How much does a bookkeeper cost in Washington?

Visory charges one flat monthly fee for the scope we agree, with no hourly billing and no timesheets. The fee reflects the services you take, from bookkeeping and payroll to accounts payable, accounts receivable, and Insights, and the volume of work in your business. After a discovery call, you get a clear proposal, so you know the monthly cost before you start.

See how pricing works

Do you work in QuickBooks and Xero?

Yes. Visory works inside the systems you already use: QuickBooks and Xero for the ledger, Gusto and Rippling for pay runs, and Bill, Ramp, and Stripe for payments, along with your bank feeds. Your books stay in your own accounting file, which you own and can open at any time. Any change to your setup is agreed with you first.

Does Washington have a state income tax?

Not on wages today. Washington has no individual income tax, so pay runs carry federal withholding along with Paid Leave and WA Cares premiums. From January 1, 2028, a new 9.9% tax applies to individuals and married couples with adjusted gross income over $1 million, with the first returns due in April 2029. This is general information; the Department of Revenue sets the rules.

Do Washington businesses charge sales tax on services?

Some now do. Since October 1, 2025, advertising, IT services, custom website development, live presentations, security, and temporary staffing services carry retail sales tax, at combined rates from 7.6% to 10.7%. Most businesses also pay B&O tax on their gross receipts. This is general information; the Department of Revenue sets the rules for your business.

Can you look after staff in more than one state?

Yes. Each state sets its own income tax withholding, unemployment insurance, minimum wage, and leave rules, and Washington has no state income tax to withhold for anyone working there. Visory keeps one set of books and runs payroll with each state’s rules applied to the staff who work there, so every state’s cost shows in one monthly report.

Do you offer a fractional CFO in Washington?

A fractional CFO advises on numbers someone else produces. Visory runs the books, payroll, and payments, then delivers the insight from the same team: Visory Insights is a plain-English monthly report and a session with a named Business Performance Partner. There is no handover between the doing and the advising, and it comes on one flat monthly fee.

See how Visory Insights works
More questions, longer answers. Every question has its own link. See all common questions

Getting started

Start with clarity, not a contract.

Three steps, in whatever rhythm suits you. Each one is useful on its own.

  1. Two people shake hands across a desk beside a laptop

    Book a discovery call

    An obligation-free conversation about your goals and what you want the numbers to tell you.

    Obligation-free
  2. A woman takes notes beside a laptop showing a financial report

    Get your free financial health check

    A senior member of the Visory team analyzes your financials and shows you where your finance function can improve. It is free, and it is your own numbers.

    Free · your own numbers
  3. Top-down view of hands on a laptop showing the Visory accounts receivable workflow

    Receive a clear proposal

    A clear commercial proposal for the scope we agree, on one flat monthly fee. No hourly billing. You decide whether to go ahead.

    Flat monthly fee

Get started

The best is ahead for your business.

Start with a discovery call. We will listen first, then show you what your own numbers have been trying to tell you.

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Sources (28) · rules last checked October 9, 2026

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