How much will my license cost?
<p>All business license tax certificates expire on Dec. 31 and must be renewed annually. The main<strong> </strong>fee (not the fee for branch locations) charged for your renewal will be based on the taxable revenue reported in the most recent complete calendar year. If the filings for that period are incomplete or there is no tax history, the minimum fee will be charged, and the City of Seattle will bill for additional license fees if necessary, later during the year.</p>
<p>The City of Seattle's <a href="documents/Departments/CityFinance/BusinessLicenseTax/Ordinance%20No.%20125083.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ordinance 125083</a>, established that on Jan. 1, 2020 and on Jan. 1 of every year thereafter, the fees for a business license tax certificate shall be increased consistent with the rate of growth of the prior year's June-to-June consumer price index for the region, as published by the US Department of Labor. The fees are as follows:</p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="5" class="table" style="height: 453px; width: 703px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" height="456">
<thead>
<tr class="info" style="height: 77px;">
<td valign="top" style="width: 108.859px; height: 77px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell">
<h4>Annual Seattle Taxable Revenue</h4>
</td>
<td colspan="7" valign="top" style="height: 77px; vertical-align: middle; width: 569.141px; text-align: center;" class="tableCell">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Annual Fee </h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"></h4>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td valign="top" style="width: 108.859px; height: 20px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell"></td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; height: 20px;" valign="top" class="tableCell"><strong>2018</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; height: 20px;" valign="top" class="tableCell"><strong>2019</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell"><strong>2020</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell"><strong>2021</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell"><strong>2022</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="tableCell"><strong>2023</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.6719px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="tableCell"><strong>2024</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td valign="top" style="width: 108.859px; height: 20px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell"><strong></strong><strong></strong>$0 - $19,999**</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; height: 20px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$55</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$55</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$56 </td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$56</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$59</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 20px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell">$65</td>
<td style="width: 73.6719px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell">$68</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 39px;">
<td valign="top" style="width: 108.859px; height: 39px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell">$20,000 - $499,999</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$110</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$110</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$113</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$114</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$120</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px; text-align: center;" class="table">$132</td>
<td style="width: 73.6719px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="table">$138</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 39px;">
<td valign="top" style="width: 108.859px; height: 39px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell">$500,000 - $1,999,999</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$480</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$500</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$511</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$515</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$543</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px; text-align: center;" class="table">$598</td>
<td style="width: 73.6719px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="table">$626</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 39px;">
<td valign="top" style="width: 108.859px; height: 39px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell">$2,000,000 - $4,999,999</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$1000</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$1200</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$1227</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$1238</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$1306</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px; text-align: center;" class="table">$1438</td>
<td style="width: 73.6719px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="table">$1504</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 39px;">
<td valign="top" style="width: 108.859px; height: 39px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" class="tableCell">$5,000,000 or more</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$2000 </td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$2400</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$2455 </td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$2476</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$2613</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; vertical-align: middle; height: 39px; text-align: center;" class="table">$2878</td>
<td style="width: 73.6719px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="table">$3011</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 39px;">
<td valign="top" style="width: 108.859px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="tableCell">Branch locations</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$10 per location</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$10 per location</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$10 per location</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$10 per location</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" valign="top" class="tableCell">$10 per location</td>
<td style="width: 73.5781px; height: 39px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="tableCell">$10 per location</td>
<td style="width: 73.6719px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" class="tableCell">$10 per location</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>If you start your business in the second half of the year, July 1 or after, your license tax certificate fee for the first year will be reduced by half.</p>
<p>**<em>Effective 2019:</em> Any person or business whose annual value of products, gross proceeds of sales or gross income of the business in the city is equal to or less than $2,000 AND does not maintain a place of business within the city shall be exempt from the general business license tax certificate requirement. The exemption does not apply to regulatory license requirements or activities that require a specialized permit.</p>
<h2>Penalties</h2>
<p>The expiration date for all Seattle business license tax certificates is Dec. 31. We must receive your business license tax certificate renewal payment before Dec. 31. This table shows late-payment penalties:</p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="5" class="table table-bordered">
<tbody>
<tr class="info">
<td>
<h4>Payment received<br />or postmarked by</h4>
</td>
<td>
<h4>Penalty</h4>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>By December 31</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>In January</td>
<td>None</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>In February</td>
<td>$10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 1 or later</td>
<td>$20</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>