Our Role

As Washington state's principal tax collection agency, the Department of Revenue oversees about 60 different taxes and:

• Collects more than 90 percent of state General Fund tax revenues
• Collects all local sales tax revenues
• Processes 2.1 million tax returns a year from nearly 490,000 businesses filing monthly, quarterly, and annually
• Process over 510,000 business license application and renewals.

Our Organization

The Department of Revenue is headquartered in Olympia, with public offices in Tumwater, Seattle, Bellingham, Bothell, Spokane, Wenatchee, Yakima, Richland, Vancouver, Tacoma, Kent, and Port Angeles. Our staff of 1,112 include a wide variety of professions such as lawyers, analysts, appraisers, programmers, foresters, auditors, and support staff.

Revenue is recognized nationally for its award-winning website and electronic tax filings system (E-file). Taxpayers that use E-file have a reduced error rate.

Our Responsibilities

• Provide taxpayer assistance, information, and education
• Process $17.3 billion in revenues a year
• Respond to nearly 357,000 telephone calls annually
• Conduct appeals
• Administer property taxes
• Develop tax legislation
• Conduct tax and fiscal research
• Manage the state's Unclaimed Property Program
• Locate unregistered businesses
• Audit and collect delinquent taxes
• Enforce compliance
• Administer special programs affecting timber, cigarette, real estate, leasehold, and estate taxes
• Issue business licenses
• Process corporate and business license renewals

More information

Click here for an Organization Chart (pdf).

Strategic Business Plan (pdf)

Strategic Business Plan - Appendix (pdf)