What Your Washington Sale Will Actually Net
Program and regulatory figures verified September 19, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Two numbers and you will see the figure your whole plan actually rests on.
What will the sale actually net?
Washington's excise tax is graduated, so each portion of the price is taxed at its own rate. Enter your numbers.
Illustration of excise tax and payoff only. It excludes commissions, title, escrow and repairs, which reduce proceeds further. Your closing agent calculates the tax on the actual transaction.
Why the graduated part matters
A flat-rate estimate gets Washington wrong in both directions. Each portion of the selling price is taxed at its own rate, so a $700,000 sale is not taxed at 1.28% across the board; the first $525,000 is taxed at 1.10% and only the balance at the higher rate.
That also means the tax as a percentage of price climbs slowly as prices rise rather than jumping at each threshold, and it climbs sharply above $1,525,000 where the 2.75% bracket begins.
The 2027 option
The calculator offers both schedules because the thresholds change on January 1, 2027, rising roughly $26,000 at each break while the rates stay the same.
Run both if your closing is near the turn of the year. For most residential sales the difference is small, on the order of $47 where the price sits near the first threshold. It is worth seeing rather than guessing at, and it is rarely a reason to move a closing date.
What it deliberately leaves out
Commissions, title insurance, escrow fees, excise tax affidavit handling, repairs and any credits negotiated at closing. Those vary by transaction and agreement, they are usually larger than the excise tax, and they all come out of the same proceeds.
So treat the net figure here as an upper bound rather than a forecast. The point of the exercise is to stop planning from the sale price, not to produce a precise settlement statement.
How to use the answer
Size any bridge financing against a conservative version of the net figure, not the gross price. Model a recast on the net figure too, since that is what actually reduces the balance. And if the net is thin once the payoff is deducted, that is useful information before you write an offer rather than after.
Background on the net proceeds page and the schedule itself on the excise tax page.
Excise tax treatment of a specific transaction, rent-cap exemptions, and relief eligibility are legal and tax questions. Your closing agent, your county assessor, your CPA or a Washington attorney own those answers. We flag them because they change the numbers we underwrite.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate Washington real estate excise tax?
In brackets. Through December 31, 2026, apply 1.10% to the portion of the selling price at or below $525,000, 1.28% to the portion above that up to $1,525,000, 2.75% above that to $3,025,000 and 3.0% above $3,025,000, then add any local REET of up to 0.50%.
What will change about the calculation in 2027?
The thresholds rise to $551,000, $1,551,000 and $3,051,000 effective January 1, 2027, while the rates stay at 1.1%, 1.28%, 2.75% and 3.0%. For a typical residential sale the difference from the 2026 schedule is roughly $47.
Does this calculator show my full net proceeds?
No. It shows excise tax and the mortgage payoff only. Commissions, title, escrow, repairs and closing credits all reduce proceeds further and vary by transaction, so treat the figure as an upper bound rather than a settlement statement.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. Excise tax treatment, rent-cap exemptions, and county relief thresholds change and depend on your facts; your closing agent, your county assessor, your CPA or a Washington attorney, and your real estate agent each handle their own part. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.