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Washington CPA — Seattle

Seattle CPA firms: one licensed, remote-first practice worth comparing.

If you're weighing Seattle CPA firms against each other, here's what we bring: a Washington State Licensed CPA, a secure client portal, and no downtown office lease padding the invoice. We serve Seattle businesses and individuals remotely, under the same license you'd verify for any firm with a Pioneer Square address.

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  • Washington State Licensed CPA Verify →
  • IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA)
  • Encrypted client portal & secure document handling
  • Remote-first — work with us from anywhere in the U.S.

Who it's for

Built for Seattle.

Seattle CPA firms tend to specialize. Here's who we're built for:

  • Tech workers with RSUs and startup equity navigating vesting, timing, and Washington's capital gains tax on the eventual sale
  • Seattle small businesses and retail or service operators now weighing whether Seattle city B&O tax applies to them alongside the state B&O tax
  • Startups and freelancers who need a tax preparer fluent in equity compensation, not just W-2 income
  • Anyone comparing accountants in Seattle Washington who wants a licensed CPA's name behind the return, not a seasonal preparer

Ready to talk about your Seattle taxes?

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Why remote works here

Why Seattle clients work with us remotely.

Seattle's commercial rents are part of why a lot of local CPA firms charge what they charge. We don't carry a downtown lease, a parking budget, or a reception desk — so a return that runs $250 at a Pioneer Square firm can start at $80 here, from the same Washington State Licensed CPA doing the work. If you searched cpa seattle looking for that comparison, that overhead difference is the whole story. You never need to come into an office; everything moves through an encrypted client portal and scheduled video or phone calls.

That matters more in Seattle than almost anywhere else in the state, because so much of the client base here is remote-first by nature already. If you're a startup founder who never leases office space, or a tech employee who works from three cities a year, a CPA who insists on an in-person meeting is solving a problem you don't have.

The tax landscape

Seattle's tax stack: state B&O, city B&O, and capital gains

Every Seattle business already owes Washington's state Business & Occupation (B&O) tax — a tax on gross receipts, not net profit, with no deduction for expenses. Rates depend on classification: 0.471% for retailing, 0.484% for wholesaling and manufacturing, and a tiered rate for Service & Other Activities that took effect October 1, 2025 — 1.5% below $1 million in prior-year gross income, 1.75% from $1 million to just under $5 million, and 2.1% at $5 million and above. A Small Business B&O Tax Credit can reduce or zero out the state tax for the smallest filers, which is worth checking before assuming you owe anything.

Seattle then adds its own city B&O tax on top, and it changed materially on January 1, 2026 under the voter-approved "Seattle Shield" measure. The filing and exemption threshold jumped from $100,000 to $2,000,000 in annual taxable gross revenue, with a matching $2 million standard deduction for businesses above it. Rates rose too: retail, wholesaling, and manufacturing activities now pay 0.342% (up from 0.222%), while service-based businesses pay 0.658% (up from 0.427%). If your gross revenue is comfortably under $2 million, the practical effect of Seattle Shield is that you likely owe Seattle no city B&O at all — but confirm your specific filing obligation rather than assume it.

For individuals — especially the RSU and startup-equity holders concentrated in this city — Washington's capital gains tax is the number that actually moves. It applies at 7% on the first $1,000,000 of taxable gain above a standard deduction ($278,000 for 2025, the most recently published figure; the Department of Revenue had not posted a 2026 inflation-adjusted number as of this writing) and 9.9% on taxable gain above $1,000,000. It's a state-level tax with no Seattle-specific add-on, but it disproportionately touches the exact profile of client concentrated in this city: someone whose net worth is mostly unvested or recently-vested equity.

Washington and city tax rates, classifications, and thresholds on this page reflect our research of official Washington Department of Revenue and city finance department sources as of August 2026. Several of these figures changed in 2025 and 2026 legislative and rate-setting cycles and can change again — confirm your exact rate and threshold with the Washington Department of Revenue, the relevant city finance office, or on a consultation before filing. This page is general information, not tax advice, and does not create a client relationship.

Client stories — coming soon.

IMAAR Associates CPA, PLLC is a newer practice, and we won't post reviews we don't have. As we build our public references, we're glad to walk you through our credentials, our process, and exactly how we'd handle your situation. Ask us anything on your consultation.

Seattle tax questions, answered.

No — and we're upfront about that. IMAAR Associates CPA, PLLC is remote-first with no physical location in Seattle or anywhere else in Washington. We serve Seattle clients under the same Washington State Licensed CPA credential, through a secure portal and scheduled calls, which is also how we keep pricing lower than a firm carrying a downtown lease.

Possibly, but as of January 1, 2026 the Seattle threshold rose to $2,000,000 in annual taxable gross revenue with a matching $2,000,000 standard deduction. Most small businesses and solo practitioners fall under that line and owe no Seattle city B&O — confirm your specific classification and filing requirement with us or the City of Seattle directly.

Vesting itself is ordinary income, not a capital gain. Washington's capital gains tax applies when you later sell the shares at a gain above the standard deduction — 7% up to $1,000,000 of gain, 9.9% above that. Timing your sale, and knowing your basis, is exactly the kind of planning worth a consultation before you sell, not after.

Our focus is tax preparation, review, and fractional CFO guidance — not routine day-to-day transaction entry. If that's what you need, our role is still the tax return, the strategy behind it, and the numbers you build decisions on.

The credential is the same — a Washington State Licensed CPA, verifiable at NASBA. The difference is structure: no office overhead, transparent starting prices from $80, and a secure portal instead of a waiting room. Book a free consultation and compare the specifics directly.

Also serving nearby Washington cities

We work with clients across Washington, remotely. See how we serve Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma, or see all Washington cities we serve.

Related reading: Washington B&O tax explained for small businesses, Washington capital gains tax: who actually owes it.

Let's get your Seattle taxes handled.

What happens next

  1. 1

    Book a free consultation.

  2. 2

    We confirm what you need and a clear price.

  3. 3

    You decide whether to move forward — no pressure.

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