CPA for Portland, OR Clients: Remote Tax, Payroll and Accounting

We are a Naperville, Illinois CPA firm, and we serve clients across the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro area remotely; we have no office in Oregon or Washington. The metro area straddles a state line, so the first question is often which side of the state line you live on, and which side you work on. This page covers the local pieces. Our Oregon and Washington pages cover the statewide rules.

Property tax statements are arriving now

Oregon bills in October. Multnomah County says statements are mailed before October 25 and are due November 15, or the next business day, with up to three installments in November, February and May. Washington County lists its 2026-27 installments as November 16, 2026, February 16, 2027 and May 17, 2027. Paying in full earns a 3 percent discount and paying two-thirds earns 2 percent, but the payment must be postmarked by November 16, 2026.

You can dispute value, not the tax amount. The Property Value Appeals Board, formerly the Board of Property Tax Appeals, takes petitions through December 31, 2026 in Washington County, with no fee and hearings from the first Monday in February through April 15. Clackamas County also uses December 31 and covers the current year only.

Washington County reports 2026-27 taxes of $1.834 billion, up 5.28 percent, citing a 3 percent assessed value increase, new construction, data centers and new levies. Across the river, the Clark County Treasurer says Clark County property taxes are due Monday, November 2, 2026, and the Board of Equalization takes free appeals by July 1 or within 60 days of your Notice of Value.

Portland-area income taxes on top of Oregon's

The Metro supportive housing tax (SHS) and Multnomah County's preschool tax are filed separately with the City of Portland Revenue Division, not on your Oregon return. SHS applies to people who live in Metro, work in Metro or have Metro-source income, and its revenue stays inside the parts of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties within Metro's boundary. Full-year residents file Form MET-40, and part-year residents and nonresidents file MET-40-NP. The preschool tax applies to people who live, work or have income in Multnomah County, on Form MC-40. Your W-2 shows "METRO" or "MULT" withholding, but employers withhold only for pay over $200,000 or on request.

Portland's Arts Education Tax changes for 2026. It applies to residents of more than 30 days who must file an Oregon return and have Oregon taxable income above $20,000 (single) or $40,000 (joint, head of household or surviving spouse), at $50 or $100, due in 2027.

Living in Washington, working in Oregon

Washington's Department of Revenue says the state does not currently have an individual income tax, although a 9.9% tax on adjusted gross income above $1 million is scheduled to start January 1, 2028. Oregon taxes nonresidents on Oregon-source income. A nonresident must file an Oregon return when that income exceeds the filing amount for their filing status. The Portland Revenue Division adds a telework rule for Metro tax: a nonresident who travels into Metro to work owes it on that work, but one who works from a home office for a Metro employer does not.

Shopping is the other surprise. Oregon has no sales tax, and Washington's Department of Revenue uses it as its example: a Washington resident who buys items in Oregon and uses them in Washington owes use tax, the state rate of 6.5 percent plus the local rate. Our multi-state tax service handles dual-state filings.

Employers and business owners

The TriMet tax is charged to the employer, not deducted from pay. It applies to gross payroll for services performed in the district, including employees working from home, and a nonresident employer paying wages earned in the district must register with the Oregon Department of Revenue. It is reported quarterly on Form OQ. The district covers parts of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. Tips and 401(k) deferrals are included in the payroll, while cafeteria plans, domestic service, public schools and 501(c)(3) organizations (except hospitals) are exempt.

Portland's Business License Tax (2.6 percent) and the Multnomah County Business Income Tax (2 percent) are taxes on net income, not permits. The Metro business tax is 1 percent for businesses with more than $5 million of gross receipts; a sole proprietor owes the personal SHS instead.

Vancouver's B&O tax applies to retail sales and retail services at 0.100 percent. Businesses must file even below $50,000 a year or $12,500 in a quarter, and only pay above those amounts. Vancouver also requires a separate city business license per location, with a fee exemption at $4,000 or less of in-city gross income. See our local payroll taxes guide.

Measures pending on the November 3, 2026 ballot

The Oregon Secretary of State says there are no statewide ballot measures on Oregon's ballot this election, and Multnomah County's ballot content agrees. Local property tax measures include Hillsboro School District's $430 million bond (Measure 34-355), which the district estimates at $1.84 per $1,000 of assessed value. In Washington, the Secretary of State lists Initiative IP26-645, which would repeal the 9.9% tax on annual individual income over $1,000,000 and prohibit taxes on individual income. All are pending until votes are counted.

The Indian-American community and US-India tax in Portland

The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area has about 33,800 residents who identify as Asian Indian alone or in combination (about 1.3%). Washington County has about 21,600 (3.6%), and Hillsboro has about 4,800 (4.5%). Multnomah County has about 5,700 (0.7%), Clackamas about 2,700 (0.6%) and Clark County, Washington about 3,500 (0.7%), per the American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-year, Table B02018.

The Consulate General of India in Seattle lists Oregon and Washington among its eight states on its own website, along with passport, visa, OCI and other consular services.

• Treaty and credits. The US-India tax treaty can affect how income from India is taxed.
• Spouses and dependents. An ITIN may be needed for family members without an SSN, and FBAR covers Indian bank accounts.

How we can help

From Naperville, we prepare federal, Oregon and Washington-related returns, file Portland-area personal and business returns, run payroll with TriMet reporting, keep books and review notices. You send documents electronically and we talk by phone or video. If a matter requires a license in Oregon or Washington or a local professional, we will say so. This page is general information.

Frequently asked questions

General information only, not tax, legal or accounting advice for your situation. Rules, limits and deadlines change; confirm the current rules with the official source or a qualified professional before you act. Reading this page does not create a professional relationship with CPA Tax Payroll and Accounting Corp.