CPA and tax preparation in Tigard

Tax services in Tigard and Washington County

Tigard is in Washington County, with City Hall on SW Hall Blvd, and it is one of the 24 cities inside Metro's service boundary. For tax purposes, that places Tigard in the same group as Beaverton and Hillsboro: inside Metro, outside Multnomah County. The local taxes a Tigard household pays are not the same as those a household in Multnomah County pays.

A lot of Tigard returns are simple. Others involve a commute to Portland, a side business, a rental or a company with employees. Tax services here range from a single individual return to monthly bookkeeping and payroll for a small business, and the right starting point depends on which of those describes you.

Tigard ZIP codes 97223 and 97224 also matter for payroll, since TriMet treats them differently. That makes a Tigard business address worth checking before your first payroll, not after your first quarterly report.

Tigard households who moved here from Portland during the year face one more step. Part year residents are taxed on all income earned while they were residents of Metro or Multnomah County, plus sourced income while they were not, so a midyear move can mean a part year local return as well as the usual state forms.

Local income taxes for Tigard households

The Metro Supportive Housing Services (SHS) personal income tax applies to Metro residents with taxable income above a threshold. For tax year 2025, that line is $125,000 for single filers and $200,000 for joint filers, and the tax is 1% of the amount above it. For tax year 2026, the line moves to $128,000 and $205,000. You file it with the City of Portland Revenue Division on Form MET-40, apart from your Oregon return.

Preschool for All (PFA) is a Multnomah County tax. Because Tigard is in Washington County, Tigard residents are nonresidents for PFA and owe it only on income sourced in Multnomah County. Someone who lives in Tigard and works in Tigard is unlikely to owe it at all.

Someone who lives in Tigard and drives to an office in Multnomah County is a different case. Part of those wages can count as county income, and once the household passes the threshold, a nonresident return on Form MC-40-NP may be due. For tax year 2025, PFA is 1.5% above $125,000 single or $200,000 joint, plus another 1.5% above $250,000 or $400,000.

SHS returns are typically due on 4/15, the same day as federal and state returns. The Revenue Division notes that an extension gives more time to file but not more time to pay, so a Tigard household that extends should still estimate and pay any SHS on time.

Tigard business license rules

Tigard requires anyone engaging in business within city limits to pay a business license fee, unless state or federal law exempts them. The rule is written around business done within city limits, so the question is where you work, not only where your office is.

Contractors get one shortcut. If you hold a Metro Regional Contractor's Business License and your business is not based in Tigard, you do not need to file for a separate Tigard license. If your contracting business is based in Tigard, the city still requires its own license as well as the Metro one. Keep the Metro license number handy, since it is the detail the city will ask about.

For bookkeeping, license fees belong with your other business expenses, and keeping a copy of each license with your year end records saves time if a lender or buyer asks for proof later.

If you are not sure whether your work counts as engaging in business in Tigard, the city's license page and the Metro license rules are the place to start, and a CPA can help you keep the paperwork straight once you know the answer.

Payroll and transit tax for Tigard employers

TriMet lists ZIP code 97223 as completely inside its district and 97224 as only partly inside. If your business address or job sites are in 97224, check them on TriMet's district map before assuming the tax applies or does not.

Inside the district, employers pay the TriMet transit payroll tax on wages for work done there, and self employed people pay it on net self employment earnings. TriMet lists the rate at 0.8237%. Employers also withhold the statewide transit tax of one tenth of 1% from employees' wages, which is a separate line on the payroll report.

A CPA or payroll service can set this up once so each paycheck and each quarterly report handles both taxes, along with federal and Oregon withholding. It also gives you one place to look when a payroll notice arrives from the state.

Tigard employers who send crews to job sites around the region should also remember that the TriMet tax follows the work, not the office. Wages for work performed inside the district are taxed even if the business itself is based outside it.

Self employed in Tigard with Portland clients

If you are a consultant, designer or tradesperson based in Tigard with clients inside Portland city limits, that work can bring in the City of Portland Business License Tax. The city exempts businesses with gross receipts from all activity under $75,000 for tax year 2026, and under $100,000 from 2027. Keeping invoices tagged by city makes the threshold easy to test each year.

Work in Multnomah County can also bring in the Multnomah County Business Income Tax at 2%, with an exemption for businesses whose total gross receipts are under $100,000. Sole proprietors do not pay the Metro SHS business income tax; they pay the SHS personal tax instead if their income passes the threshold.

Quarterly estimated payments tie this together. For tax year 2026, the Revenue Division raises its estimated payment threshold for local personal income taxes to $5,000. A CPA can set one schedule that covers federal, Oregon and local estimates so nothing is due as a lump sum on 4/15.

How Tigard clients work with us

Our office is at 515 NW Saltzman Rd in Portland. We do not have an office in Tigard, and most clients work with their CPA online through document uploads, email and video calls. Meetings are arranged when needed.

Tell us what you need and a licensed CPA who works with people like you gets in touch with a clear, fixed quote. If you run a business, include roughly how many employees you have and whether you work inside Portland, so the quote covers the right returns. Households can mention a Portland commute or a rental, since those add forms to the job.

Sending last year's returns and a rough profit and loss summary for the business helps the CPA see which local filings already apply and price the work fairly.

Common questions