Oregon · Bookkeeping services
Oregon bookkeeping: no sales tax, and a payroll with more lines to track.
Oregon has no general sales tax, so the work moves to payroll and gross receipts: a statewide transit tax, district transit taxes, Paid Leave Oregon, Portland-area income taxes for high earners, and the Corporate Activity Tax once commercial activity passes $750,000. We keep all of it in your own QuickBooks file, remotely, on a written fixed-fee scope.
Oregon bookkeeping: “Oregon doesn’t have a general sales or use/transaction tax,” so the books carry payroll taxes instead. For 2026 the statewide transit tax is 0.1% withheld from employees, the TriMet transit tax is 0.8237% and the Lane transit tax 0.80% paid by employers, and Paid Leave Oregon is 1% of wages up to $184,500. In the Portland area, Metro’s Supportive Housing Services tax and Multnomah County’s Preschool for All tax apply to higher incomes. A business must register for the Corporate Activity Tax at $750,000 of Oregon commercial activity. TechBrot keeps the books in your own QuickBooks file; your tax professional files.
TechBrot Inc. · independent bookkeeping and advisory firm led by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor — not a CPA firm and not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
What an Oregon business actually tracks.
A Portland design studio collects no sales tax at all. Its bookkeeping load is in payroll: the statewide transit tax withheld from every employee, the TriMet tax the studio pays itself, Paid Leave Oregon on each paycheck, and, for an employee earning $200,000 or more, Metro’s housing tax withheld unless that employee opted out.
As revenue grows, the Corporate Activity Tax comes into view: registration at $750,000 of Oregon commercial activity, a return above $1 million. Books that track Oregon commercial activity as it happens make that line visible before it is crossed.
Six Oregon facts your books have to reflect.
From the Oregon Department of Revenue’s, Metro’s and Multnomah County’s own pages, read September 28, 2026.
No sales tax
“Oregon doesn’t have a general sales or use/transaction tax.”
Statewide transit tax: 0.1%
Withheld from employees’ wages (2026 combined payroll instructions).
TriMet and Lane transit taxes
Paid by the employer on wages for work in the district: TriMet 0.8237% and Lane 0.80% for 2026.
Paid Leave Oregon: 1%
Contributions of 1% of wages, up to $184,500 per employee for 2026.
Portland-area income taxes
Metro’s Supportive Housing Services tax is 1% of taxable income over $125,000 ($200,000 joint), with employer withholding for employees earning $200,000 or more unless they opt out; Multnomah County’s Preschool for All tax is 1.5% over $125,000 ($200,000 joint) plus 1.5% over $250,000 ($400,000 joint).
Corporate Activity Tax
Register at $750,000 of Oregon commercial activity; file above $1 million; the tax is $250 plus 0.57% of taxable commercial activity over $1 million.
Sources, read 2026-09-28:Oregon DOR: sales tax · Oregon DOR: 2026 combined payroll tax instructions · Oregon DOR: TriMet transit tax · Metro: Supportive Housing Services tax FAQ · Multnomah County: Preschool for All tax · Oregon DOR: Corporate Activity Tax.
How an Oregon engagement runs.
Discovery call
Free, 30 minutes: where your people work, what they earn, and your Oregon revenue.
Payroll taxes mapped
Statewide transit, the district transit tax for each work location, Paid Leave Oregon, and Portland-area withholding where it applies.
Monthly close
Every account reconciled and each payroll liability tied to what was paid.
CAT tracking
Oregon commercial activity reported monthly against the $750,000 registration and $1 million filing lines.
Year-end handoff
The books and schedules your CPA needs, including the commercial activity figures.
An Oregon business’s books checklist.
- Statewide transit tax withheld from every employee at 0.1%.
- TriMet or Lane transit tax recorded as an employer expense for work in those districts.
- Paid Leave Oregon at 1% of wages, capped at $184,500 per employee for 2026.
- Metro housing tax withheld for employees earning $200,000 or more who have not opted out.
- Oregon commercial activity tracked against the $750,000 CAT registration line.
What it costs, and where to go next.
Monthly bookkeeping is published at $400–$2,500+/mo and payroll management at $150–$800+/mo, each a fixed fee against a written scope; the national service is monthly bookkeeping.
Remote, with no Oregon office; the work happens in your own QuickBooks file, reviewed by TechBrot’s founder, a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Your tax professional files.
Oregon bookkeeping services questions.
Do I have to withhold the Metro housing tax?
Who pays the TriMet transit tax?
How much is the Corporate Activity Tax?
How much does Oregon bookkeeping cost?
Is TechBrot a CPA firm?
Around Oregon.
Oregon QuickBooks ProAdvisor & bookkeeping
The state page: services, industries, cities and the Oregon tax terms in one place.
Bookkeeping services, nationally
The national engagement this page is the Oregon version of — same scope, same written fixed fee.
Not sure where your file stands? Start with the free QuickBooks file review.
Oregon business?
Get every payroll line and the CAT tracked in one file.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We map your payroll taxes and revenue, and you get a written fixed-fee scope within 3 business days. Remote; no Oregon office.