Transfer tax
Washington charges a graduated real estate excise tax. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.
Donate a house, timber tract or lot in Washington, in any of the 39 counties
Washington property specialists: (888) 228-7320
Donate Real Estate in Washington
Washington has no personal income tax and a real estate excise tax that is graduated by sale price, collected before the auditor will record. It also has two very different halves: a west side where value is high and land use is tightly regulated, and an east side of dryland wheat, orchard and range. All 39 counties.
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Washington rules for a property donation
Federal tax rules are the same in every state. These three are set by Washington and by the county where the property sits.
The excise tax affidavit
A Washington conveyance is recorded only after a real estate excise tax affidavit has been processed by the county treasurer, including for transfers claiming an exemption. It is a step rather than an obstacle, and it is where the treatment of a gift with no consideration is settled. We prepare and file it with the deed.
Recording
Deeds are recorded with the county auditor or recorder for the county where the property sits. You sign before a notary wherever you live, and we handle the filing.
What Washington owners call us about
Four situations that come up on both sides of the mountains.
Timber ground under a forest land classification
Land enrolled for current use assessment carries a compensating tax when the classification changes. It is a figure in the review rather than a bar.
A parcel inside a critical area
Wetland buffers, steep slope rules and shoreline management designations can put development off the table on land that still has real value to a neighbor or a conservation buyer.
A house worth far more than its basis
Puget Sound property bought decades ago and inherited now, where a sale means a large gain and the family would rather not manage a listing.
Orchard or dryland wheat ground
East side acreage held by heirs who left, with irrigation district assessments or a crop rotation nobody in the family runs any more.
Washington property we accept
Each links to the full guide for that type, including how a donation compares with selling.
Houses in WashingtonCraftsman bungalows, post-war ranches, waterfront cabins and newer suburban homes.
Washington landForest parcels, shoreline lots, island property and high desert acreage.
Farm groundOrchard, vineyard, dryland wheat and irrigated row crop.
Commercial propertySmall-city downtown buildings, storefronts and offices.
Industrial buildingsWarehouse, cold storage and processing space.
Land contractsProperty sold on terms years ago. We take over the payments and deliver the deed at payoff.
What a donation looks like by region
Two climates, six markets.
Seattle and King County
High-value inherited houses with low basis, and infill lots where the land is worth more than what stands on it.
Tacoma and the south Sound
Older housing stock, small rental buildings and industrial parcels near the port.
The Olympic Peninsula and coast
Timbered acreage, remote cabins and shoreline parcels subject to shoreline management rules.
The islands and north Sound
Waterfront and view property held by families who have scattered, with ferry access shaping the market.
Spokane and the northeast
City housing where repairs outrun value, plus timber and lake property in the surrounding counties.
Central and eastern Washington
Orchards, vineyards, dryland wheat and range, with irrigation district assessments attached to much of it.
Washington real estate donation questions, answered
Is a donated deed subject to Washington transfer tax?+
Washington charges a graduated real estate excise tax. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.
I live outside Washington. Do I have to travel there to sign?+
No. We prepare the deed in the form Washington requires for the county where the property sits, you sign before a notary where you live, and we record it with the county auditor.
My land is classified as forest land or open space. Does donating change that?+
It can, and the compensating or additional tax on a change of classification is a number we work out during the review rather than after. Often the classification simply continues in the new owner’s hands. Send the parcel number and the classification.
Does Washington give a state tax deduction for a property donation?+
Washington does not levy a broad personal income tax on wages, so there is generally no state income tax deduction to claim. Your federal charitable deduction follows the usual IRS rules.
Washington has no income tax. Is there still a reason to donate rather than sell?+
The federal deduction is the same wherever you live, and a sale of appreciated property realizes gain that a gift of long-term appreciated property generally does not. Whether that arithmetic favors you depends on your own numbers, which is a question for your advisor rather than for us.
We do not provide tax or legal advice. State and local transfer tax rules change; we confirm current requirements when we prepare each deed. Consult your own advisor.
Tell us about your Washington property and we will review it
The county and a parcel number are enough to start.