Credit card processing and merchant services in Boise, ID
Boise shops start from Idaho's 6% sales tax. Hotels, short-term rentals and meeting rooms inside the Greater Boise Auditorium District have extra lodging taxes to collect.
The Census Bureau estimated Boise's population at 238,429 as of July 1, 2025. For a shop here, Idaho's 6% state rate is the starting point, and one state rule changes how you program the register: the Tax Commission's guide lists fees for paying by credit, debit or gift card as part of the taxable purchase price. Put a 3% surcharge on a $60 taxable sale and the fee is $1.80, which picks up about 11 cents of tax on its own.
Lodging takes more setup. Idaho charges a 2% travel and convention tax on hotel and motel stays of 30 days or less, and the same tax reaches vacation-home rentals and overnight stays at private campgrounds. Inside the Greater Boise Auditorium District there's also a district tax on short-term lodging, and the Tax Commission says it covers nonsleeping rooms such as meeting rooms. So a hotel in the district that rents its conference room for a daytime workshop collects the district tax on that booking too. You'll need a separate permit for each of those taxes, plus a regular seller's permit.
Surcharging has no Idaho statute behind it. Visa's cap of 3% or your cost and Mastercard's cap of 4% or your cost are the limits, and debit cards can't be surcharged at all. Our Idaho page lists the sources.
Hotels and event venues that take deposits by phone can use our virtual terminal for card payments, invoices and payment links, and shops can pick from countertop, wireless and portable POS terminals. Before you switch anything, a free statement review shows what your current processor charges on each sale.
Rules that matter in Boise
Lodging taxes and permits in Boise
Idaho's travel and convention tax is 2% on hotel and motel rooms rented for 30 days or less, and it also applies to vacation-home rentals and overnight stays at private campgrounds. Auditorium districts can charge a local sales tax only on short-term lodging of 30 days or less inside their boundaries, including nonsleeping rooms such as meeting rooms. The Tax Commission administers the Greater Boise Auditorium District's tax and can confirm whether an address is inside the district. It now also administers the Nampa Auditorium District's tax.
To offer short-term lodging, you need a regular seller's permit, a travel and convention tax permit, and an auditorium district tax permit if you operate inside a district.
Sources: Idaho State Tax Commission, Travel and convention tax; Idaho State Tax Commission, Auditorium district taxes; Idaho State Tax Commission, Idaho Tax Commission to administer more auditorium districts taxes; Idaho State Tax Commission, Lodging: basics
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Common questions
What taxes does a Boise hotel or short-term rental collect?
Idaho's 2% travel and convention tax applies to stays of 30 days or less, and a property inside the Greater Boise Auditorium District also collects the district's lodging tax. You'll need a regular seller's permit, a travel and convention tax permit and, inside the district, an auditorium district tax permit. Check your address with the Tax Commission before the first booking.
Does renting out a meeting room in Boise carry lodging tax?
It can. Idaho's auditorium districts tax short-term lodging inside their boundaries, and the Tax Commission says that includes nonsleeping rooms such as meeting rooms. If your hotel or venue is inside the Greater Boise Auditorium District, add the district tax to room rentals in your POS or invoicing before you take the booking.
Is 6% the whole sales tax rate for a Boise shop?
It's the state rate the Tax Commission publishes, so it's where your terminal setup begins. Some Idaho cities have local option taxes, which the Tax Commission doesn't administer, so ask the City of Boise whether one applies to what you sell. Lodging is the clear case where more tax is added, through the travel and convention tax and the auditorium district tax.
Should a Boise store charge sales tax on a card surcharge?
On taxable sales, generally yes. The Tax Commission's guide treats fees for paying by credit, debit or gift card as part of the taxable price, so set your POS to add the surcharge first and then apply the 6% to the total. Keep the surcharge itself on credit cards only, because Visa and Mastercard don't allow one on debit.
We run hotels in Boise and Nampa. Who handles the auditorium district taxes?
The Tax Commission administers the Greater Boise Auditorium District's tax, and it now administers the Nampa Auditorium District's tax too. Each district taxes only short-term lodging inside its own boundaries, so report each property under its own district and check the Tax Commission's current filing instructions.
Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
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