Credit card processing and merchant services in Reno, NV
Reno sales follow Washoe County's 8.265% rate, and the city's code makes it unlawful to do business in Reno before you've paid the license fees and obtained the licenses it requires.
Reno had 283,621 residents in the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. For sales tax, the figure that matters is Washoe County's: 8.265%, the rate the Department of Taxation's county map shows, in effect since April 1, 2017. That rate includes 0.54% for school facilities, added by a ballot initiative on the same date. A $40 sale carries $3.31 in tax.
Washoe's rate sits above Nevada's 6.85% statewide minimum and below Clark County's 8.375%, so a business selling in both Reno and Las Vegas can't run one rate everywhere. Confirm each county's current rate with the department before you program a terminal.
The city adds its own requirement. Section 4.04.020 of Reno's business license code makes it unlawful to do business within the city, for yourself or for anyone else, until you've paid the applicable license fees and obtained the licenses the code requires. Every day of business without them counts as a violation. The code's test is doing business within the city, so a plumber based in Sparks who takes jobs in Reno should check with the city before the first one.
Nevada has no surcharge statute that we found, so the Attorney General's 2020 consumer alert and the card networks set the terms: posted signs, an itemized receipt, a fee no higher than your cost, and no surcharge on debit. Our Nevada page has the sources. For service calls, mobile payments let you take a card at the job, and a free statement review shows what each of those payments costs you now.
Rules that matter in Reno
City of Reno business license
Reno Administrative Code Sec. 4.04.020(a) makes it unlawful for any person to do business within the city, for themselves or for any other person, or to hold themselves out as a business there, without first paying all applicable license fees and obtaining every license required under Title 4 or Title 5 of the code.
Anyone conducting business without the required license is in violation for each day the activity goes on. Ask the city which licenses your work needs before your first job or sale in Reno.
Source: City of Reno Administrative Code, Title 4: Business License Code, Sec. 4.04.020 (Municode)
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Common questions
What sales tax rate applies in Reno?
Washoe County's rate, which the Department of Taxation's county map lists as 8.265%, effective April 1, 2017. That includes 0.54% for school facilities from a ballot initiative. Rates can change, so confirm the current Washoe County rate with the department before you set up a terminal or an online checkout.
I am based outside Reno. Do I need a Reno business license to work there?
Possibly. Reno's business license code makes it unlawful for anyone to do business within the city before paying the applicable license fees and getting the licenses the code requires. The rule speaks of doing business in the city rather than having an address there, so ask the city how it applies to your work before you take a job inside city limits.
What happens if I work in Reno before getting a city license?
Reno's code counts each day you do business in the city without the required licenses as a separate violation. Get licensed before your first job or sale inside city limits, and ask whether your work also needs a license under Title 5 of the code, which covers privileged licenses, permits and franchises.
Why does a Reno receipt show a different tax rate than one from Las Vegas?
Because Nevada's rates are set by county. The Department of Taxation's county map lists Washoe County at 8.265% and Clark County, home of Las Vegas, at 8.375% since January 1, 2020. Both are above the 6.85% statewide minimum. If you sell in both cities, give each location its own rate.
How should a Reno business disclose a card surcharge?
Post signs at the entrance and at the point of sale before the customer pays, itemize the fee on the receipt, and keep it at or below your cost of accepting the card, as the Attorney General's 2020 alert describes. Visa caps the fee at 3% and Mastercard at 4%, and neither allows one on debit or prepaid cards.
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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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