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No Sales Tax on Adaptive Driving Equipment — and the Disability Need Not Be Service-Connected

Washington does not charge retail sales tax, or the companion use tax, on PRESCRIBED ADD-ON AUTOMOTIVE ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT — INCLUDING THE INSTALLATION AND REPAIR LABOUR. Two things widen this well past what people expect. THE DISABILITY NEED NOT BE SERVICE-CONNECTED. And it reaches active-duty service members as well as veterans. MANUFACTURER-INSTALLED EQUIPMENT IS EXCLUDED, so this is about equipment added to a vehicle rather than a vehicle bought already adapted.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Washington does not charge retail sales tax, or the companion use tax, on PRESCRIBED ADD-ON AUTOMOTIVE ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT — INCLUDING THE INSTALLATION AND REPAIR LABOUR. Two things widen this well past what people expect. THE DISABILITY NEED NOT BE SERVICE-CONNECTED. And it reaches active-duty service members as well as veterans. MANUFACTURER-INSTALLED EQUIPMENT IS EXCLUDED, so this is about equipment added to a vehicle rather than a vehicle bought already adapted.

What it's worth: No sales or use tax on prescribed adaptive equipment, including installation and repair labour

  • Retail sales tax AND THE COMPANION USE TAX do not apply.
  • It covers PRESCRIBED ADD-ON automotive adaptive equipment, INCLUDING INSTALLATION AND REPAIR LABOUR.
  • THE DISABILITY NEED NOT BE SERVICE-CONNECTED.
  • It reaches ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS as well as veterans.
  • MANUFACTURER-INSTALLED EQUIPMENT IS EXCLUDED — this is about equipment added to a vehicle.
  • The equipment must be PRESCRIBED.
  • Statutory basis: RCW 82.08.875 and its use tax companion.

Who is entitled to it

  • You serve or served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • You have a disability.
  • Washington sales and use tax.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Raise it with the seller or installer BEFORE the work — correcting sales tax afterwards is far harder.
  2. 2Have the prescription for the equipment.
  3. 3Ask for the LABOUR to be exempted too; installation and repair labour are inside the statute and are often the larger line.
  4. 4If your disability is not service-connected, apply anyway — the statute does not require it.
  5. 5If you are buying a vehicle with the equipment already fitted by the manufacturer, this does not apply; ask about adding equipment separately.
Form
Claimed with the seller or installer at the point of sale
File with
The seller or installer, with the Department of Revenue behind it
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingInstallation and repair labour being inside the exemption is the valuable half. On a hand-control or lift installation the labour is often more than the parts.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.