Payroll services in Portland, Oregon

Why Portland is different

Metro SHS and Multnomah Preschool for All both carry employer withholding duties for employees over the thresholds. The two taxes have different boundaries and different thresholds, so one setup does not cover both.

Portland employers also handle Paid Leave Oregon, the statewide transit tax, the TriMet payroll tax and unemployment insurance, plus federal withholding — see Oregon payroll compliance.

Remote employees are where it goes wrong. An employee working from home in Vancouver is generally not performing Oregon work, and withholding Oregon tax for them costs the employee cash flow all year.

Which tax jurisdictions apply here

• Inside the Metro district, so Metro SHS applies to income above $128,000 single / $205,000 joint.
• Inside Multnomah County, so Preschool for All applies above $125,000 single / $200,000 joint.
• Inside the City of Portland, so the Arts Tax applies at $35 per qualifying adult.
• Portland Business License Tax and Multnomah County Business Income Tax apply to businesses operating here — see Portland business taxes.
• Inside the TriMet district, so the TriMet self-employment tax reaches self-employed people working here — see transit taxes.

What payroll includes

Payroll processing plus the Oregon compliance layer — Paid Leave, transit taxes and local withholding.

Working with us

Payroll for Portland, OR

Fifteen to twenty-five minutes from our Clackamas office depending on which side of the river you are on, and most Portland clients work with us remotely in any case.

How we run payroll

The tax rules specific to this area are on the Portland, OR page.

Questions from Portland