Date of Adoption: November 13, 2002.

     Purpose: This rule discusses the B&O, sales, and use tax reporting responsibilities of persons providing laundry and/or dry cleaning services, linen and uniform supply services, and self-service and coin-operated laundry facilities. WAC 458-20-165 has been revised to reflect chapter 186, Laws of 2001, which provides that the place of sale for linen and uniform supply services is the place of delivery to the customer. The rule also incorporates chapter 367, Laws of 2002, by explaining the use tax reporting responsibilities of persons who acquire laundry and/or dry cleaning services or linen and uniform supply services without payment of the retail sales tax.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 458-20-165 Laundry, dry cleaning, linen and uniform supply, and self-service and coin-operated laundry services.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 82.32.300 and 82.01.060(2).

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 02-17-079 on August 19, 2002.

     Changes Other than Editing from Proposed to Adopted Version: The rule's title has been restructured.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
     Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.

November 13, 2002

Russell W. Brubaker

Assistant Director

Legislation and Policy Division

OTS-5891.2

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 99-13-052, filed 6/9/99, effective 7/10/99)

WAC 458-20-165   ((Laundries, dry cleaners)) Laundry, dry cleaning, linen and uniform supply, and self-service ((laundries and dry cleaners)) and coin-operated laundry services.   (1) Introduction. This rule discusses the application of the business and occupation (B&O), retail sales, and use taxes to laundries, dry cleaners, ((pickup and delivery services, and self-service laundries and dry cleaners. Persons selling laundry and/or dry cleaning services are generally making retail sales, except when making sales to nonprofit health care facilities or providing coin-operated laundry facilities in apartment houses, rooming houses, or mobile home parks. RCW 82.04.050.

     (2) Definitions. The following definitions apply to this rule.

     (a) A "laundry or dry cleaning business" includes operating a plant or establishment, or contracting with others, for laundering, cleaning, dyeing, pressing, and incidentally repairing such articles as clothing, linens, bedding, towels, curtains, drapes, and rugs. Laundry or dry cleaning businesses include self-service businesses which provide coin-operated and noncoin-operated laundry or dry cleaning facilities. This term also includes pickup and delivery laundry services performed by persons operating in their own respective names and not as commissioned agent for another laundry business.

     (b) A "laundry or linen supply service" is the activity of providing customers with a supply of items such as clean linen, uniforms, and towels, whether ownership of such property is in the person operating the laundry or linen supply service or in the customer. The term includes supply services operating their own cleaning establishments as well as those contracting with other laundry or dry cleaning businesses.

     (c) "Nonprofit health care facilities" means facilities operated by nonprofit organizations providing diagnostic, therapeutic, convalescent, or preventive inpatient or outpatient health care services. The term includes, but is not limited to, nonprofit hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices.

     (3) Business and Occupation Tax. Business and occupation tax applies as follows.

     (a) Retailing. Persons operating laundry or dry cleaning businesses are generally taxable under the retailing classification upon the gross proceeds of sales, without any deduction on account of commissions allowed or amounts paid to another for the performance of all or part of the laundry or dry cleaning service rendered.

     The gross proceeds of sales include charges for cleaning and for sales of soap, bleach, fabric softener, laundry bags, hangers, and other tangible personal property to consumers. Charges for alterations are also subject to the retailing classification. See "retail sales tax" below for a more detailed explanation of the charges included in the retailing classification.

     (b) Wholesaling. Tax is due under the wholesaling classification upon the gross proceeds of sales derived from laundry or dry cleaning services rendered for other laundry and dry cleaning businesses. The laundry or dry cleaning business purchasing these services should provide a resale certificate to the seller. See WAC 458-20-102 (Resale certificates).

     (c) Service and other activities. Effective June 11, 1998, any person making sales of laundry services to a nonprofit health care facility is taxable under the service and other activities B&O classification on the gross income received for such services. For the period of July 1, 1993-June 10, 1998, the service and other activities B&O tax applied only to sales of laundry services to members by nonprofit associations composed exclusively of nonprofit hospitals.

     (i) Effective July 1, 1998, the service and other activities BO tax applies to charges for the use of coin-operated laundry facilities in apartment houses, rooming houses, or mobile home parks which are provided for the exclusive use of tenants. Chapter 275, Laws of 1998. Prior to this date these charges were considered a retail sale.

     (ii) Persons who collect and distribute laundry or dry cleaning as a commissioned agent for one or more laundry or dry cleaning businesses, and who act as an independent contractor rather than as an employee, are liable for service B&O tax on their gross commissions. See WAC 458-20-159 for the recordkeeping requirements for showing agency status.

     (4) Retail Sales Tax. Laundry and dry cleaning businesses, including self-service or coin-operated laundries or dry cleaners, and laundry or linen supply services are required to collect the retail sales tax upon the total charge made to the consumer for laundry and dry cleaning service or laundry or linen supply service.

     (a) Persons in Washington who provide laundry or linen supply services are making retail sales in this state even though their customers may be located outside this state. Gross income from such services is subject to tax because the charge is for laundering which takes place in this state, rather than being a true rental of property (e.g., uniforms, linen, and towels) to nonresidents. Conversely, persons located outside the state of Washington who provide laundry or linen supply services to consumers in this state are not making retail sales in this state. The laundering service is performed outside Washington state and is exempt from Washington's BO and retail sales taxes.

     (b) Prior to July 1, 1998, charges made for the use of coin-operated laundry facilities provided for the exclusive use of tenants in apartment houses, rooming houses, or mobile home parks were retail sales. This income is subject to the service and other activities B&O tax effective July 1, 1998. (Chapter 275, Laws of 1998.) Charges for the use of coin-operated laundry facilities in hotels, motels, trailer camps, and other locations providing lodging or camping facilities to transients remain subject to the retail sales tax.

     (c) Laundry and dry cleaning businesses providing services through commissioned agents should collect and remit the retail sales tax to the department.

     (i) If the agent is a hotel or an apartment house billing guests or tenants for laundry or dry cleaning services, the hotel or apartment house should collect the retail sales tax on the total charge for the laundry or dry cleaning and remit the payment to the laundry or dry cleaning business. The laundry or dry cleaning business is responsible for remitting the tax to the department.

     (ii) If the agent is a commissioned driver, the laundry or dry cleaning business can bill the customer directly for the services or the driver can collect the payment from the customer and remit the payment to the laundry or dry cleaning business. In either case, the retail sales tax must be collected on the total charge made to the customer and the laundry or dry cleaning business is responsible for remitting the tax to the department.

     (d) In most cases the retail sales tax must be stated separately from the selling price or collected separately from the buyer. (See RCW 82.08.050.) An exception is made for coin-operated sales. The seller may deduct the tax from the total amount received in coin-operated machines to arrive at the net amount which becomes the measure of the tax.

     (e) In general, the place of sale for purposes of local sales tax is the place the laundry or dry cleaning services are performed. See WAC 458-20-103 and 458-20-145.

     (i) If a laundry or dry cleaning business contracts with another laundry or dry cleaning business to do the cleaning, the place of sale is the location of the laundry or dry cleaning business used by the customer to drop off and pickup the laundry.

     (ii) If a laundry or dry cleaning business uses a commissioned agent such as a hotel, an apartment house, or a commissioned driver for pickup and delivery of the articles to be cleaned, the place of sale is the location of the laundry or dry cleaning business which does the cleaning.

     (f) Sales to laundries or dry cleaning businesses and laundry or linen supply services of soaps, cleaning solvents, and other articles or substances consumed in rendering a laundry, laundry supply or cleaning service are retail sales and are subject to the retail sales tax. Retail sales tax also applies to sales of equipment such as washing machines, irons, and furniture, and supplies such as hand tools, sewing notions, scissors, spotting brushes, and stationery.

     (g) Sales to laundry and dry cleaning businesses of dyes, fabric softeners, starches, sizing, and similar articles or substances, which become ingredients of the articles cleaned, are generally sales at wholesale and are not subject to the retail sales tax. Similarly, sales to persons operating laundry or linen supply services of linen, uniforms, towels, cabinets, hand soap, and similar property rented or supplied to customers as a part of the service rendered are generally wholesale sales.

     Persons selling laundry services to nonprofit health care facilities are considered consumers of all items used in providing such services. RCW 82.04.190 (2)(a). As a result, sales of items such as dyes, fabric softeners, linens, and uniforms to these persons are retail sales and subject to the retail sales tax.

     (h) Sales to self-service or coin-operated laundries of any items the laundries give to their customers are retail sales. Sales of soap, bleach, fabric softener or other supplies to self-service or coin-operated laundries for resale to their customers are wholesale sales. A sale is for resale if the self-service business sells the supplies to customers separate from the charge for the use of the laundry appliances. The laundry or dry cleaning business should provide a resale certificate to the seller as provided in WAC 458-20-102.

     (5) Deferred Sales or Use Tax. With respect to purchases by laundries or dry cleaning businesses and laundry or linen supply services, if the seller fails to collect the appropriate retail sales tax, the buyers are required to pay the retail sales tax (commonly referred to as the "deferred sales tax") or use tax to the department)) laundry pickup and delivery services, self-service laundries and dry cleaners, and linen and uniform supply services. It also discusses the tax treatment of laundry services provided to nonprofit health care facilities and income received from coin-operated laundry facilities.

     (2) What is a laundry or dry cleaning service? A "laundry or dry cleaning service" is the activity of laundering, cleaning, dying, and pressing of articles such as clothing, linens, bedding, towels, curtains, drapes, and rugs. It also includes incidental mending or repairing. The term applies to services operating their own cleaning establishments as well as those contracting with other laundry or dry cleaning services. It also includes pickup and delivery laundry services performed by persons operating in their independent capacity and not as agent for another laundry or dry cleaning service.

     (a) Sales of laundry or dry cleaning services. The gross proceeds of sale and selling price of laundry or dry cleaning services provided to consumers are subject to the retailing B&O tax and retail sales tax, respectively. No deduction is available for commissions allowed or amounts paid to another for the performance of all or part of the laundry or dry cleaning service. RCW 82.04.070 and 82.08.010. The retailing B&O and retail sales taxes also apply to sales of soap, bleach, fabric softener, laundry bags, hangers, and other tangible personal property to consumers.

     The wholesaling B&O tax applies to the gross proceeds of sale from laundry or dry cleaning services performed for persons reselling these services. The seller must obtain a resale certificate from the buyer to document the wholesale nature of any sale as provided in WAC 458-20-102 (Resale certificates).

     (b) Place of sale. For the purposes of determining a seller's responsibility to remit B&O tax and/or to collect and remit retail sales tax, the place of sale for laundry and dry cleaning services is the place the laundering or dry cleaning is performed. RCW 82.14.020(4) and 82.04.050. For example, a laundry or dry cleaning service located in Washington must collect sales tax from an Oregon resident who brings clothing items to the business for laundering or dry cleaning. In addition, the gross proceeds are subject to the retailing B&O tax. Even though the customer resides in Oregon, both taxes apply because the laundering or dry cleaning occurs in Washington.

     (i) Seller hiring third-party to perform services. A customer may purchase laundry or dry cleaning services from a seller who hires another person to perform the actual cleaning activity. In such cases, the customer will drop off and pick up the clothing or other articles to be cleaned at the seller's business location. The place of sale with respect to this sale is the seller's location where the customer drops off and picks up the articles.

     (ii) Seller using agent for pickup and delivery. If a person providing laundry or dry cleaning services uses an agent such as a hotel or a driver for pickup and delivery of the articles to be cleaned, the place of sale is the seller's location where the cleaning is performed.

     (c) Purchases at wholesale. The purchase of tangible personal property for resale as tangible personal property or as a component or ingredient of the cleaned article is a purchase at wholesale. Such purchases are not subject to retail sales tax when the buyer provides a resale certificate to the seller as discussed by WAC 458-20-102 (Resale certificates).

     The following are examples of items that may be purchased at wholesale:

     (i) Dyes, fabric softeners, starches, sizing, and similar articles or substances that become ingredients of the articles cleaned; and

     (ii) Soap, bleach, fabric softener, laundry bags, hangers, and other tangible personal property that are not used in performing a laundry or dry cleaning services but are resold as tangible personal property.

     (d) Purchases subject to retail sales or use tax. A laundry or dry cleaning business that acquires tangible personal property for use as a consumer must pay retail sales tax (commonly referred to as "deferred sales tax") or use tax directly to the department when the seller fails to collect the appropriate retail sales tax. For further information about the use tax, refer to WAC 458-20-178 (Use tax).

     The following are examples of purchases by a laundry or dry cleaning service that are subject to retail sales tax or use tax:

     (i) Soaps, cleaning solvents, and other articles or substances that do not become ingredients of the articles cleaned;

     (ii) Equipment such as washing machines, dryers, presses, irons, fixtures, and furniture;

     (iii) Supplies such as hand tools, sewing notions, scissors, spotting brushes, and stationery; and

     (iv) Items given to customers without charge.

     (3) What are linen and uniform supply services? "Linen and uniform supply services" means the activity of providing customers with a supply of clean linen, towels, uniforms, gowns, protective apparel, clean room apparel, mats, rugs, and/or similar items whether ownership of the item is in the person operating the linen and uniform supply service or in the customer. RCW 82.08.0202. It also means the supply of diapers and bedding. "Linen and uniform supply services" includes supply services operating their own cleaning establishments as well as those contracting with other laundry or dry cleaning businesses.

     A person providing linen and uniform supply services performs a number of different activities, often at multiple locations. Many of these activities are the same types of activities performed by a person providing laundry or dry cleaning services, such as: Laundering, dry cleaning, pressing, incidental mending, and/or pickup and delivery. Additional activities not generally performed by a person providing laundry or dry cleaning services may include: Providing linen and uniform items customized by application of the customer's business name, company logo, employee names, etc.; measuring and/or issuing uniforms to the customer's employees; repairing or replacing worn or damaged linen and uniform items; and/or performing various administrative functions for the customer, such as inventory control.

     (a) Sales of linen and uniform supply services. The gross proceeds of sale and selling price from linen and uniform supply services provided to consumers are subject to the retailing B&O tax and retail sales tax, respectively. No deduction is available for commissions allowed or amounts paid to another for the performance of all or part of the laundry or dry cleaning service. RCW 82.04.070 and 82.08.010.

     (b) Place of sale. Effective July 1, 2001, for the purposes of determining a seller of linen and uniform supply services' responsibility to remit B&O tax and to collect and remit retail sales tax, the place of sale is the place of delivery to the customer. For periods before July 1, 2001, the place of sale was the location at which the laundering activity was performed.

     For assistance with determining appropriate local sales and use tax rates, the department's geographic information system (GIS) provides a mapping and address lookup system. The system is available on the department's Internet site at: http://dor.wa.gov.

     (c) Purchases at wholesale. The purchase of tangible personal property for resale as tangible personal property or as a component or ingredient of the cleaned article is a wholesale sale. Such purchases are not subject to retail sales tax when the buyer provides a resale certificate to the seller as discussed by WAC 458-20-102 (Resale certificates).

     The following are examples of items that may be purchased at wholesale:

     (i) Linen, uniforms, towels, cabinets, hand soap, and similar property rented or supplied to customers as a part of the laundry and linen supply service; and

     (ii) Dyes, fabric softeners, starches, sizing, and similar articles or substances that become ingredients of the articles being cleaned.

     (d) Purchases subject to retail sales or use tax. A linen or uniform supply service that acquires tangible personal property for use as a consumer must pay retail sales tax (commonly referred to as "deferred sales tax") or use tax directly to the department when the seller fails to collect the retail sales tax. For further information about the use tax, refer to WAC 458-20-178 (Use tax).

     The following are examples of purchases by a linen or uniform supply service that are subject to retail sales tax or use tax:

     (i) Soaps, cleaning solvents, and other articles or substances that do not become ingredients of the articles cleaned;

     (ii) Equipment such as washing machines, dryers, presses, irons, fixtures, and furniture; and

     (iii) Supplies such as hand tools, sewing notions, scissors, spotting brushes, and stationery.

     (4) Customer's responsibility to remit use tax. Effective July 1, 2002, chapter 367, Laws of 2002, imposes the use tax on certain retail services acquired by consumers without payment of the retail sales tax. Such services include installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, imprinting, or improving tangible personal property. Thus, a consumer must report and pay use tax directly to the department when a seller of laundry or dry cleaning services or linen and uniform supply services fails to collect the retail sales tax.

     For example, a person with a restaurant location in Vancouver and another in Portland, Oregon, contracts with an Oregon business for linen and uniform supply services. Each week, the linen and uniform supply service delivers clean linens and uniforms and picks up soiled items for both locations at the person's Portland location. The person's Vancouver location turns in soiled uniforms and linens and receives its supply of clean items at the person's Portland location. The person is responsible for reporting and paying use tax on the value of the linen and uniform supply services used by its Vancouver location. For further discussion about use tax, refer to WAC 458-20-178.

     (5) Laundry agents collecting and distributing laundry. Persons who collect and/or distribute laundered or dry cleaned items as an agent for a provider of laundry services, dry cleaning services, or linen and uniform supply services are liable for the service and other activities B&O tax on their gross commissions. See WAC 458-20-159 for the recordkeeping requirements for showing agency status. The person providing the laundry service, dry cleaning services, or linen and uniform supply service must collect and remit to the department retail sales tax on the total charge made to the customer (see subsections (2) and (3) of this rule).

     (6) Self-service and coin-operated laundry facilities. Charges for the use of self-service or coin-operated laundry facilities are subject to the retailing B&O and retail sales taxes, except as discussed below. Likewise sales of soap, bleach, fabric softener and other supplies to consumers are subject to the retailing B&O tax and retail sales tax. For most sales, the law requires a seller to separately state the retail sales tax from the selling price. However, the law allows a seller to deduct the tax from the total amount received in coin-operated machines to arrive at the net amount that becomes the measure of the tax. RCW 82.08.050 and 82.08.080.

     (a) Coin-operated laundry facilities for the exclusive use of tenants. Effective July 1, 1998, the definition of a retail sale excludes charges for the use of coin-operated laundry facilities in apartment houses, rooming houses, or mobile home parks when the facilities are provided for the exclusive use of tenants. RCW 82.04.050 (2)(a). As a result, charges for the use of these facilities are not subject to the retailing B&O tax or the retail sales tax. However, the gross proceeds of sale received from these facilities is subject to the service and other activities B&O tax. Before July 1, 1998, these charges were retail sales and subject to the retailing B&O tax and retail sales tax.

     Charges for the use of coin-operated laundry facilities in hotels, motels, trailer camps, and other locations providing lodging or camping facilities to transients remain subject to the retailing B&O and retail sales taxes. Persons providing transient lodging should refer to WAC 458-20-166 (Hotels, motels, boarding houses, rooming houses, resorts, trailer camps, etc.).

     (b) Place of sale. For the purposes of determining a seller's responsibility to remit B&O tax and/or to collect and remit retail sales tax, the place of sale with respect to charges for the use of a self-service or coin-operated laundry facility is the location of the facility.

     (c) Purchases at wholesale. The purchase of tangible personal property for resale as tangible personal property is a purchase at wholesale. Such purchases are not subject to retail sales tax when the buyer provides a resale certificate to the seller as discussed by WAC 458-20-102 (Resale certificates). Thus, purchases of soap, bleach, fabric softener and other supplies for resale to customers separate from charges for the use of the laundry facilities are wholesale purchases.

     (d) Purchases subject to retail sales or use tax. A coin-operated laundry facility that acquires tangible personal property for use as a consumer must pay retail sales tax (commonly referred to as "deferred sales tax") or use tax directly to the department when the seller fails to collect the appropriate retail sales tax. For further information about use tax, refer to WAC 458-20-178 (Use tax).

     The following are examples of purchases by a coin-operated laundry facility that are subject to retail sales tax or use tax:

     (i) Washing machines, dryers, fixtures, and furniture; and

     (ii) Items given to customers without charge.

     (7) Laundry services performed for nonprofit health care facilities. For the purpose of this rule, "nonprofit health care facilities" means facilities operated by nonprofit organizations providing diagnostic, therapeutic, convalescent, or preventive inpatient or outpatient health care services. The term includes, but is not limited to, nonprofit hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices.

     (a) Sales of laundry services to nonprofit health care facilities. Effective July 1, 1998, the definition of a retail sale specifically excludes sales of laundry services to nonprofit health care facilities. As a result, charges for laundry services provided to these facilities are not subject to retail sales tax or the retailing B&O tax. However, effective July 1, 1998, the gross proceeds of sale received for providing laundry services to nonprofit health care facilities is subject to the service and other activities B&O tax. For the period of July 1, 1993, through June 10, 1998, the service and other activities B&O tax applied only to sales of laundry services to members by nonprofit associations composed exclusively of nonprofit hospitals.

     (b) Purchases subject to retail sales or use tax. Persons providing laundry services to nonprofit health care facilities are considered consumers of all items used in providing such services. RCW 82.04.190. As a result, purchases of items such as dyes, fabric softeners, linens, and uniforms are subject to the retail sales tax. The same is true for purchases of washing machines, dryers, fixtures, furniture, and other items of tangible personal property. The buyer must remit retail sales tax (commonly referred to as "deferred sales tax") or use tax directly to the department when the seller fails to collect the appropriate retail sales tax. For further information about the use tax, refer to WAC 458-20-178 (Use tax).

[Statutory Authority: RCW 82.32.300. 99-13-052, § 458-20-165, filed 6/9/99, effective 7/10/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 82.32.300 and 82.04.050. 94-09-016, § 458-20-165, filed 4/13/94, effective 5/14/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 82.32.300. 83-07-033 (Order ET 83-16), § 458-20-165, filed 3/15/83; Order ET 73-1, § 458-20-165, filed 11/2/73; Order ET 70-3, § 458-20-165 (Rule 165), filed 5/29/70, effective 7/1/70.]

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