Riverside Sales Tax Rate: What is the 2026 Combined Rate?

If you are a business owner or consumer in the Inland Empire, knowing the exact Riverside sales tax rate is critical for compliance, pricing, and budgeting. Charging the wrong rate can lead to costly audits, while failing to plan for local tax changes can hurt your bottom line.

The Riverside sales tax rate is 8.75% in 2026 — a combined stack of California’s 6.00% state rate, 0.25% for Riverside County, 1.00% for the City of Riverside, and 1.50% in special district taxes. It has held at that level since 2021, and it stayed in place after Riverside voters defeated the Measure Z sales tax hike on June 2, 2026.

As of July 2026, 8.75% is the rate every Riverside, California retailer should be charging at the register — and the number every consumer should expect to see on a receipt. This guide covers Riverside, California, not Riverside, Ohio, a separate city of over 25,000 in southwest Ohio’s Dayton metro area. It was written and reviewed by Adham Abadier, CPA — a California Board of Accountancy licensed Certified Public Accountant (License #158599) and founder of Catalyst CPA Corporation. Our tax services team in Riverside County configures point-of-sale rates and sales-tax accruals for local retailers every week, and this page answers the questions they ask most.

Riverside Sales Tax Rate: What’s Inside the 8.75% Rate?

Riverside’s rate isn’t one tax — it’s four separate levies stacked on the same receipt. Each layer funds a different government, which is why the combined number can move even when the state rate doesn’t.

How the Riverside Sales Tax Rate Has Changed Over Time

In 2020, Riverside’s combined rate was 8.50%; it increased to 8.75% in 2021 and has held there since. Small moves matter: on $500,000 of annual taxable sales, a 0.25% rate shift changes what you collect by $1,250 — and if your point-of-sale system keeps charging the old rate, you owe the difference out of pocket. For businesses needing ongoing bookkeeping in Riverside, keeping track of these historical shifts is essential.

Why the Next City Over May Charge a Different Rate

Special district taxes are hyper-local, so the correct rate can change across a city line — or even across a district boundary inside the same county. A retailer running locations in both Riverside and Burbank must configure each jurisdiction’s 2026 rate separately at each register and in each online cart. The authoritative way to verify an address is the CDTFA’s online rate lookup tool, which returns the exact state, county, city, and district combination.

Measure Z Failed — So Why Is Everyone Still Searching?

Measure Z’s Defeat Froze the Rate

On June 2, 2026, Riverside voters rejected Measure Z, a proposed sales tax increase. Because the measure failed, no new layer was added to the stack — the combined rate remains 8.75%. For Riverside retailers, that means no mid-year POS reprogramming, no new signage, and no repricing of taxable goods.

Proposition 43 Raises the Stakes in November

Proposition 43, scheduled for the November 3, 2026 ballot, would raise the vote threshold required to pass special and local tax measures in California. If it passes, any future Riverside sales tax proposal would face a higher bar at the ballot box. Practically, treat the current 8.75% as stable — but not permanent — and keep your rate tables sourced from CDTFA rather than memory.

Charging the wrong rate at even one register — or letting your online cart default to a different district — snowballs into CDTFA notices fast. Adham Abadier, CPA will personally review your Riverside rate setup, district assignments, and sales-tax accruals, and show you exactly where you’re exposed.
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How to Calculate Riverside Sales Tax on Any Purchase

The math is the same whether you’re a consumer checking a receipt or a retailer testing a register:

1. Determine the pre-tax purchase price — the total of taxable goods before any tax is added.
2. Apply the 8.75% combined rate (0.0875 as a decimal) for most transactions inside Riverside.
3. Multiply. A $100 purchase × 0.0875 = $8.75 in sales tax.
4. Add the tax to the price. The customer pays $108.75 total.

Two Real-World Examples

A customer buys a pair of shoes for $150 at a Riverside shop: $150 × 0.0875 = $13.13 in tax, for a $163.13 total. A Riverside resident orders $500 of electronics online from a seller that collects California tax: $500 × 0.0875 = $43.75, for a $543.75 total. Now zoom out to the business view: a Riverside boutique with $40,000 in taxable monthly sales collects $3,500 in sales tax that month ($40,000 × 0.0875). That money is held in trust for the state — it is never revenue, and spending it is how profitable stores end up in CDTFA payment plans.

Online and Out-of-Area Purchases

When an online seller collects California sales tax, the same 8.75% Riverside rate applies to orders delivered to Riverside addresses. The district portion follows the destination, which is why your e-commerce platform’s tax tables matter as much as your physical register.

“Most Riverside retailers I onboard have the 8.75% rate right at the front counter and wrong somewhere else — a second terminal, an invoice template, an online cart still pointed at an old district rate. CDTFA audits the variance, not your intentions. One afternoon of POS review beats a penalty letter every single time.”

Exemptions, Records, and Deadlines Riverside Businesses Can’t Skip

What’s Exempt From Riverside Sales Tax

Basic groceries (bread, milk, produce), prescription medications, and certain medical devices such as wheelchairs and hearing aids purchased with a prescription are exempt. On the federal side, CDTFA Regulation 1614 exempts sales to the United States and its instrumentalities and to the American National Red Cross. Items sold to a person insured under Medicare Part A are treated as exempt sales to the U.S. government, while Medicare Part B sales remain taxable. Sellers claiming the federal exemption must retain a government purchase order or documents showing direct payment by the United States.

CDTFA Recordkeeping Rules (Regulation 1698)

CDTFA Regulation 1698 requires every seller to maintain all records necessary to determine correct tax liability: books of account, bills, receipts, invoices, cash-register tapes, and the schedules used to prepare each return. Electronic point-of-sale records must preserve transaction-level detail and be convertible to a standard format such as an ASCII flat file. Sellers using EDI must retain vendor name, invoice date, product description, quantity, price, tax amount, tax status, and shipping detail. If your QuickBooks file and POS reports don’t reconcile to the penny each month, our monthly bookkeeping team rebuilds the sales-tax accrual trail before CDTFA ever asks for it.

Filing Deadlines and the Cost of Being Late

CDTFA’s standard quarterly filing cadence runs as follows:

With the April–June return falling due July 31, Riverside retailers should be closing their Q2 books right now. Late payment typically triggers a penalty of around 10% of the unpaid tax, with interest accruing on top — an expensive way to learn that your filing frequency changed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Riverside sales tax rate in 2026?

The combined Riverside sales tax rate is 8.75% as of July 2026: 6.00% state, 0.25% Riverside County, 1.00% City of Riverside, and 1.50% in special district taxes. It has held at that level since 2021 and did not change after Measure Z’s defeat on June 2, 2026.

Did the Riverside sales tax rate increase after Measure Z?

No. Riverside voters rejected the Measure Z sales tax hike on June 2, 2026, so the combined rate remains 8.75%. Proposition 43, on the November 3, 2026 ballot, would raise the vote threshold for future special and local tax measures statewide.

How do I calculate Riverside sales tax on a purchase?

Multiply the pre-tax price by 0.0875, then add the result to the price. A $100 purchase carries $8.75 in tax for a $108.75 total, and a $500 purchase carries $43.75 for a $543.75 total.

What items are exempt from Riverside sales tax?

Basic groceries, prescription medications, and certain prescription medical devices are exempt. Sales to the U.S. government, its instrumentalities, and the American National Red Cross are also exempt under CDTFA Regulation 1614, and Medicare Part A sales are treated as exempt federal sales while Part B sales remain taxable.

When are Riverside sales tax returns due?

CDTFA’s quarterly schedule sets due dates of April 30 (Q1), July 31 (Q2), October 31 (Q3), and January 31 for Q4. Late payment typically triggers a penalty of around 10% of the unpaid tax, plus interest.

How do I find the correct rate for a specific Riverside address?

Use the CDTFA’s online rate lookup tool at maps.cdtfa.ca.gov, which returns the exact state, county, city, and district combination for an address. District boundaries vary within Riverside County, so multi-location sellers should verify each storefront and each online tax table separately.

Does Riverside sales tax apply to online purchases?

Yes — when an online seller collects California sales tax, the 8.75% Riverside rate applies to orders delivered to Riverside addresses. A $500 online electronics order, for example, carries $43.75 in tax for a $543.75 total.

FREE FOR INLAND EMPIRE BUSINESS OWNERS

Free Nexus Risk Review

Adham will personally map where your business collects and remits — Riverside storefronts, online carts, out-of-county districts — verify each POS rate against CDTFA district tables, review your sales-tax accrual accounts, and flag any multi-state nexus exposure before it becomes a notice.

Book Your Free Diagnostic →

Sales tax looks simple until a district boundary, an exempt buyer, or a missed quarter turns it into a CDTFA notice. Catalyst CPA Corporation configures POS rate tables, reconciles sales-tax accruals, and prepares CDTFA returns for retailers across Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Eastvale, and the wider Inland Empire — all backed by our sales tax services in Riverside. Call (951) 223-1826 or contact our Moreno Valley office to get your rates verified before the next quarterly deadline.

Last reviewed: July 24, 2026 by Adham Abadier, CPA (CA #158599).