What Is Riverside County Sales Tax in 2026? 7.75%–9.25%

By Adham Abadier, CPA — Licensed in California, License #158599

If you run a storefront in Riverside, a restaurant in our home city of Moreno Valley, or an online shop shipping across California, “Riverside County sales tax” means something slightly different depending on where each transaction happens. Rates are layered across state, county, and city jurisdictions, and they do not move together: Riverside County itself is 7.750%, while the City of Riverside is 8.750% and Palm Springs is 9.250%. Adham Abadier, CPA, leads our sales and use tax services for Inland Empire businesses. This guide covers the 2026 rates, what changed on April 1, and how sellers stay compliant.

Riverside County sales tax is not a single rate. California’s statewide base is 7.25%, and combined rates across the county’s cities reach 9.25% in 2026. Under CDTFA’s rate table effective July 1, 2026, the rate listed for Riverside County — the rate that applies outside an incorporated city — is 7.750%, while the City of Riverside is 8.750%. Sellers must apply the rate that matches each sale’s jurisdiction.

Riverside County Sales Tax 2026: Key Takeaways

• California’s statewide base sales tax rate is 7.25%; every Riverside County combined rate adds district and city taxes on top of that base.
• CDTFA’s city and county tax rate table effective July 1, 2026 lists Riverside County at 7.750% — the rate that applies where a location is not inside an incorporated city — while the City of Riverside is 8.750%.
• Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, and Moreno Valley each adopted a new 1.00% city tax that moved them from 7.750% to a combined 8.750%, operative April 1, 2025, per CDTFA’s Explanation of Tax Rate Changes.
• Palm Springs and Cathedral City carry the county’s highest city rate at 9.250%, while Jurupa Valley and Eastvale are among the cities at 7.750%.
• Rates change on official schedules — confirm the current rate on CDTFA’s rates page before updating your point-of-sale system or filing.
• The Treasurer-Tax Collector’s April 2026 tax sale of 826 tax-defaulted parcels involves property tax — it is separate from sales tax.

Why Sales Tax Rates Vary Across Riverside County

California sales tax is additive. The state collects a 7.25% statewide base rate, and local district taxes adopted by counties and cities stack on top of it. That is why there is no single “county rate” you can safely memorize: the total charged at the register depends on the specific tax area where the sale occurs.

The rate CDTFA lists for Riverside County is 7.750% on the table effective July 1, 2026 (CDTFA), built from the 7.25% statewide base plus district tax. CDTFA notes that unincorporated cities and communities are not listed separately: if a location is not within an incorporated city’s boundaries, the county unincorporated area rate or county rate applies. That is why street-address-level accuracy matters more than city-name accuracy.

Two dates make local diligence especially important right now: CDTFA’s current rate table took effect July 1, 2026, and a further change is already scheduled — Perris moves from 7.750% to 8.750% on October 1, 2026 under Measure B, approved at the June 2, 2026 election.

Riverside County Sales Tax Rates by City (2026)

Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, and Moreno Valley each adopted a new 1.00% city tax that moved them from 7.750% to a combined 8.750%, operative April 1, 2025 (CDTFA Explanation of Tax Rate Changes). Here is how the rates compare across the county on CDTFA’s current table:

Jurisdiction	Combined 2026 rate	What changed / source
Riverside County (outside incorporated cities)	7.750%	CDTFA city and county rate table, effective July 1, 2026
City of Riverside	8.750%	CDTFA city and county rate table, effective July 1, 2026 — the city rate, not the county rate above
Moreno Valley	8.750%	New 1.00% city tax, operative April 1, 2025 (CDTFA Explanation of Tax Rate Changes)
Palm Desert	8.750%	New 1.00% city tax, operative April 1, 2025 (CDTFA Explanation of Tax Rate Changes)
Desert Hot Springs	8.750%	New 1.00% city tax, operative April 1, 2025 (CDTFA Explanation of Tax Rate Changes)
Palm Springs	9.25%	Highest city rate in the county on CDTFA’s current table, tied with Cathedral City
Jurupa Valley	7.75%	Matches the 7.750% Riverside County rate on CDTFA’s table

Palm Springs and Cathedral City both sit at 9.250%, the highest city rate in the county on CDTFA’s current table (CDTFA), while Jurupa Valley’s 7.750% matches the Riverside County rate itself. Treat any rate table — including this one — as a snapshot: rates change on official schedules, and CDTFA’s rates page is the controlling source.

Riverside County’s 7.750% rate is not the City of Riverside’s 8.750%, and Perris moves from 7.750% to 8.750% on October 1, 2026 — if your register has the wrong rate loaded, every transaction is a small compliance error. Get a personal review of your rate setup and sales tax workflow from a local CPA.
📞 (951) 223-1826  |  Book a free 30-min diagnostic →

What the 7.750% County Rate Means at the Register

The statewide base is embedded in every combined rate, so the math stays simple even as local layers change. At Riverside County’s 7.750% rate, a $100 taxable purchase produces $7.75 in sales tax and a total of $107.75. Inside the City of Riverside, the same $100 purchase is taxed at 8.750% — $8.75, for a total of $108.75.

Business example, with assumptions stated: suppose a Moreno Valley retailer rings $20,000 in fully taxable sales during one month at the city’s 8.750% combined rate. Sales tax collected = $20,000 × 0.0875 = $1,750.00. That $1,750 is money held for the state and local jurisdictions — it is never business revenue, which is exactly why the tracking habits below matter.

Sales Tax vs. the Riverside County Tax Sale: Not the Same Tax

Searches for county tax information often surface the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s annual tax sale, which is a property-tax event with no connection to sales tax. This year’s auction includes 826 tax-defaulted parcels (Riverside County) and runs online at Bid4Assets.com from Thursday, April 23, 2026 through Tuesday, April 28, 2026. The process follows revenue and taxation code notice requirements and was approved by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on January 13, 2026. Twenty-five fee parcels carried a $100.00 minimum bid and four a $500.00 minimum bid, with parcels that go unsold eligible for re-offer on April 24, 2026, at 9 a.m. PT.

Property owners can check whether a parcel is on the list at countytreasurer.org/tc-223 or call the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office at (951) 955-3971. Sellers, by contrast, work with CDTFA on sales and use tax — a different agency, different returns, and different rules.

Five Steps to Stay Compliant When Riverside County Sales Tax Rates Change

1. Map every selling location to its tax area. CDTFA’s table is jurisdiction-specific, and where multiple tax areas exist, the highest combined rate is what guides display. Confirm the street address, not just the city name.
2. Calendar official effective dates. CDTFA’s current rate table took effect July 1, 2026, and the next scheduled Riverside County change is Perris moving to 8.750% on October 1, 2026.
3. Update systems before the effective date. Point-of-sale tax tables, e-commerce settings, and invoice templates all need the new rate loaded in advance of the change.
4. Track collected tax as a liability. Record sales tax in a dedicated liability account — never in revenue — and reconcile it each period. If your books cannot currently answer “how much did we collect and owe?”, our bookkeeping team can put that tracking in place.
5. Reconcile and verify before filing. Tie the tax you collected to what you remit each period, and confirm the current rate and effective date against CDTFA before every filing, as CDTFA-based rate guides recommend.

Frequently Asked Questions About Riverside County Sales Tax

What is the Riverside County sales tax rate in 2026?

There is no single rate for every address in Riverside County. On CDTFA’s table effective July 1, 2026, Riverside County is listed at 7.750% — the rate that applies where a location is not inside an incorporated city. Some city rates are higher: the City of Riverside is 8.750%, and Palm Springs and Cathedral City are the county’s highest at 9.250%. Confirm the rate for your specific address on CDTFA’s rates page before relying on it.

Did sales tax change in Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, and Desert Hot Springs?

Yes. Each of the three cities adopted a new 1.00% city tax and moved from 7.750% to a combined 8.750% rate operative April 1, 2025, per CDTFA’s Explanation of Tax Rate Changes. All three are still at 8.750% on the table effective July 1, 2026.

Which Riverside County city has the highest sales tax rate?

Palm Springs and Cathedral City are tied at 9.250% on CDTFA’s table effective July 1, 2026. Because rates change on official schedules, verify the current CDTFA table rather than relying on older articles or screenshots.

How much sales tax is charged on a $100 purchase in Riverside County?

It depends on the tax area. At Riverside County’s 7.750% rate, a $100 taxable purchase produces $7.75 in tax, for a total of $107.75. In the City of Riverside, at 8.750%, it is $8.75 for a total of $108.75; in Palm Springs or Cathedral City, at 9.250%, it is $9.25 for a total of $109.25.

Where can I verify the current Riverside County sales tax rate?

CDTFA publishes the official California City & County Sales & Use Tax Rates table, and the current table took effect July 1, 2026. Rate guides built on that table recommend confirming the current rate and effective date against CDTFA before filing.

Is the Riverside County tax sale related to sales tax?

No. The Treasurer-Tax Collector’s annual tax sale — held April 23–28, 2026 online through Bid4Assets — auctions 826 tax-defaulted parcels tied to unpaid property taxes. Sales tax is a transaction tax that sellers collect from customers and remit to CDTFA; the two processes are unrelated.

FREE FOR INLAND EMPIRE BUSINESS OWNERS

Free Nexus Risk Review

In 30 minutes, Adham reviews where your business sells and sources, maps each location to its current combined rate on CDTFA’s table, flags mismatches after the April 1 city tax changes, and identifies use-tax and multi-state nexus exposure. You’ll leave with a prioritized list of fixes.

Book Your Free Diagnostic →

Riverside County Sales Tax Help From a Local CPA

Sales tax compliance in a multi-jurisdiction county comes down to three disciplines: verify the rate for each tax area, update your systems on effective dates, and keep collected tax cleanly tracked until it is remitted. Catalyst CPA Corporation serves businesses across Moreno Valley, Riverside, Corona, Eastvale, Temecula, and the wider Inland Empire — plus remote clients nationwide — with sales tax support for California and multi-state sellers, alongside tax planning and compliance work led by a California-licensed CPA. Call (951) 223-1826 or book a free 30-minute diagnostic and get your rate setup reviewed before the next rate change reaches your register.

About the Author

Disclaimer

This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or accounting advice. Sales tax rates and effective dates cited here reflect the sources named in the text as of their stated dates; rates change on official schedules, and CDTFA’s rates page is the controlling source for the current combined rate in your tax area. Consult a licensed CPA about your specific circumstances before acting on any information in this post.