Washington to Texas Retirement Taxes (2026): Every Tax That Changes

Updated July 27, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Moving from Washington to Texas in retirement, the income-tax saving is zero — both states already leave retirement withdrawals alone. The money is at death. Four separate taxes change when you move — state income tax on withdrawals, state estate tax, state inheritance tax, and what probate costs your heirs. Most comparisons only price the first one.

Washington vs Texas: every tax that changes

Every cell is quoted from our statute-cited 51-jurisdiction dataset. Download the full dataset as CSV.

1. What changes on your annual tax bill

Nothing. Washington already leaves retirement withdrawals untaxed: Not taxed (no personal income tax; Texas does not tax them either. If you are moving for the income-tax saving alone, there is no saving to collect — and that is the single most common mistake in Washington relocation math.

2. What changes at death: state estate tax

This is usually the larger number. Washington levies an estate tax — yes – 2026 applicable exclusion per WA DOR tables: $3,076,000 for deaths 1/1/2026-6/30/2026, then $3,000,000 for deaths on/after 7/1/2026 (no further increases due to an expired CPI reference in statute). Rates for deaths on/after 7/1/2025: 10% to a top rate of 35% (35% on taxable amount over $9,000,000) – the highest state estate tax rate in the U.S. — and Texas levies none (none). Establishing domicile in Texas removes that exposure for assets that are not Washington real property.

3. What changes at death: state inheritance tax

Neither state levies an inheritance tax. Washington: none Texas: none

4. The one nobody prices: what probate costs your heirs

Washington uses a reasonable-fee fee model (No percentage schedule: personal representative receives ‘such compensation as the court shall deem just and reasonable’ (RCW 11.48.210); attorney fees likewise reasonable. Nonintervention powers (RCW 11.68) keep most administrations out of court supervision.); Texas uses a hybrid model (Executor/administrator standard compensation is statutory (Tex. Estates Code §352.002): 5% commission on cash actually received plus 5% on cash actually paid out (excluding e.g. cash on hand/bank deposits at death and distributions to heirs), capped in aggregate at 5% of the gross fair market value of the estate subject to administration. Attorney fees are reasonable. Note: most Texas probates are independent administrations where compensation is often governed by the will. Verified.). Filing fees — Washington: $200 statutory probate filing fee (RCW 36.18.020) plus county surcharges — typically ~$240 total (some counties $240-$290). Verified via app.leg.wa.gov and county schedules. Texas: County clerk / statutory probate court fees vary by county; typically ~$250-$450 to file an application for probate. Representative range from county schedules, not verified against a single official statewide source.

Full detail: probate cost by state and small-estate limits by state.

Will Washington still tax me after I move to Texas?

Not on your retirement withdrawals, once you genuinely change domicile — but that is a harder test than a change of address, and what you leave behind stays in reach.

• Domicile is a test, not a mailing address. A departing state can and does audit residency. Days present, voter registration, driver’s licence, where your doctors and advisers are, and where you keep what you value all count.
• Real property left behind stays taxable. Keeping a home in Washington can keep part of the estate within reach of Washington rules even after you become a Texas resident.
• A Roth conversion is taxed where you live in the year you convert. Sequencing a conversion after establishing the new domicile is often worth more than the annual saving — see how all 51 jurisdictions tax Roth conversions.

If you keep a home in Washington, what happens at death?

Changing domicile moves you. It does not move the house. Washington levies an estate tax, and it reaches a nonresident decedent’s real property situated there — so a home kept behind after the move stays within Washington’s reach even once Texas is your legal home for every other purpose. For nonresidents the tax applies only to real and tangible personal property physically located in Washington.

The exclusion itself is apportioned by the ratio of Washington property to the total gross estate. The practical consequence is the part most summaries skip: the exclusion is apportioned, so a nonresident does not get the full exclusion against the Washington property. Authority: WAC 458-57-125; DOR Addendum #4.

This is the exposure that survives a move, and it is the one worth pricing before the move rather than after. The house also stays within that state’s probate jurisdiction, so the estate faces a separate ancillary proceeding there on top of the probate where you live — the ancillary probate calculator prices that second proceeding. Confirm the current figures with the state revenue department or a licensed professional before acting — thresholds move, and the arithmetic depends on the whole estate, not just the house.

Full state detail

Every figure above is summarized. The complete statute-cited breakdown for each state: Washington retirement taxes and Texas retirement taxes. To compare any other pair, start at the retirement tax relocation hub.

Talking this through

Relocation timing, Roth conversion sequencing and estate exposure interact, and the order you do them in changes the total. If you want a second opinion, understand what it should cost first — see our advisor cost guide. If a move is genuinely on the table, here is what to look for in an advisor who knows both Washington and Texas.

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Primary sources

• RCW 82.87 (capital gains excise
• retirement account exemption at RCW 82.87.050)
• RCW 83.100.040
• RCW 83.100.020
• Laws of 2025, ch. 418 (ESSB 5813)
• Tex. Const. art. VIII, § 24-a
• RCW 11.48.210
• RCW 11.62.010
• RCW 36.18.020
• Tex. Estates Code §352.002
• Tex. Estates Code §205.001
• Tex. Estates Code ch. 257

Methodology: every figure is quoted from Clear Money Guide’s statute-cited 51-jurisdiction datasets, compiled from state statutes, session laws and revenue-department publications and adversarially verified in July 2026. Nothing here is personalized tax or legal advice. Confirm your own facts with a qualified adviser before you move.