Or Cat

The CAT was enacted in 2019 (effective 2020) and applies to all business entity types — corporations, partnerships, LLCs, sole proprietors, and S-corps. It is separate from Oregon's corporate income/excise tax and personal income tax¹.

Rate Structure

The CAT has a single rate structure with a base amount:

Formula:

CAT = $250 + (0.0057 × max(taxable_commercial_activity - $1,000,000, 0))

There are no tiered rates or classification-based rates. All business types pay the same rate¹.

Surcharge

Oregon does not impose an additional surcharge on high-grossing businesses for the CAT.

Credits and Exemptions

35% Cost Subtraction

The CAT's key feature: businesses may subtract 35% of the greater of²:

• Cost inputs — Cost of goods sold as determined under the taxpayer's federal income tax method
• Labor costs — Wages, health insurance, retirement contributions (excluding amounts over $500,000 per employee and excluding employer payroll taxes)

The subtraction cannot exceed 95% of commercial activity².

Cost inputs vs. labor costs: Service businesses with few material costs typically benefit more from the labor cost subtraction. Manufacturing or retail businesses with significant COGS typically benefit from the cost input subtraction. Always compute both and use the greater amount².

Restrictions on Subtraction

• Cannot deduct expenses from transactions between members of a unitary group²
• Cannot deduct cost inputs or labor costs associated with receipts excluded from commercial activity²

Exempt Entities

The following are exempt from the CAT (unless they have unrelated business taxable income)¹:

• 501(c)(3) nonprofits
• Farmers' cooperatives
• Government entities
• Hospitals and long-term care facilities
• Manufactured dwelling park cooperatives

Exclusions from Commercial Activity

Certain receipts are excluded from the commercial activity calculation¹:

• Motor vehicle fuel sales
• Wholesale/retail grocery sales
• Out-of-state deliveries
• Agricultural cooperative sales
• Fluid milk sales by non-cooperative dairy farmers
• Inter-unitary group transactions
• Pass-through entity distributions

Filing Requirements

Registration and Filing Thresholds

Filing Frequency and Due Dates

Estimated quarterly payments are required if the business expects $5,000 or more in CAT liability for the year¹.

Filing Method

Returns must be filed by mail or approved e-file vendor — not through Revenue Online¹.

Unitary Groups

Entities with 50%+ common ownership and unitary business activity must file as a single taxpayer. One member is designated as the CAT entity. A combined return with an affiliate schedule listing all members with Oregon commercial activity is required¹.

Nexus

The CAT uses a significant economic presence standard for nexus, without a bright-line dollar threshold³:

"A person has nexus with Oregon to the extent the person can be required under the U.S. Constitution to remit the tax."

In practice: If your business regularly takes advantage of Oregon's economy to generate commercial activity — through customers, sales, or services in Oregon — you likely have CAT nexus. The Oregon DOR does not publish a specific dollar threshold like Washington's $100K test³.

If you're unsure whether your business has CAT nexus, consult the Oregon DOR or a tax professional.

City/Local Tax Overlays

Oregon cities generally do not impose gross receipts taxes. However, Portland and Multnomah County impose local net income taxes on businesses (not gross receipts):

• Portland Business License Tax: 2.6% of net income
• Multnomah County Business Income Tax (MCBIT): 2.0% of net income
• Metro Supportive Housing Services (SHS): 1.0% of net income (businesses with $5M+ gross receipts only)

These are net income taxes, not gross receipts taxes — they work differently from the CAT. See references/city-taxes.md for full details on rates, thresholds, and filing.

Salem and Eugene do not impose city-level business income or gross receipts taxes.

Calculation Process

Step 1: Determine Total Oregon Commercial Activity

Sum all gross receipts from transactions and activity sourced to Oregon. Exclude exempt receipts (grocery, fuel, out-of-state, etc.).

Step 2: Check Thresholds

• Under $750K: No obligations
• $750K–$1M: Must register, no tax due
• Over $1M: Proceed to Step 3

Step 3: Compute 35% Subtraction

Calculate both options and use the greater:

cost_input_subtraction = 0.35 × cost_inputs
labor_cost_subtraction = 0.35 × labor_costs
subtraction = max(cost_input_subtraction, labor_cost_subtraction)
subtraction = min(subtraction, 0.95 × commercial_activity)  # Cap at 95%

Step 4: Compute Taxable Commercial Activity

taxable = commercial_activity - subtraction

Step 5: Compute CAT

cat = $250 + (0.0057 × max(taxable - $1,000,000, 0))

Step 6: Check for Portland/Multnomah Taxes

If operating in Portland or Multnomah County, compute city/county net income taxes separately.

Example: Oregon Software Consultancy

Annual Oregon commercial activity: $1,800,000
Cost inputs (COGS): $120,000
Labor costs (wages + benefits): $600,000

Step 1: Commercial activity = $1,800,000

Step 2: Over $1M → tax applies

Step 3: Subtraction
  Cost input subtraction: 0.35 × $120,000 = $42,000
  Labor cost subtraction: 0.35 × $600,000 = $210,000
  Use labor (greater): $210,000
  Cap check: 0.95 × $1,800,000 = $1,710,000 → $210,000 is under cap ✓

Step 4: Taxable = $1,800,000 - $210,000 = $1,590,000

Step 5: CAT = $250 + (0.0057 × ($1,590,000 - $1,000,000))
       CAT = $250 + (0.0057 × $590,000)
       CAT = $250 + $3,363.00
       CAT = $3,613.00

Annual CAT liability: $3,613.00

Common Mistakes

1. Using cost inputs when labor costs are higher — Always compute both subtraction options and use the greater amount²
2. Including exempt receipts — Grocery sales, motor vehicle fuel, and out-of-state deliveries must be excluded from commercial activity¹
3. Confusing CAT with Oregon income tax — The CAT is a separate tax on commercial activity, not a replacement for corporate income/excise tax or personal income tax¹
4. Forgetting the $250 base — The CAT always includes a $250 base amount, even if taxable commercial activity just exceeds $1M¹
5. Missing the registration threshold — Registration is required at $750K, even though tax isn't due until $1M. Failure to register incurs $100/month penalty (max $1,000/year)¹
6. Exceeding the subtraction cap — The 35% subtraction cannot exceed 95% of commercial activity²
7. Including inter-group transactions — Unitary group members cannot deduct expenses from transactions between members²

References

Official Oregon DOR

• Corporate Activity Tax Overview
• 2025 Form OR-CAT Instructions
• 2025 Form OR-CAT Return
• How to Calculate CAT Liability

Legislation

• ORS Chapter 317A — Corporate Activity Tax
• OAR 150-317-1010 — CAT Nexus

Portland / Multnomah County

• Portland Business Tax Filing
• Multnomah County Business Income Tax

Output Format

When computing CAT, present results as:

## Oregon CAT — [Period]

| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Oregon Commercial Activity | $XX,XXX.XX |
| Cost Input Subtraction (35%) | $XX,XXX.XX |
| Labor Cost Subtraction (35%) | $XX,XXX.XX |
| **Subtraction Used (greater)** | **$XX,XXX.XX** |
| Taxable Commercial Activity | $XX,XXX.XX |
| Base Tax | $250.00 |
| Tax on Activity over $1M (0.57%) | $X,XXX.XX |
| **Total CAT Due** | **$X,XXX.XX** |
| Due Date | [date] |

*Portland/Multnomah taxes (if applicable):*
| Tax | Rate | Taxable Income | Tax Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland BLT | 2.6% | $XX,XXX | $X,XXX |
| Multnomah MCBIT | 2.0% | $XX,XXX | $X,XXX |

Constraints

• MUST use Decimal arithmetic for all money calculations — never floats
• MUST compute both cost input and labor cost subtractions and use the greater
• MUST verify the subtraction does not exceed 95% of commercial activity
• MUST include the $250 base tax in every calculation
• MUST check for Portland/Multnomah County tax obligations in addition to state CAT
• MUST warn if commercial activity approaches the $1M taxable threshold within 10%
• MUST warn and show extrapolation method when estimating annual liability from partial-year data
• MUST note that CAT is filed by mail or e-file vendor, not Revenue Online
• MUST cite sources when presenting rates or thresholds to the user

Disclaimer

This provides general tax guidance based on publicly available information. It is not legal or tax advice. Consult a qualified tax professional for your specific situation.