Written By: Ashley Trabaris, CPA, MST, Senior Manager
The statewide Illinois grocery tax (1% sales tax on food items) is set to expire 1/1/2026. However, local municipalities are able to implement a local 1% grocery tax. The revenue from the statewide tax went exclusively to local governments - these local governments will now need to cut spending or raise municipal taxes to cover the shortfall.
What does this mean for me? The state 1% is going away, but if your municipality passed a local 1% tax, there will be no change to what you are currently paying at the store. Municipalities have until October 1, 2025, to pass a tax but, and as of June 4th, over 200 municipalities have already done so. These local taxes do not require a vote, with many towns asserting that the revenues are necessary for their budget, since the tax was previously established.
Some nearby towns that have enacted their own local tax, which are set to go into effect when the statewide 1% rate expires, are listed below by county (as of June 4th, 2025). If a municipality is located in multiple counties, all are impacted by this change as it is set at the municipality level rather than the county level. Below is the main county of that municipality for ease of searching:
In terms of reporting for sellers of food items in these towns, IDOR has not yet released guidance on what would be required. More information will be sent out when it becomes available.
Please reach out to your Porte Brown team member with any questions you may have.
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