Illinois Sales Tax Rate Change 2026

Published On: July 8th, 2026Categories: Business Tax, Small Business, Taxes

Beginning August 1, 2026, Illinois businesses located in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties will need to update their sales tax rates to reflect a 0.25% increase to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) occupation and use tax. If your business sells taxable goods in any of these counties, taking a few simple steps now can help ensure you collect the correct amount of sales tax and avoid potential compliance issues in the future.

What You Should Do

Update your point-of-sale and accounting systems: Make sure your cash registers, point-of-sale software, accounting software, and any other systems used to calculate sales tax are updated to use the new tax rates beginning August 1, 2026. Continuing to use outdated rates could result in collecting the wrong amount of tax from customers.
Check with your software provider: If your business uses a third-party provider to calculate sales tax automatically, contact them to confirm they are aware of the upcoming changes and have scheduled the necessary updates before August 1st.
Verify your new sales tax rate: The Illinois Department of Revenue recommends using the MyTax Illinois Tax Rate Finder to confirm the combined state and local sales tax rate that applies to your business location. Be sure to select the rates effective August 2026 when searching.

Need Help?

Sales tax updates can be confusing, especially when rates change across multiple jurisdictions. If you have questions about how these changes affect your business or need assistance updating your accounting or sales systems, our team is here to help.

Planning ahead now can help ensure a smooth transition and keep your business compliant when the new rates take effect on August 1, 2026.

"*" indicates required fields

Instagram

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Name*

First Last

Company Name

Phone*

Email*

Address*

Street Address City State ZIP Code

What services are you interested in?*

Business Consulting

CPA Services

Technology Services

Marketing Services

N/A

How Did You Hear About Eccezion?*

Message*

Form Security*

Enter the answer to the equation: 4 + nine

About the Author: Rachael Lesperance

Consider Rachael Lesperance the “Swiss Army knife” of Eccezion. Her versatility has proven invaluable since she joined the firm in 2011, always at the ready to jump in whenever and wherever needed. “I particularly enjoy working with local small businesses, whether it be assisting with their financial statements or finding ways to minimize their tax burden. Investing in the community that way is important to me.”