The Des Plaines sales tax on general merchandise is 10.00%, made up of state, county, regional transit, and city shares collected as a single line on your receipt. That headline rate covers most physical goods sold at retail inside city limits. Groceries, prescription drugs, restaurant meals, and vehicles each follow their own rules, and the state grocery tax changed on January 1, 2026.
What Makes Up the 10% Rate
Four taxing bodies share every general merchandise sale in Des Plaines:1City of Des Plaines. Tax Rate Information
- State of Illinois: 6.25%. This is the statewide base on retail sales of tangible personal property. Of that amount, 5.00% stays with the state, 1.00% is returned to the municipality, and 0.25% goes to the Regional Transportation Authority.2Illinois Department of Revenue. Use Tax Rates
- Cook County home rule: 1.75%.
- Regional Transportation Authority: 1.00%, dedicated to the CTA, Metra, and Pace systems.3Illinois Department of Revenue. Mass Transit District Sales Tax
- Des Plaines home rule retailers’ occupation tax: 1.00%.4American Legal Publishing. City Code of Des Plaines, Illinois – 15-1-3: Home Rule Retailers and Service Occupation Tax
Receipts just show the combined number. Because each suburb sets its own home rule rate, totals can shift as you cross a municipal boundary.
What You Pay on Groceries
Illinois ended its statewide 1% grocery tax on January 1, 2026, and in the same move allowed municipalities and counties to levy their own 1% local grocery tax by ordinance.5Illinois Department of Revenue. Illinois Grocery Tax Changes Effective January 1, 2026 Des Plaines passed the ordinance. Shoppers in the city still pay 1% on groceries; the money now flows to the city rather than the state.
Day-to-day grocery shopping feels the same. Bread, produce, and dairy stay at 1%. The definition of taxable groceries did not change, so soft drinks, candy, alcoholic beverages, and food prepared for immediate consumption are still charged at the full 10.00% general merchandise rate.5Illinois Department of Revenue. Illinois Grocery Tax Changes Effective January 1, 2026 A neighboring suburb that skipped the local ordinance may charge 0% on the same cart of groceries, so comparing receipts across town lines can show a real difference.
Prescriptions and Medical Items
The state’s reduced 1% rate on qualifying drugs and medical appliances was not repealed. Prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, prosthetic devices, and insulin syringes still carry only the 1% state tax and remain exempt from the city and county home rule portions.5Illinois Department of Revenue. Illinois Grocery Tax Changes Effective January 1, 2026 A pharmacy total comes in well below the 10.00% general rate.
Restaurant Meals: The Extra 1%
Des Plaines adds a separate 1% food and beverage tax on meals prepared for immediate consumption, charged at restaurants, bars, catering operations, and carry-out counters inside the city.1City of Des Plaines. Tax Rate Information Dine-in and takeout both trigger it.
That tax sits on top of the 10.00% sales tax, so a restaurant meal in Des Plaines is effectively taxed at 11.00%. Worth factoring in if you’re deciding between two restaurants on opposite sides of a municipal line.
Buying a Car or Other Titled Property
Titled property is treated more favorably. Illinois law excludes vehicles, trailers, watercraft, and similar items registered with a state agency from both the municipal and county home rule taxes.6Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code 86 Part 270 – Home Rule Municipal Retailers Occupation Tax A dealer in Des Plaines collects the state’s 6.25% rate and remits it through the transaction return filed with the Illinois Department of Revenue.7Illinois Department of Revenue. Home Rule Sales Taxes
Skipping the 1.00% city and 1.75% county portions adds up on larger purchases. On a $40,000 vehicle, paying 6.25% rather than 10.00% is a $1,500 difference. Private-party vehicle sales work differently; the buyer typically handles the tax directly when registering the vehicle with the Secretary of State’s office.
Online Orders Shipped to Des Plaines
Out-of-state retailers selling into Illinois must collect and remit the full local rate on orders shipped to a Des Plaines address once they cross the state’s economic nexus threshold. As of January 1, 2026, that threshold is $100,000 or more in cumulative gross receipts from Illinois buyers during the preceding 12-month period. The alternative 200-transaction trigger that Illinois previously used was eliminated on the same date.8Illinois Department of Revenue. FY 2026-12, Destination-Based Retailers Occupation Tax Changes
Remote sellers check their Illinois receipts at the end of each quarter. Once the $100,000 mark is crossed, collection begins on the first day of the next quarter, and the rate charged on a Des Plaines delivery should match the 10.00% a local store would collect.9Illinois Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax If a seller falls under the threshold and doesn’t charge Illinois tax, the buyer still owes use tax on the purchase.