The sales tax rate in Neenah, WI is 5%, and all of it goes to the state. Winnebago County does not add the optional 0.5% county sales tax that most Wisconsin counties charge, so a purchase in Neenah carries a lower total tax than the same purchase in Green Bay, Madison, or Milwaukee. The 5% applies to most retail goods and to a defined list of services, with groceries and prescription drugs among the biggest exemptions.
Why Neenah’s Rate Is Only 5%
Wisconsin’s statewide sales tax is 5% on the sale, lease, license, or rental of taxable goods, digital products, and services.1Wisconsin Department of Revenue. DOR Tax Rates State law lets each county tack on an additional 0.5% by ordinance, with the money going toward property tax relief.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 77.70 – Adoption by County Ordinance Roughly 69 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties have done so. Winnebago County has not. The Department of Revenue’s tax rate chart, current as of January 2026, shows no county tax entry for Winnebago.
So a receipt in Neenah shows a single 5% line. Cross into Brown County (Green Bay) or Dane County (Madison) and the rate is 5.5%. Milwaukee County reaches 5.9% because of a separate provision allowing a first-class-city county to add 0.4% for pension funding.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 77.70 – Adoption by County Ordinance No special district taxes, such as the premier resort area tax used in Wisconsin Dells, apply in Neenah.
What the 5% Applies To
Physical Goods
The tax hits most tangible items sold at retail: clothing, electronics, furniture, appliances, motor vehicles, and prewritten computer software whether downloaded or bought on a disc.3Wisconsin Department of Revenue. What Is Taxable If you can see it, touch it, or weigh it, the default is taxable unless a specific exemption applies.
Services
Wisconsin taxes a defined list of services rather than services broadly. The most common ones on the list include landscaping and lawn maintenance, laundry and dry cleaning, telecommunications (including prepaid calling services), and repair or maintenance of physical goods.3Wisconsin Department of Revenue. What Is Taxable Services that aren’t on the list, such as most professional consulting and legal services, generally are not taxed.
Digital Products
Downloaded and streamed digital products are taxed at the same 5%. Taxable categories include digital audio works (music, audiobooks, ringtones), digital audiovisual works (movies, streaming video, recorded events), and digital books. Digital codes used to obtain any of these are taxable too.4Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Digital Goods Video games and video greeting cards are specifically excluded from the audiovisual works definition, and any digital product that would be exempt in physical form stays exempt in digital form.
What’s Exempt
Groceries
Most food and food ingredients for home consumption are exempt. Four categories stay taxable: candy, soft drinks, dietary supplements, and prepared food.5Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Administrative Code Tax 11.51 – Grocers
The definitions can trip you up. “Candy” doesn’t include items containing flour or requiring refrigeration, so a Kit Kat bar is exempt (it has flour) while a bag of gummy bears is taxable. “Soft drink” means any sweetened non-alcoholic beverage that doesn’t contain milk or more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice, so sweetened iced tea is taxable but unsweetened sparkling water is not.6Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Administrative Code Tax 11.51 – Definitions “Prepared food” covers anything sold heated, heated by the retailer, or sold with utensils like plates, forks, or napkins.
Prescription Drugs and Medical Items
Prescription medications dispensed by a pharmacist, drugs furnished by a licensed physician or hospital for treatment, and insulin are all exempt.7Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 77.54 – General Exemptions Over-the-counter medications are taxable. Certain prosthetics and durable medical equipment may qualify under the same statute, depending on the item and its use.
Online and Out-of-State Purchases
Buying from a retailer in another state doesn’t get you out of the tax. When an out-of-state seller doesn’t collect Wisconsin sales tax, the buyer owes a 5% use tax on the purchase, reported on the Wisconsin income tax return.1Wisconsin Department of Revenue. DOR Tax Rates Most large online retailers already collect Wisconsin tax at checkout; smaller sellers may not.
Calculating the Tax
Multiply the taxable price by 0.05. A $250 appliance in Neenah carries $12.50 in sales tax, for a total of $262.50. The same purchase in a county with the 0.5% add-on would carry $13.75. On a mixed receipt, say groceries plus a bottle of soda, only the taxable items get the 5%, and the receipt should separate them. The Department of Revenue’s online rate lookup tool will confirm the rate for any specific Wisconsin address.1Wisconsin Department of Revenue. DOR Tax Rates