Schaumburg Tax Rate: Sales, Property, and Prepared Food

The Schaumburg tax rate on general merchandise is 10% on the Cook County side of the village and 8% on the DuPage County side, and that split carries through most of the taxes a resident or visitor will encounter.¹ Property taxes are the heaviest annual bill for homeowners, and a handful of local surcharges stack on top of sales tax for restaurant meals, hotel stays, entertainment admissions, fuel, and cannabis.

Sales Tax on Each Side of the Village

Schaumburg straddles two counties, so the combined rate on a general-merchandise purchase depends on where in the village the store sits. Cook County purchases are taxed at 10%; DuPage County purchases at 8%.¹ The gap comes from a higher county share and a 1.00% Regional Transportation Authority rate on the Cook side versus 0.75% on the DuPage side. Most of the major retail, including Woodfield Mall, is on the Cook County side, so 10% is what shoppers run into most often.

Groceries Starting January 1, 2026

Illinois dropped its 1% state sales tax on qualifying groceries effective January 1, 2026, and now allows municipalities and counties to replace it with their own grocery tax of up to 1%. State law caps the combined rate at whatever it was on December 31, 2025.² Schaumburg’s home rule sales tax has always excluded groceries, drugs, and licensed vehicles.³ The RTA tax still applies to grocery purchases, so a bag of groceries in Schaumburg is not tax-free.

Qualifying groceries means food for off-premises human consumption. Alcohol, soft drinks, candy, and food prepared for immediate consumption do not qualify and are taxed at the full general-merchandise rate.

Property Tax

The Village of Schaumburg’s own property tax rate is roughly 0.619% of equalized assessed value, but that is a small share of the total bill. School districts, the Schaumburg Park District, the Township Library, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, and Cook County itself all levy on the same property, and school districts take the largest share.³

How the Bill Comes Together

The Cook County Assessor sets a fair market value for each property, reassessing about a third of the county every year on a three-year cycle.⁴ That value is converted to an assessed value, then the Illinois Department of Revenue applies a county-wide equalization factor to produce the EAV. The 2024 Cook County factor was 3.0355.⁵ Exemptions come off the EAV, and then the Clerk applies the composite tax rate built from every overlapping district’s levy.

Exemptions Worth Claiming

The Homeowner Exemption reduces a primary residence’s EAV by $10,000 and is open to any homeowner. The Senior Citizen Exemption cuts another $8,000 for owners age 65 or older.⁶ A Senior Freeze is also available and can lock EAV at a prior year’s level for qualifying seniors with limited income.⁷ None of these apply automatically; each requires an application through the Assessor’s Office.

Prepared Food and Beverage Tax

Schaumburg adds a 2% tax to retail sales of alcohol, food, or drinks at restaurants, fast-food outlets, deli counters, and liquor stores.³ It layers on top of sales tax, so a restaurant meal effectively runs 12% on the Cook County side and 10% on the DuPage County side.¹ It applies whether you dine in or carry out. Pre-packaged supermarket items not prepared by the store for immediate consumption are outside the tax.

Hotel Tax

The village charges 8% on room rentals at hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and short-term rentals, for stays of 30 consecutive days or fewer. Longer leases are exempt.³ State hotel taxes also appear on the bill, so a guest’s total room tax is higher than the village line alone.

Amusement Tax

A 5% tax applies to admissions for movie theaters, concerts, sporting events, and exhibitions within the village, assessed on the admission charge.³ Events not open to the general public are excluded, and events sponsored by religious, educational, charitable, or government organizations are exempt.

Other Local Taxes

Several smaller taxes affect specific transactions.

Motor Fuel

The village adds $0.03 per gallon on retail motor fuel, on top of state and federal fuel taxes.³

Real Estate Transfer

Property sales carry a village transfer tax of $1 per $1,000 of sale price, rounded up to the next dollar.⁸ On a $400,000 home, that is $400. The village issues a transfer stamp as proof of payment, and the contract determines which party pays.

Recreational Cannabis

Adult-use cannabis sold in Schaumburg carries a 3% municipal cannabis retailers’ occupation tax.³ A state purchaser excise tax of 10% to 25% based on THC concentration, plus ordinary sales tax, also applies.⁹

Utilities and Telecommunications

Electricity is taxed starting at 0.61 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 2,000 kWh used in a month, with the rate stepping down for higher usage. Telecommunications services are taxed at 6% through the state’s simplified system.³

Automobile Leases

A $1.00-per-vehicle tax applies per leasing period on vehicles leased from a Schaumburg business, whether the lease runs daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.³

Deducting Schaumburg Taxes Federally

Residents who itemize can deduct state and local taxes, including Illinois income tax and county property taxes, up to the federal SALT cap. For the 2026 tax year, the cap is $40,400 for single filers, heads of household, and joint filers, and $20,200 for married filing separately. The cap can be further reduced for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds a threshold set for the 2025 through 2029 tax years.¹⁰ Schaumburg property tax bills alone can run into five figures, so many homeowners hit the cap before their income tax is even counted. The IRS lets you deduct state income tax or state sales tax, not both, and only if you itemize.¹¹

1
Village of Schaumburg. Sales Tax
2
Illinois Department of Revenue. Municipal and County Grocery Occupation Tax Rate Changes, Effective January 1, 2026
3
Village of Schaumburg. Taxes and Fees
4
Cook County Assessor’s Office. Your Assessment Notice and Tax Bill
5
Illinois Department of Revenue. 2024 Cook County Final Multiplier Announced
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Cook County Property Tax Portal. Cook County Property Tax Portal
7
Cook County Assessor’s Office. Senior Exemption
8
Village of Schaumburg. Transfer Stamps
9
Illinois Department of Revenue. Cannabis Taxes
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 164
11
Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 503, Deductible Taxes