The sales tax rate in Springfield, Illinois is 9.75% on general merchandise. That total combines a 6.25% state tax, a 1.00% Sangamon County tax, and a 2.50% City of Springfield tax collected under home rule authority. Groceries, prescription medicine, and a handful of other categories are taxed at a lower rate or not at all, and a few commercial zones inside the city carry a surcharge that pushes the rate higher.
Where the 9.75% Goes
Retailers collect the full combined rate at the register and send it to the Illinois Department of Revenue, which distributes each slice to the appropriate government.
- State of Illinois – 6.25%. Set by the Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act on gross receipts from sales of tangible personal property.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 35 ILCS 120/2-10 – Rate of Tax
- Sangamon County – 1.00%. Imposed by the county under its home rule authority, which Illinois law allows in quarter-percent increments.2FindLaw. Illinois Statutes Chapter 55 Counties 5/5-1006
- City of Springfield – 2.50%. Added by the city under the Illinois Municipal Code’s home rule provisions.
Groceries Are No Longer Taxed
As of January 1, 2026, Illinois eliminated the 1% state sales tax that previously applied to qualifying groceries. The state gave municipalities and counties the option to impose their own 1% local grocery tax instead, and Springfield chose not to.3Illinois Department of Revenue. FY 2026-11, Municipal and County Grocery Occupation Tax Rate So if you’re buying food for home consumption in Springfield, you pay no sales tax on it.
“Qualifying groceries” means food for human consumption that is purchased to be eaten off the premises. It does not include alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, candy, cannabis-infused food, or food prepared for immediate consumption such as deli sandwiches and hot bar items.3Illinois Department of Revenue. FY 2026-11, Municipal and County Grocery Occupation Tax Rate
Prescription and Nonprescription Medicine: 1%
Prescription and nonprescription medicines, medical appliances, insulin, syringes, and diabetic testing supplies are taxed at a reduced state rate of 1% rather than 6.25%.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 35 ILCS 120/2-10 – Rate of Tax The reduced rate also covers disability-related vehicle modifications and Class III cancer-treatment medical devices prescribed to a patient.
Keep in mind that the reduced rate only applies to the state portion. The Sangamon County and Springfield taxes still apply on top, so your receipt will show more than 1%, but still well under the 9.75% charged on general goods.
Items That Sound Like Groceries But Aren’t
Several items at the supermarket are taxed at the full 9.75%. The common surprises:
- Soft drinks. Any nonalcoholic beverage with natural or artificial sweeteners, including sodas, energy drinks, and sweetened teas.
- Candy. Excluded from the reduced grocery rate since September 2009.4Legal Information Institute. Illinois Admin Code Title 86, Section 130.310 – Food, Soft Drinks and Candy
- Prepared food. Hot foods, made-to-order sandwiches, and anything meant to be eaten on the premises.
- Alcoholic beverages. Always taxed at the standard rate.
Unsweetened coffee, tea, and milk-based drinks are not classified as soft drinks and follow the grocery rules.5Illinois Department of Revenue. PIO-101, Illinois Sales and Use Tax Matrix A rotisserie chicken from the deli case counts as prepared food and gets the full rate; a raw chicken from the meat counter is a grocery item.
What’s Completely Exempt
A few categories carry no state, county, or city tax at all in Springfield:
- Qualifying groceries, as of January 1, 2026, with no local replacement tax in Springfield.
- Feminine hygiene products. Tampons, menstrual pads, and menstrual cups are exempt through December 31, 2026.5Illinois Department of Revenue. PIO-101, Illinois Sales and Use Tax Matrix
- Dietary supplements. Vitamins and supplements are exempt from state tax.
- Manufacturing machinery and equipment used primarily (more than 50% of the time) to make tangible personal property for sale or lease. Businesses claim this with Form ST-587.6Illinois Department of Revenue. Exemption Certificate for Manufacturing, Production Agriculture, and Coal and Aggregate Mining
- Items purchased for resale. A retailer buying inventory doesn’t pay tax at the time of purchase.
Illinois does not exempt clothing, electronics, or most household goods. A new couch or winter coat in Springfield is taxed at the full 9.75%.
Business District Surcharges: Up to 10.75%
Some commercial areas inside Springfield carry a higher rate than 9.75%. Illinois law lets municipalities designate blighted commercial zones as Business Districts and add a retailers’ occupation tax to fund improvements inside those boundaries.7Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 65 ILCS 5/11-74.3-3 – Powers of Municipalities
Springfield has done this in zones like the Legacy Pointe Business District, which carries an extra 1% tax. Shoppers inside those zones pay as much as 10.75%. The surcharge appears automatically on your receipt and the extra revenue is earmarked for infrastructure in the district, not Springfield’s general budget.
Vehicles and Other Titled Property
Buying a car, trailer, motorcycle, or other titled item involves different forms and sourcing rules than a standard retail sale.
When you buy from a licensed Illinois dealer, the dealer collects the tax and files Form ST-556, the Sales Tax Transaction Return.8Illinois Department of Revenue. ST-556 Sales Tax Transaction Return Instructions The local tax rate depends on where you take delivery, not necessarily where the dealership is located.
Buying from an unregistered out-of-state dealer? You file Form RUT-25 yourself and pay the tax within 30 days of bringing the vehicle into Illinois.8Illinois Department of Revenue. ST-556 Sales Tax Transaction Return Instructions Private-party purchases use a different form: RUT-50 for vehicles, or RUT-75 for aircraft and watercraft. Using the wrong form is a common slip when titling a vehicle bought from an individual seller.
Online Purchases Shipped to Springfield
Starting January 1, 2026, Illinois moved to destination-based sourcing for remote sellers. When an online retailer ships tangible goods to a Springfield address, the sale is taxed at Springfield’s local rate of 9.75%.9Illinois Department of Revenue. FY 2026-12, Destination-Based Retailers’ Occupation Tax Changes
A remote seller has to collect Illinois sales tax once it hits $100,000 or more in cumulative gross receipts from Illinois sales during the lookback period. The older alternative threshold based on 200 separate transactions was removed on January 1, 2026.9Illinois Department of Revenue. FY 2026-12, Destination-Based Retailers’ Occupation Tax Changes Most major online retailers already collect the Springfield rate at checkout. If a seller doesn’t, the buyer technically owes use tax at the same rate.