The sales tax rate in Wood Dale, Illinois is 8.00% on general merchandise. That rate covers most retail purchases inside city limits, including clothing, electronics, furniture, and household goods. Groceries, medicine, and vehicles are taxed at lower rates.
What Makes Up the 8.00%
Three taxing bodies stack to produce the 8.00% total:
- State of Illinois: 6.25%. This is the Retailers’ Occupation Tax that applies statewide, with 1.25% of it shared back to local governments where the sale occurs.
- Regional Transportation Authority: 0.75%. The RTA tax applies across the six-county Chicago metropolitan area, including all of DuPage County, and funds Metra and Pace.
- Wood Dale home rule tax: 1.00%. As a home rule municipality, Wood Dale imposes its own local sales tax for city services and infrastructure.
DuPage County itself does not add a separate county-level sales tax. The 0.75% regional piece sometimes attributed to the county is the RTA tax. Retailers collect the full 8.00% at the register and remit it to the Illinois Department of Revenue, which distributes each share to the right taxing body.
Lower Rates on Food, Medicine, and Vehicles
Illinois taxes qualifying food bought for off-premises consumption, prescription and nonprescription drugs, and medical appliances at a reduced state rate of 1.00% instead of 6.25%.1Illinois Department of Revenue. What Is Significant About Retail Sales of Qualifying Drugs and Medical Appliances The 0.75% RTA tax still applies, so these items land at roughly 1.75% in Wood Dale. Candy, soft drinks, alcohol, and food prepared for immediate consumption do not qualify for the reduced rate.2Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code Title 86, Section 140.126 – Taxation of Food, Drugs and Medical Appliances
Titled property such as cars, motorcycles, and trailers follows a different path. Home rule municipal taxes generally do not apply to vehicle purchases, so a car bought in Wood Dale is taxed at roughly 7.00% (the 6.25% state rate plus 0.75% RTA) rather than the full 8.00%. The tax on titled vehicles is typically collected when you register the vehicle with the Secretary of State’s office, not paid to the dealer.
Online and Out-of-State Purchases
Buying from an out-of-state retailer and shipping to Wood Dale does not avoid the tax. Starting January 1, 2026, any remote seller or marketplace facilitator with $100,000 or more in cumulative gross receipts from sales to Illinois buyers must collect and remit the full destination-based sales tax.3Illinois Department of Revenue. Destination-Based Retailers’ Occupation Tax Changes Illinois dropped the old 200-transaction alternative threshold, so only the dollar amount matters.
When an out-of-state seller does not collect Illinois tax, you owe Illinois use tax directly. The use tax rate mirrors the sales tax: 6.25% for general merchandise and 1.00% for qualifying food, drugs, and medical appliances.4Illinois Department of Revenue. Use Tax Rates If you already paid sales tax to another state, Illinois credits that amount, but you owe the difference when the other state’s rate was lower. Individual residents report use tax on their Illinois income tax return.
How Wood Dale Compares Nearby
Rates vary across DuPage County because each municipality sets its own home rule tax. Addison’s combined rate rose to 8.75% effective July 1, 2025, reflecting a home rule tax of 1.75% on top of the state and RTA layers.5Illinois Department of Revenue. Sales Tax Rate Change Summary, Effective July 1, 2025 That puts Addison 0.75 percentage points above Wood Dale.
Rates change as municipalities adjust their home rule taxes. You can confirm the current rate for any Illinois address using the Tax Rate Finder on the Illinois Department of Revenue’s website.6Illinois Department of Revenue. Tax Rate Database On a large purchase, a fraction of a percentage point adds up, so it’s worth checking before you buy.