Illinois taxes wages at a flat 4.95% state rate in 2026 — the same rate whatever you earn — on top of federal income tax and FICA. Use the calculators below to see your exact 2026 take-home pay in Illinois, check the sales tax on a purchase, and estimate a mortgage payment with Illinois property taxes factored in.
State Paycheck Calculator 2026
Estimate take-home pay after federal tax, FICA and your state’s income tax for the 2026 tax year.
How it works: the 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly) comes off your salary first, then the 2026 federal brackets (10%–37%). FICA is applied properly: 6.2% Social Security on the first $184,500 of wages (2026 wage base), 1.45% Medicare on all wages, plus 0.9% additional Medicare on wages above $200,000 single / $250,000 married filing jointly. State tax applies each state’s own standard deduction/exemptions, then its brackets or flat rate. Local income taxes are not included — many cities and counties (e.g. New York City, Philadelphia, most of Ohio, Maryland counties, Indiana counties, Kentucky) levy their own payroll taxes on top of the state tax.
Illinois sales tax calculator
The statewide base sales tax rate in Illinois is 6.25% in 2026. Cities and counties can add their own local tax on top of the base rate — enter any local add-on below to see the full tax and total price.
Sales Tax Calculator 2026
Estimate the sales tax and total price using each state’s base rate (2026), plus any local add-on.
State base rates are the 2026 state-level rates (local add-ons excluded). Actual combined rates vary widely by city and county — many localities add 1–5%. Five states have no statewide sales tax (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon), though some localities still levy local taxes.
Mortgage calculator for Illinois homes
The average effective property tax rate in Illinois is about 2.01% of a home’s value per year. When you use the mortgage calculator below, enter roughly that percentage of the home price in the yearly property tax field for a realistic Illinois monthly payment.
Mortgage Payment Calculator
Work out your monthly principal & interest payment, total interest and the true total cost of your loan.
How it works: your loan amount (price minus down payment) is repaid in equal monthly instalments using the standard amortisation formula, so early payments are mostly interest and later ones mostly principal. Property tax and insurance, if entered, are simply spread evenly across each month. Your actual rate and payment will depend on your lender, credit profile and the deal you choose.
Illinois will tax your paycheck at a flat 4.95% and let you think that’s the story. It isn’t. The real bill arrives later, on your house — at 2.01%, Illinois property tax is the second-highest in America, and on a $300,000 home it costs more than the state income tax on a $75,000 salary.
Income tax in Illinois in 2026
Illinois charges a flat 4.95%, and the flatness isn’t just policy — it’s written into the state constitution. Lawmakers in Springfield can’t switch to graduated brackets without changing the constitution itself.
Here’s the catch that catches people out. Illinois has no standard deduction. None. The only thing that reduces your taxable base is a personal exemption of $2,925. Compare that with Georgia’s $12,000 standard deduction, or the federal $16,100, and you see the problem: in Illinois, almost every dollar you earn is taxable income.
That exemption disappears entirely at higher incomes, too. If your adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 as a single filer, you don’t get the $2,925 at all.
So yes, 4.95% sounds moderate. But a moderate rate on nearly everything often beats a higher rate on much less — and not in your favour. Illinois workers at $75,000 end up with an effective rate near the top of the flat-tax states for exactly this reason.
Worked example: $75,000 salary, single filer
Step 1 — taxable income. With no standard deduction, you only subtract the $2,925 personal exemption. State taxable income is $72,075.
Step 2 — state tax. At a flat 4.95%, the Illinois tax is $3,567.71. That’s an effective rate of about 4.8% of gross pay — high for a flat-tax state, because almost every dollar is taxed.
Step 3 — federal tax. Federal income tax is $7,670.00, after the federal standard deduction of $16,100.
Step 4 — FICA. Payroll taxes total $5,737.50: $4,650.00 for Social Security and $1,087.50 for Medicare.
Step 5 — take-home. $75,000 minus $3,567.71, $7,670.00 and $5,737.50 leaves $58,024.79 a year, about $2,231.72 every two weeks.
Sales tax in Illinois
The state base rate is 6.25%, or $62.50 on a $1,000 purchase. Local taxes are then layered on, and in Chicago they push the combined rate past 10% — among the highest big-city totals in the country.
One change worth knowing for 2026: Illinois eliminated its 1% state tax on groceries from January 1, 2026. Groceries got cheaper at state level. But many local governments replaced that state tax with a local one of their own, so whether your food shop actually got cheaper depends on where you live. Check before you celebrate.
Property tax in Illinois
This is Illinois’s heavyweight tax. The average effective rate is 2.01%, a statewide average — the second-highest in the US. On a $300,000 home, the annual bill is $6,030.
Read that against the worked example again. $6,030 a year to own the home, versus $3,567.71 of state income tax on a $75,000 salary. Illinois collects at the property line, not just the paycheck, and it collects hard. It’s the main reason a state with a seemingly modest flat tax ranks among the most expensive overall for homeowners, and why two Illinois towns with similar house prices can still feel like different tax countries once local levies land.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Illinois’s flat tax written into the constitution?
The state constitution requires a flat rate, so moving to graduated brackets would take a constitutional amendment, not just legislation. The rate itself — currently 4.95% — is set by law.
Does Illinois really have no standard deduction?
Really. The only reduction is the $2,925 personal exemption, and even that vanishes if your AGI exceeds $250,000 as a single filer.
Did Illinois stop taxing groceries in 2026?
The state did — its 1% grocery tax ended on January 1, 2026. But many local governments introduced their own grocery tax to replace it, so your local rate may not have dropped.
Why are Illinois property taxes so high?
At a 2.01% average effective rate, they’re the second-highest in the US — $6,030 a year on a $300,000 home. Local services and schools are funded heavily through property tax here.
Is Chicago’s sales tax really over 10%?
Yes. The 6.25% state base plus county, city and other local layers pushes Chicago’s combined rate above 10%.
Do the maths on your own move with the paycheck, sales tax and mortgage calculators on this page — in Illinois, the mortgage one is where the true cost shows up.
This calculator is for guidance only and isn’t financial advice.