What is the sales tax rate in Lake County, IL?
Answered by Eshu Chikoti · Licensed Illinois real estate broker, RE/MAX Top Performers
Answered October 9, 2026 · Lake County
In Lake County, Illinois, sales tax on general merchandise starts at 7.25%: the 6.25% statewide rate plus a 1.00% regional transit tax. That transit tax, now collected for the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (formerly the RTA), went up by 0.25% on August 1, 2026, in Lake and five other northern Illinois counties. Many cities and villages add their own local sales tax on top, so the total you pay at the register depends on the store's address. For example, the state's January 2026 rate bulletin lists local increases in Fox Lake, Fox River Grove and Lakemoor. To check the exact combined rate for any address, the Illinois Department of Revenue points people to the Tax Rate Finder on MyTax Illinois at mytax.illinois.gov.
Sources
About the author
Licensed Illinois real estate broker, RE/MAX Top Performers
I help people buy, sell and rent homes across Lake County. Each answer here is researched from the sources listed above.