Sales tax in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

What is the sales tax rate in Milwaukee County?

The combined figures are the lowest and highest totals anywhere in Milwaukee County, so the rows above do not add up to them.

How much sales tax is that on a purchase in Milwaukee County?

At 5.9%, a $100 purchase carries $5.90 in sales tax and a $1,000 purchase $59.00, at the lowest rate in the county. At the highest, 7.9%, the same purchases carry $7.90 and $79.00. That is general merchandise; Wisconsin taxes some categories, often groceries, differently, as the note below explains.

Milwaukee County's lowest rate is the highest in Wisconsin. See every Wisconsin county.

Sales tax in counties next to Milwaukee County

Milwaukee County borders 6 counties, 2 of them in another state. The lowest rate next door is 5% in Waukesha County, WI, which is $9.00 less on a $1,000 purchase than the lowest rate in Milwaukee County.

Why the rate here is not the whole story

Wisconsin's state sales and use tax is 5 percent and Milwaukee County levies a 0.9 percent county sales and use tax, raised from 0.5 percent effective January 1, 2024 under 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, so the floor anywhere in the county is 5.9 percent. On the same date the city of Milwaukee added a 2 percent city sales and use tax, the only city sales tax in Wisconsin, so an address inside the city is taxed at 7.9 percent while the rest of the county stays at 5.9 percent. That is why the county line is not the tax boundary here and why an address level lookup matters. Groceries are mostly untaxed here: Wisconsin exempts all food and food ingredients except candy, dietary supplements, prepared food and soft drinks, so a normal grocery receipt carries no sales tax at any of these rates. No stadium district tax is in effect anywhere in Wisconsin. The Brown County football stadium tax ended September 30, 2015 and the professional baseball park district tax ended March 31, 2020, and the Department's current rate chart and rate and boundary files list no district tax other than the Milwaukee County local exposition taxes on lodging, prepared food and beverages and short term car rentals, which are separate taxes on certain sellers.

How do I find the exact rate for an address in Milwaukee County?

Use Wisconsin's own address lookup. In Milwaukee County the rate depends on the address, anywhere from 5.9% to 7.9%.

Who has to collect sales tax in Milwaukee County?

Any seller with a physical presence in Wisconsin collects at the rate for the address of the sale; a remote seller does once it passes Wisconsin's economic nexus threshold. Wisconsin sales tax covers the statewide rules and what is exempt.

Work out your own numbers

• Sales tax calculator

  Tax on a specific purchase at this county's rate, and the total you will actually pay.

• Do you have to collect?

  Whether your sales into Wisconsin cross its economic nexus threshold. A different question from the rate.

• Property tax in Milwaukee County

  The other local tax: effective rate and median bill for this county.

• Sales tax by county

  Every US county, and how Wisconsin compares with the rest of the country.