Wisconsin sales tax
Wisconsin charges a state sales tax of 5%. Local jurisdictions add their own on top, averaging 0.72%, which brings the typical combined rate to 5.72%. That combined rate is the 43rd highest of the 51 US states and DC.
What is the Wisconsin sales tax rate in 2026?
| Component | Rate | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| State rate | 5% | Charged everywhere in Wisconsin. |
| Average local rate | 0.72% | A statewide average, not the rate at any one address. Your city or county may be higher or lower. |
| Typical combined rate | 5.72% | State plus average local. This is the figure usually quoted for Wisconsin. |
To put the numbers in a sentence: the Wisconsin state rate is 5%, the average local rate is 0.72%, and the typical combined rate is 5.72%.
Do local jurisdictions add their own sales tax in Wisconsin?
Yes. The 0.72% figure above is a statewide average, which means it is wrong for almost every specific address. Two shops a few miles apart can charge different totals on the same item because they sit in different taxing jurisdictions. If you are collecting tax, or checking a receipt, the average is a sanity check and not an answer. Use the official lookup below.
What is the sales tax rate in my county in Wisconsin?
Every one of Wisconsin's counties has its own page with the rate, its components, and what the rate does not cover: Wisconsin sales tax by county. That is where the question is usually settled, because a statewide average is wrong for almost every specific address.
What is unusual about sales tax in Wisconsin?
Groceries are exempt (clothing is not); as of Jan 1, 2024 Milwaukee County (+0.9%) and the City of Milwaukee (+2%) add new local taxes, pushing the city's combined rate to 7.9%, the highest in the state.
How do I calculate sales tax on a purchase in Wisconsin?
Multiply the taxable price by the combined rate. On a $100 purchase at the typical Wisconsin combined rate of 5.72%, the tax is $5.72, for a total of $105.72. On a $1,000 purchase the tax is $57.20.
Two things change that arithmetic. Your actual local rate may differ from the statewide average, and not everything is taxable: most states exempt some combination of groceries, prescription drugs and certain services. Use the sales tax calculator to run a different amount or a different state.
When does a business have to collect Wisconsin sales tax?
A business with a physical presence in Wisconsin has always had to register and collect. Since the Supreme Court's 2018 Wayfair decision, a remote seller with no physical presence also has to collect once it crosses the state's economic nexus threshold.
In Wisconsin that threshold is $100,000 in sales, with no transaction-count test, measured over the previous or current calendar year. Note that exempt sales count toward the threshold in Wisconsin, so you can cross it on revenue you never charged tax on.
Wisconsin eliminated its 200-transaction threshold effective February 20, 2021, leaving a $100,000 gross-sales-only test measured on a calendar-year basis.
You can check your own numbers against every state with the economic nexus checker.
How do I find the exact sales tax rate for an address in Wisconsin?
Use the state's own lookup rather than an average. Wisconsin publishes an official rate finder at https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/Apps/strb.aspx, which returns the combined rate for a specific address. That is the figure that governs what you charge or what you should have been charged.
The flat truth on Wisconsin sales tax
The number worth remembering is 5.72%, the typical combined rate, but treat it as an estimate. It is a statewide average, and your address decides the real figure.
See also: Wisconsin property tax by county and state income tax rates.
Sources
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue / Tax Foundation, State and Local Sales Tax Rates (Jan. 2026)
- Wisconsin official rate lookup
- Wisconsin economic nexus guidance (Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Remote Sellers (Wayfair Decision) page)
- Rates reviewed August 30, 2026. State base rates verified against each state's Department of Revenue; average local rates from the Tax Foundation and are statewide averages, not the rate at any single address. Use officialLookupUrl for an exact combined rate.