POS system and accounting software for Illinois businesses
Illinois taxes general merchandise and qualifying food at different rates, and Chicago stacks city and county taxes to 10.25%. SeroPOS and SeroBooks handle split rates, local add-ons and US payroll for businesses from Chicago to Springfield.
Illinois, handled by Sero
Two rate classes
Item tax codes separate general merchandise at 6.25% state from the low-rate class for qualifying food, drugs and medical items.
Prepared vs grocery food
Restaurant meals and soft drinks take the general rate, while qualifying grocery food takes the reduced class.
Local rates per store
Each location carries its home rule, county and transit taxes, up to 10.25% in Chicago.
Nexus in 50 states
SeroBooks watches your sales into each state, including Illinois’ $100,000 or 200-transaction test.
US payroll in SeroBooks Pro
Federal and Illinois withholding, W-2 EFW2 files and 1099-NEC slips in the same ledger.
Grocery-grade inventory
Barcode scanning, lot and expiry tracking and purchase orders for grocers and pharmacies.
One company, one login, three products that share their numbers
SeroPOS
The point of sale built for the rush.
Point of sale for restaurants and retail — tables, kitchen tickets, inventory, loyalty and online ordering on iPad, Android, Windows and Mac.
SeroBooks
The books, the store, the bank. One ledger.
Accounting that runs the whole business — invoicing, inventory, banking, sales tax, payroll and year-end for Canada and the United States.
SeroPayroll
Payroll for every province. Right to the cent.
Canadian payroll for all 13 provinces and territories — CPP, EI, QPP, vacation, stat holidays, remittances, T4s and ROEs.
Illinois’ two-rate sales tax
Illinois sales tax is technically a Retailers’ Occupation Tax on the seller, administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue. General merchandise is taxed at a 6.25% state rate. Qualifying food for home consumption, prescription and non-prescription drugs and certain medical appliances fall into a separate low-rate class, and that class is where most of the recent change has happened.
Illinois ended its 1% state tax on qualifying grocery food at the start of 2026, and many municipalities have adopted their own local grocery tax in its place, so the right rate on a bag of groceries now depends heavily on where the store is. SeroPOS lets each item carry its rate class and each store carry its local rates, so a grocer in Chicago and another in Peoria each ring the right total.
Chicago and Cook County
Chicago’s combined general rate is 10.25%: the 6.25% state rate plus Cook County, City of Chicago and Regional Transportation Authority taxes. Restaurants and bars face more, since Chicago and some neighbouring areas add taxes on restaurant meals, soft drinks, bottled water or liquor that sit on top of the sales tax and are reported separately.
For a Chicago restaurant or bar, that means a single bill might carry three or four tax components. SeroPOS assigns tax codes per menu item, and each code can combine several taxes, so a burger, a fountain drink and a cocktail post their tax to the right accounts. SeroBooks keeps each tax separate for its own return.
- General merchandise: 6.25% state, up to 10.25% combined in Chicago
- Qualifying food and drugs: separate low-rate class
- Restaurant meals and soft drinks: general rate plus local taxes in some areas
- Remote sellers: Illinois nexus at $100,000 or 200 transactions
Payroll and nexus for Illinois businesses
SeroPayroll is Canada-only. Illinois employers run payroll in SeroBooks Pro at $300 a month, which handles federal and state withholding, including Illinois’ flat-rate state income tax, and produces W-2 files in EFW2 format and 1099-NEC slips. Payroll posts once to the same ledger as sales, inventory and purchases. Nothing is keyed twice.
Illinois’ economic nexus threshold for remote sellers is $100,000 in gross receipts or 200 separate transactions into the state over the prior 12 months. Remote retailers above the threshold collect the combined state and local rate at the customer’s location. SeroBooks watches nexus across all 50 states so you see each threshold coming.
Chicago, the suburbs and downstate
SeroPOS runs pizzerias in Chicago’s neighbourhoods, taquerias in Pilsen, cafés in Wicker Park, grocers in Albany Park and liquor stores in Aurora, Naperville and Joliet. Downstate, it serves retailers in Rockford, Peoria and Springfield. SeroBooks covers the wholesalers and distributors that supply them, with purchase orders, landed cost and warehouse bins.
Sero is based in British Columbia, Canada, and serves Illinois remotely by US phone at +1 (213) 265-9014, email and in-app chat, with no Illinois office. SeroPOS starts at $29.99 a month and SeroBooks at $79.99, each with a 14-day free trial. Extra locations are $100 a month each, and accountants get free practice seats in SeroBooks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the sales tax rate in Illinois?
The Illinois state rate on general merchandise is 6.25%, and local taxes raise combined rates, up to 10.25% in Chicago. Qualifying food, drugs and medical appliances fall into a separate low-rate class. SeroPOS assigns rate classes per item and local rates per store.
Are groceries taxed in Illinois?
Illinois ended its 1% state tax on qualifying grocery food at the start of 2026, but many municipalities have adopted their own local grocery tax, so the rate depends on the store’s location. Prepared food and soft drinks are taxed at the general rate. Check your local rate with the Illinois Department of Revenue.
What is Illinois’ economic nexus threshold?
Remote sellers must collect Illinois tax once they have $100,000 in gross receipts or 200 separate transactions into the state in the previous 12 months. SeroBooks watches your sales into every state against its threshold and flags when you approach one.
Can SeroPOS handle Chicago’s restaurant taxes?
Yes. SeroPOS tax codes can combine several taxes per menu item, so food, soft drinks and liquor can each carry the state, county, city and any additional local taxes that apply. SeroBooks keeps each tax in its own account for reporting.
Does Sero support Illinois payroll?
Yes, in SeroBooks Pro at $300 a month, with federal and state withholding, W-2 EFW2 files and 1099-NEC slips. SeroPayroll, the standalone product, is for Canadian payroll only. Payroll posts once to the same ledger as sales, inventory and purchases, and Illinois’ flat-rate state income tax is part of the withholding calculation.