Sales tax nexus checker
Every state’s economic-nexus threshold against your own sales, so you know where you owe before a notice tells you.
OpenIllinois · Sales Tax & Chicago Cloud Tax
Illinois sales-tax-ready books for your CPA — including Chicago’s cloud tax.
Books your CPA can file Illinois sales tax from: we configure the combined rate by jurisdiction in your QuickBooks file and reconcile it so the IDOR ST-1 ties — and, for cloud-software and equipment-lease providers with Chicago customers, we set up Chicago’s 15% lease tax separately where your CPA confirms it applies. We keep the sales-tax records, reconciliations and schedules your tax professional needs to file; we do not file returns. Taxability and nexus stay with the authorities and your CPA.
If your file needs our paid diagnostic first, its fee is credited in full against the cleanup. Either way, you get a fixed fee in writing before any work starts.
State rule
Illinois rule: Form ST-1 is filed with the Illinois Department of Revenue monthly, quarterly or annually as the Department assigns from your average monthly liability, by the 20th of the month after the period; each period the sales-tax liability in QuickBooks ties to the ST-1. Source: IDOR, Form ST-1 instructions.
§ The short version
Illinois sales tax in QuickBooks: TechBrot configures the combined rate by jurisdiction (6.25% state plus local), maps your items, and reconciles the liability each period so the ST-1 ties, with Chicago’s 15% lease tax tracked separately where your CPA confirms it applies. We keep the records; taxability, nexus and filing stay with your CPA.
They took something that felt overwhelming to me as a first-year business owner and made it simple.
What stood out the most was TechBrot Inc’s attention to detail.
Intuit QuickBooks Certification Level 2 and QuickBooks Workforce Certification,
Tax-ready bookkeeping and documentation support only — no tax-return preparation, filing, tax representation or tax advice. TechBrot does not prepare or file tax returns; we work with your CPA or EA. TechBrot is a bookkeeping and advisory firm — not a tax authority, not Intuit, and not a CPA, EA, or attorney. We never trade accuracy for speed.
§ 01 · Illinois sales-tax facts that shape the setup
Three Illinois facts your QuickBooks must reflect.
Illinois sales tax is jurisdiction-driven, and Chicago layers a separate lease tax that includes non-possessory computer leases — these three decide how it’s configured.
6.25% + local
State 6.25% plus local rates, by jurisdiction
Illinois’s general state rate is 6.25% on general merchandise (Illinois Department of Revenue), with county, municipal and transit taxes added by location. Remote retailers collect state and local tax at the rate where the goods are shipped or delivered (86 Ill. Adm. Code 131.101), and the NITA transit portion rose 0.25 points in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties on August 1, 2026 (IDOR bulletin FY 2026-34) — so QuickBooks must carry current rates by location.IDOR
Filed with the IDOR on the ST-1
Sales tax is filed with the Illinois Department of Revenue on Form ST-1, monthly, quarterly or annually as the Department assigns from your average monthly liability, by the 20th of the month after the period (ST-1 instructions). We keep the books so the return ties; your CPA or your team files it. (City taxes like Chicago’s lease tax are separate — see below.)Cloud tax
Chicago’s 15% lease/SaaS tax — a city tax
The City of Chicago’s Personal Property Lease Transaction Tax is 15% of charges for all leases as of , including “the non-possessory lease of a computer to input, modify, or retrieve data supplied by the customer” (City of Chicago Department of Finance) — the part known as the “cloud tax.” It applies to lessors and lessees of personal property used in Chicago, is reported to the City on Form 7550, not to the IDOR, and is tracked separately from sales tax.§ 02 · What sales-tax help covers in Illinois
Configured by jurisdiction, reconciled every period.
We make QuickBooks compute and track Illinois sales tax — and Chicago’s separate cloud tax — correctly. The determinations stay with your CPA and the authorities.
01
Rate configured by jurisdiction
The correct combined rate set per customer jurisdiction in QuickBooks — not a single statewide guess.Bookkeeping services
02
Chicago cloud tax set up separately
Chicago’s 15% lease tax configured and tracked separately from sales tax where your CPA confirms it applies to your Chicago customers.QuickBooks accountant
03
Reconciled every period
The sales-tax (and lease-tax) liability reconciled each period so the IDOR ST-1 and the Chicago return tie to the books.Monthly bookkeeping
04
Cleanup of a misconfigured file
A common fix: sales tax set to one statewide rate, or the Chicago cloud tax never set up. We correct it and reconcile back.QuickBooks cleanup
05
Marketplace & channel reconciliation
Amazon, Shopify, and marketplace-collected tax reconciled against what QuickBooks records so nothing double-counts.Virtual bookkeeper
06
Coordinated with your CPA
We hand reconciled, return-ready figures to your CPA, who confirms taxability and files the ST-1 and any Chicago return.Replacement tax help
§ 03 · The scope
What we do — and what we don’t.
What TechBrot does
- Configure the correct combined Illinois rate by jurisdiction
- Set up Chicago’s lease tax separately where your CPA confirms it applies to your Chicago customers
- Map products and services to the correct sales-tax items
- Reconcile the sales-tax and lease-tax liability each filing period
- Correct a misconfigured or single-rate sales-tax setup
- Hand reconciled, return-ready figures to your CPA
What your CPA does
- Determine whether you have Illinois sales-tax or Chicago lease-tax nexus
- Make taxability determinations on your products or services
- File the IDOR ST-1 or the Chicago lease-tax return
- Represent you before the IDOR or the City of Chicago, or provide tax advice
- Step 1
Free sales-tax review
A QuickBooks ProAdvisor reviews how sales tax (and, if relevant, the Chicago lease tax) is configured in your QuickBooks file and flags what’s wrong, at no cost. - Step 2
Written fixed-fee scope
Within 3 business days you get a written scope and fixed fee for setup, cleanup, and ongoing reconciliation. - Step 3
Configure & correct
We set the correct rates by jurisdiction, set up Chicago’s cloud tax where needed, map items, and reconcile any prior misconfiguration back to clean. - Step 4
Reconcile each period
We reconcile the liability every period and hand return-ready figures to your CPA, who confirms taxability and files.
§ 05 · The advisory line
Automation handles the data entry. We handle the judgment.
Illinois sales tax goes wrong in predictable ways — one statewide rate instead of by jurisdiction, marketplace tax double-counted — and the Chicago cloud tax goes wrong in one big way: software companies assume they’re untaxed and never set up Chicago’s lease tax, building an exposure that grew as the rate climbed to 15%. None of those are filing problems; they’re bookkeeping setup problems, and they’re exactly what a QuickBooks ProAdvisor fixes.
Records example: a separate sales-tax liability account for each rate or jurisdiction, the QuickBooks Sales Tax Liability report for the ST-1 period, and a reconciliation tying that liability to the return your CPA files; Chicago’s lease tax gets its own liability account, reconciled to the Form 7550 amount.
We draw a hard line: we configure and reconcile, the authorities’ rules and your CPA decide taxability and nexus and file the returns. That division keeps each decision with the person qualified to make it.
§ 06 · Around this page
Around Illinois.
Illinois QuickBooks ProAdvisor & bookkeeping
The state page: services, industries, cities and the Illinois tax terms in one place.Sales-tax records, nationally
The national engagement this page is the Illinois version of — same scope, same written fixed fee.Also in Illinois
Illinois cities
Not sure where your file stands? Start with the free QuickBooks file review · how Illinois compares: state-by-state tax quirks.
§ 07 · Around the engagement
Before you engage anyone.
Sales tax compliance guide
Nexus, registration, collection, and filing — the whole cycle, and where QuickBooks tracking goes wrong.
OpenIllinois state tax notice help
A sales-tax problem usually surfaces as a notice from the state. This is what the notice means and what answering it takes.
Open§ 08 · Common questions
Illinois sales tax & Chicago cloud tax questions.
What is the Illinois sales tax rate?
6.25% on general merchandise at the state level, plus county, municipal and transit taxes that vary by location; the transit (NITA) portion rose 0.25 points in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties on August 1, 2026. Remote retailers collect at the rate where the goods are shipped or delivered. QuickBooks has to carry the correct combined rate by location, not a single statewide rate.
Does Illinois tax SaaS, and what is Chicago's cloud tax?
Whether a software or cloud charge is taxable under Illinois sales and use tax is a determination for your CPA under the Department’s rules. The City of Chicago has its own tax: the Personal Property Lease Transaction Tax, 15% of charges for all leases as of , including “the non-possessory lease of a computer to input, modify, or retrieve data supplied by the customer” — the “cloud tax.” It applies to lessors and lessees of personal property used in Chicago, is reported to the City’s Department of Finance on Form 7550, and is tracked separately from Illinois sales tax in QuickBooks. We set it up; your CPA confirms applicability and files.
Who do I file Illinois sales tax with?
The Illinois Department of Revenue, on Form ST-1, monthly, quarterly or annually as the Department assigns from your average monthly liability. Chicago city taxes (the lease/cloud tax, the amusement tax) are filed separately with the City of Chicago Department of Finance. TechBrot keeps the QuickBooks file reconciled so each return ties; your CPA or your team files.
What does TechBrot actually do for my sales and lease tax?
We configure the correct combined rate by jurisdiction, map your products and services to the right sales-tax items, reconcile the liability each period so the ST-1 ties, and set up Chicago’s lease/cloud tax separately where it applies — with no surprise liability. We keep the books; your CPA confirms taxability and files the IDOR and any Chicago return.
My QuickBooks sales tax is set to one rate for all of Illinois. Is that a problem?
Usually, yes. The combined rate varies by jurisdiction — county, municipal and transit taxes are added to the 6.25% state rate by location — so a single statewide rate either over- or under-collects, and the return won’t tie. It is a setup issue we fix: we set the correct per-jurisdiction rates and reconcile prior periods back to clean.
Do you file my Illinois sales-tax or Chicago lease-tax return?
No. We keep the sales-tax records, reconciliations and schedules your tax professional needs to file; we do not file returns. TechBrot is a bookkeeping and advisory firm — we keep the QuickBooks file accurate and reconciled and coordinate with your CPA, who confirms taxability and nexus and files the IDOR ST-1 and the Chicago lease-tax return. We do not file or represent clients, and we are not affiliated with the IDOR or the City of Chicago.
Checked against the Illinois Department of Revenue and the City of Chicago Department of Finance.
Illinois businesses start here