Credit card processing and merchant services in Joliet, IL
Joliet hotels and motels owe the City 10% of every room charge, paid quarterly, and Joliet's home rule sales tax sits on top of the state's 6.25% for general merchandise.
Some Joliet taxes are paid to the City, not to the state. Lodging is the clearest case. Under Chapter 28, Article VII of the City Code, hotels and motels collect 10% of the gross rental or leasing charge, and the City Clerk's page on collecting city taxes says that tax is remitted every quarter. A $150 room carries $15 of it before any other tax. Set it up as a separate line in the booking system and at the front desk, and you can pull the quarterly total from a single report.
General merchandise runs through the state. The Clerk's sales tax rates page records Joliet's home rule sales tax going from 1.25% to 1.75% on January 1, 2012. The Illinois Department of Revenue says home rule rates are set in 0.25% steps with no maximum, and that local rates usually change on January 1 or July 1. A rate typed into a terminal years ago deserves a fresh look in IDOR's Tax Rate Finder.
Groceries are the open question for 2026. Illinois dropped its own grocery tax on January 1, and Joliet put a proposal to keep a local 1% grocery tax on a City Council agenda. Look up your address before you assume grocery items are untaxed now.
No Illinois statute caps card surcharges, so the ceiling is whatever the networks allow: 3% on a Visa credit card, 4% on a Mastercard. The state's cash-acceptance law arrives on January 1, 2028. The Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate put Joliet at 152,241 residents, 1.2% above its April 2020 base. Hotels should read our guide to hotel card processing for holds and deposits. Everyone else can get a free statement review and see the same card sales priced on interchange-plus.
Rules that matter in Joliet
Joliet's 10% hotel and motel tax
Hotels and motels in Joliet collect a tax of 10% of the gross rental or leasing charge under Chapter 28, Article VII of the City Code. It's remitted to the City quarterly, apart from the sales tax you report to the state, so give it a line of its own on the folio and in your booking system.
Source: City of Joliet, City Clerk, Collection of city sales tax
Checking Joliet's home rule sales tax
The City Clerk's sales tax rates page records Joliet's home rule sales tax on general merchandise rising from 1.25% to 1.75% effective January 1, 2012. The Illinois Department of Revenue says home rule sales tax can be imposed in 0.25% increments with no maximum rate, and local rates are generally subject to change on January 1 and July 1. Confirm the total for each address in IDOR's Tax Rate Finder.
Sources: City of Joliet, City Clerk, Joliet sales tax rates; Illinois Department of Revenue, Home rule and non-home rule sales taxes; Illinois Department of Revenue, Sales and use taxes
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Common questions
What is Joliet's hotel and motel tax rate?
10% of the gross rental or leasing charge, under Chapter 28, Article VII of the City Code, remitted to the City every quarter. A $150 night carries $15 of it. Track it separately from sales tax so the quarterly return matches what guests actually paid.
Is Joliet's home rule sales tax still 1.75%?
The City Clerk's rates page shows it going from 1.25% to 1.75% on general merchandise on January 1, 2012. We couldn't confirm today's figure, and Illinois lets local rates change on January 1 and July 1, so look the address up in IDOR's Tax Rate Finder when you program a terminal.
Do Joliet stores charge tax on groceries in 2026?
The state's own 1% ended on January 1, 2026, but Illinois lets cities and counties adopt a local 1% grocery tax, and Joliet put a proposal to keep one on a City Council agenda. Look up your address in IDOR's Tax Rate Finder, and give groceries their own tax category either way.
Is it legal for a Joliet hotel to surcharge credit cards?
Yes. Illinois has no law capping surcharges, so the limits come from the networks. A Visa credit surcharge can reach 3% and a Mastercard one 4%, but never more than your processing cost, and debit and prepaid cards are excluded. On a $150 room, 3% adds $4.50, so tell guests when they book and at the desk, and show it on the folio. Before you add it, see what interchange-plus pricing would save.
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Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
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