AUTHORITY: Implementing the Service Use Tax Act [35 ILCS 110] and authorized by Section 2505-100 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. (Department of Revenue Law) [20 ILCS 2505/2505-100].
SOURCE: Adopted May 21, 1962; codified at 6 Ill. Reg. 9326; amended at 8 Ill. Reg. 8619, effective June 5, 1984; amended at 11 Ill. Reg. 5322, effective March 17, 1987; amended at 11 Ill. Reg. 9963, effective May 8, 1987; amended at 13 Ill. Reg. 9399, effective June 6, 1989; amended at 15 Ill. Reg. 5845, effective April 5, 1991; amended at 18 Ill. Reg. 1557, effective January 13, 1994; amended at 20 Ill. Reg. 7015, effective May 7, 1996; amended at 20 Ill. Reg. 16219, effective December 16, 1996; amended at 24 Ill. Reg. 8135, effective May 26, 2000; amended at 25 Ill. Reg. 5015, effective March 23, 2001; amended at 26 Ill. Reg. 4929, effective March 15, 2002; amended at 27 Ill. Reg. 822, effective January 3, 2003; emergency amendment at 27 Ill. Reg. 11216, effective July 1, 2003, for a maximum of 150 days; emergency expired November 27, 2003; emergency amendment at 28 Ill. Reg. 15275, effective November 3, 2004, for a maximum of 150 days; emergency expired April 1, 2005; amended at 29 Ill. Reg. 7088, effective April 26, 2005; amended at 38 Ill. Reg. 20034, effective October 1, 2014; amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 18861, effective November 1, 2022; amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 10710, effective July 2, 2024.
Section 160.101 Nature of the Tax
a) The Service Use Tax is a privilege tax imposed on the privilege of using, in this State, tangible personal property that is received anywhere as an incident to a purchase of service from a serviceman, as "serviceman" is defined in the Act. However, if the serviceman would not be taxable under the Service Occupation Tax Act [35 ILCS 115] despite all elements of the sale of service occurring in Illinois, then the tax imposed by the Service Use Tax Act does not apply to the use of such property in this State. [35 ILCS 110/3-55] Transfers of tangible personal property by de minimis servicemen who incur Use Tax as described in 86 Ill. Adm. Code 140.108 do not constitute sales of service under Section 2(g) of the Service Occupation Tax Act. As a result, customers of such de minimis servicemen do not incur Service Use Tax liability on such transfers.
b) On and after January 1, 2001, prepaid telephone calling arrangements shall be considered tangible personal property subject to the tax imposed under the Act regardless of the form in which those arrangements may be embodied, transmitted, or fixed by any method now known or hereafter developed. [35 ILCS 110/3] "Prepaid telephone calling arrangements" means the right to exclusively purchase telephone or telecommunications services that must be paid for in advance and enable the origination of one or more intrastate, interstate, or international telephone calls or other telecommunications using an access number, an authorization code, or both, whether manually or electronically dialed, for which payment to a retailer must be made in advance, provided that, unless recharged, no further service is provided once that prepaid amount of service has been consumed. Prepaid telephone calling arrangements include the recharge of a prepaid calling arrangement. For purposes of this Section, "recharge" means the purchase of additional prepaid telephone or telecommunications services whether or not the purchaser acquires a different access number or authorization code. For purposes of this Section, "telecommunications" means that term as defined in Section 2 of the Telecommunications Excise Tax Act [35 ILCS 630]. "Prepaid telephone calling arrangement" does not include an arrangement whereby the service provider reflects the amount of the purchase as a credit on an account for a customer under an existing subscription plan. [35 ILCS 110/3-27]
c) Evidence that property was sold by any person for delivery to a person residing in or engaged in business in this State shall be prima facie evidence that such property was sold for use in this State. [35 ILCS 110/4]
d) Rate
Unless otherwise provided in this Section 160.101, the rate of tax is 6.25% of the serviceman's selling price of the tangible personal property transferred by the serviceman as an incident to a sale of service, but, in no event shall the selling price be less than the cost price of the property to the serviceman. See 86 Ill. Adm. Code 160.115 for more information on Service Use Tax computation.
1) Effective January 1, 1990, and prior to July 1, 2003, sales of gasohol are subject to tax, based upon 70% of the selling price of gasohol transferred as an incident to a sale of service. On and after July 1, 2003 and on or before July 1, 2017, tax shall be based upon 80% of the selling price of gasohol transferred as an incident to the sale of service. After July 1, 2017, and prior to January 1, 2024, tax shall be based upon 100% of the selling price of gasohol transferred as an incident to the sale of service. On and after January 1, 2024, and prior to January 1, 2029, tax shall be based upon 90% of the proceeds of the selling price of gasohol transferred as an incident to the sale of service. On and after January 1, 2029, tax shall be based upon 100% of the selling price of gasohol transferred as an incident to the sale of service. Effective July 1, 2003, if at any time, the tax under the Act on sales of gasohol as defined by the Use Tax Act, is imposed at the rate of 1.25%, then the tax imposed by the Act applies to 100% of the proceeds of sales of gasohol made during that time. [35 ILCS 110/3-10]
2) With respect to mid-range ethanol blends, as defined in Section 3-44.3 of the Use Tax Act, the tax imposed by the Act applies to 80% of the selling price of property transferred as an incident to the sale of service on or after January 1, 2024 and on or before December 31, 2028 and 100% of the selling price of property transferred as an incident to the sale of service after December 31, 2028. If, at any time, however, the tax under the Act on sales of mid-range ethanol blends is imposed at the rate of 1.25%, then the tax imposed by the Act applies to 100% of the selling price of mid-range ethanol blends transferred as an incident to the sale of service during that time. [35 ILCS 110/3-10]
3) With respect to majority blended ethanol fuel, as defined in the Use Tax Act, the tax imposed by the Act does not apply to the selling price of property transferred as an incident to the sale of service on or after July 1, 2003 and on or before December 31, 2028, but applies to 100% of the selling price thereafter. [35 ILCS 110/3-10]
4) With respect to biodiesel blends, as defined in Section 3-42 of the Use Tax Act, with no less than 1% and no more than 10% biodiesel, the tax imposed by the Act applies to 80% of the selling price of property transferred as an incident to the sale of service on or after July 1, 2003 and on or before December 31, 2018 and 100% of the proceeds of the selling price after December 31, 2018 and before January 1, 2024. On and after January 1, 2024 and on or before December 31, 2030, the taxation of biodiesel, renewable diesel, as defined in Section 3-42.5 of the Use Tax Act, and biodiesel blends shall be as provided in Section 3-5.1 of the Use Tax Act. If, at any time, however, the tax under the Act on sales of biodiesel blends, as defined in the Use Tax Act, with no less than 1% and no more than 10% biodiesel is imposed at the rate of 1.25%, then the tax imposed by the Act applies to 100% of the proceeds of sales of biodiesel blends with no less than 1% and no more than 10% biodiesel made during that time.
5) With respect to biodiesel as defined in Section 3-41 of the Use Tax Act, and biodiesel blends, as defined in Section 3-42 of the Use Tax Act, with more than 10% but no more than 99% biodiesel, the tax imposed by the Act does not apply to the proceeds of the selling price of property transferred as an incident to the sale of service on or after July 1, 2003 and on or before December 31, 2023. On and after January 1, 2024 and on or before December 31, 2030, the taxation of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and biodiesel blends shall be as provided in Section 3-5.1 of the Use Tax Act.
6) The tax shall be imposed at the rate of 1% on food prepared for immediate consumption and transferred incident to a sale of service subject to this Act or the Service Occupation Tax Act by an entity licensed under the Hospital Licensing Act, the Nursing Home Care Act, the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act, the ID/DD Community Care Act, the MC/DD Act, the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013, or the Child Care Act of 1969, or an entity that holds a permit issued pursuant to the Life Care Facilities Act. The tax shall also be imposed at the rate of 1% on food for human consumption that is to be consumed off the premises where it is sold (other than alcoholic beverages, food consisting of or infused with adult use cannabis, soft drinks, and food that has been prepared for immediate consumption and is not otherwise included in this paragraph) and prescription and nonprescription medicines, drugs, medical appliances, products classified as Class III medical devices by the United States Food and Drug Administration that are used for cancer treatment pursuant to a prescription, as well as any accessories and components related to those devices, modifications to a motor vehicle for the purpose of rendering it usable by a person with a disability, and insulin, blood sugar testing materials, syringes, and needles used by human diabetics. [35 ILCS 110/3-10] See 86 Ill. Adm. Code 130.310 for the definitions of "food for consumption that is to be consumed off the premises where sold", "candy", soft drinks", and "prescription and non-prescription medicines and drugs".
e) If the property that is purchased from a serviceman as an incident to a sale of service is acquired outside Illinois and used outside Illinois before being brought to Illinois for use here and is nevertheless taxable under the Service Use Tax Act, the tax base on which the tax is computed shall be reduced by an amount which represents a reasonable allowance for depreciation for the period of such prior out-of-State use. [35 ILCS 110/3-10] A "reasonable allowance for depreciation" is deemed to be the amount of depreciation as provided in 86 Ill. Adm. Code 150.110.
f) The date of the purchase of service is deemed to be the date of the delivery, to the user, of the tangible personal property which the serviceman transfers as an incident to a sale of service.
g) The Service Use Tax Act complements the Service Occupation Tax Act. That is why the Service Use Tax is restricted to cases in which the property is purchased from a serviceman as an incident to a sale of service.
h) If a serviceman incurring Service Occupation Tax Liability is required or authorized to collect the Service Use Tax (see Section 160.115 for further information), the purchaser must pay the tax to the serviceman. The Department will presume that a serviceman is required or authorized to collect the Service Use Tax if the serviceman bills tax to the service customer. Stated conversely, if an invoice from a serviceman does not show the tax, the Department will presume that the serviceman is either registered and has included the Service Use Tax in the selling price of the tangible personal property transferred or is a de minimis serviceman incurring a Use Tax liability, in which case there is no collection obligation on the part of the purchaser. This presumption will be overcome only where the Department has evidence that the serviceman and/or the service customer were both aware that the proper tax due was the Service Use Tax and that no action was taken to remit the Service Use Tax by either party to the Transaction. A serviceman need not remit that part of any Service Use Tax collected by the serviceman to the extent that the serviceman is required to pay and does pay Service Occupation Tax to the Department on the serviceman's sales of service involving the transfer by the serviceman of the same property, provided, however, that the amount paid to the Department is equal to or exceeds the amount collected from the service customer.
(Source: Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 10710, effective July 2, 2024)
Section 160.105 Definitions
For definitions of terms other than "Use", "Purchased from a Serviceman", "Purchaser", "Sale of Service", "Selling Price", and "Serviceman maintaining a place of business in this State", see Section 140.201 of the Service Occupation Tax Regulations (86 Ill. Adm. Code 140.201).
"Act" means the Service Use Tax Act [35 ILCS 110].
"Purchased from a serviceman" means the acquisition of the ownership of, or title to, tangible personal property through a sale of service.
"Purchaser" means any person who, through a sale of service, acquires the ownership of, or title to, any tangible personal property.
"Sale of service" means any transaction except:
a retail sale of tangible personal property taxable under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act or under the Use Tax Act;
a sale of tangible personal property for the purpose of resale made in compliance with Section 2c of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act;
except as hereinafter provided, a sale or transfer of tangible personal property as an incident to the rendering of service for or by any governmental body, or for or by any corporation, society, association, foundation or institution organized and operated exclusively for charitable, religious or educational purposes or any not-for-profit corporation, society, association, foundation, institution or organization which has no compensated officers or employees and which is organized and operated primarily for the recreation of persons 55 years of age or older that has an active exemption identification number issued by the Department. A limited liability company may qualify under this exception only if the limited liability company is organized and operated exclusively for educational purposes;
a sale or transfer of tangible personal property as an incident to the rendering of service for owners, lessors, or shippers of tangible personal property which is utilized by interstate carriers for hire for use as rolling stock moving in interstate commerce so long as so used by interstate carriers for hire, and equipment operated by a telecommunications provider, licensed as a common carrier by the Federal Communications Commission, which is permanently installed in or affixed to aircraft moving in interstate commerce;
a sale or transfer of machinery and equipment used primarily in the process of the manufacturing or assembling, either in an existing, an expanded or a new manufacturing facility, of tangible personal property for wholesale or retail sale or lease. (See Section 160.110(h));
the repairing, reconditioning or remodeling, for a common carrier by rail, of tangible personal property which belongs to such carrier for hire, and as to which such carrier receives the physical possession of the repaired, reconditioned or remodeled item of tangible personal property in Illinois, and which such carrier transports, or shares with another common carrier in the transportation of such property, out of Illinois on a standard uniform bill of lading showing the person who repaired, reconditioned or remodeled the property to a destination outside Illinois, for use outside Illinois;
a sale or transfer of tangible personal property which is produced by the seller thereof on special order in such a way as to have made the applicable tax the Service Occupation Tax or the Service Use Tax, rather than the Retailers' Occupation Tax or the Use Tax, for an interstate carrier by rail which receives the physical possession of such property in Illinois, and which transports such property, or shares with another common carrier in the transportation of such property, out of Illinois on a standard uniform bill of lading showing the seller of the property as the shipper or consignor of such property to a destination outside Illinois, for use outside Illinois;
at the election of any serviceman not required to be otherwise registered as a retailer under Section 2a of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, made for each fiscal year sales of service in which the aggregate annual cost price of tangible personal property transferred as an incident to the sales of service is less than 35%, or 75% in the case of servicemen transferring prescription drugs or servicemen engaged in graphic arts production, of the aggregate annual total gross receipts from all sales of service. The purchase of such tangible personal property by the serviceman shall be subject to tax under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act and the Use Tax Act. However, if a primary serviceman who has made the election described in this paragraph subcontracts service work to a secondary serviceman who has also made the election described in this paragraph, the primary serviceman does not incur a Use Tax liability if the secondary serviceman:
has paid or will pay Use Tax on the secondary serviceman's cost price of any tangible personal property transferred to the primary serviceman; and
certifies that fact in writing to the primary serviceman;
tangible personal property transferred incident to the completion of a maintenance agreement; and
the purchase, employment and transfer of such tangible personal property as newsprint and ink for the primary purpose of conveying news (with or without other information).
"Selling price" means the consideration for a sale valued in money whether received in money or otherwise, including cash, credits and service, and shall be determined without any deduction on account of the serviceman's cost of the property sold, the cost of materials used, labor or service cost or any other expense whatsoever, but does not include interest or finance charges which appear as separate items on the bill of sale or sales contract nor charges that are added to prices by sellers on account of the seller's duty to collect, from the purchaser, the tax that is imposed by the Act. For purposes of calculating the serviceman's tax base, the selling price shall not be less than the cost price to the serviceman of the tangible personal property transferred to the service customer.
"Serviceman maintaining a place of business in this State", or any like term, means and includes any serviceman:
having or maintaining within this State, directly or by a subsidiary, an office, distribution house, sales house, warehouse or other place of business, or any agent or other representative operating within this State under the authority of the serviceman or its subsidiary, irrespective of whether such place of business or agent or other representative is located here permanently or temporarily, or whether such serviceman or subsidiary is licensed to do business in this State;
having a contract with a person located in this State under which the person, for a commission or other consideration based on the sale of service by the serviceman, directly or indirectly refers potential customers to the serviceman by providing to the potential customers a promotional code or other mechanism that allows the serviceman to track purchases referred by such persons. Examples of mechanisms that allow the serviceman to track purchases referred by such persons include, but are not limited to, the use of a link on the person's Internet website, promotional codes distributed through the person's hand-delivered or mailed material, and promotional codes distributed by the person through radio or other broadcast media. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply only if the cumulative gross receipts from sales of service by the serviceman to customers who are referred to the serviceman by all persons in this State under such contracts exceed $10,000 during the preceding 4 quarterly periods ending on the last day of March, June, September, and December; a serviceman meeting the requirements of this paragraph shall be presumed to be maintaining a place of business in this State but may rebut this presumption by submitting proof that the referrals or other activities pursued within this State by such persons were not sufficient to meet the nexus standards of the United States Constitution during the preceding 4 quarterly periods;
beginning July 1, 2011, having a contract with a person located in this State under which:
the serviceman sells the same or substantially similar line of services as the person located in this State and does so using an identical or substantially similar name, trade name, or trademark as the person located in this State;
the serviceman provides a commission or other consideration to the person located in this State based upon the sale of services by the serviceman; and
the cumulative gross receipts from sales of service by the serviceman to customers in this State under all such contracts exceed $10,000 during the preceding 4 quarterly periods ending on the last day of March, June, September, and December;
soliciting orders for tangible personal property by means of a telecommunication or television shopping system (which utilizes toll free numbers) which is intended by the retailer to be broadcast by cable television or other means of broadcasting, to consumers located in this State;
pursuant to a contract with a broadcaster or publisher located in this State, soliciting orders for tangible personal property by means of advertising which is disseminated primarily to consumers located in this State and only secondarily to bordering jurisdictions;
soliciting orders for tangible personal property by mail if the solicitations are substantial and recurring and if the retailer benefits from any banking, financing, debt collection, telecommunication, or marketing activities occurring in this State or benefits from the location in this State of authorized installation, servicing, or repair facilities;
being owned or controlled by the same interests which own or control any retailer engaging in business in the same or similar line of business in this State;
having a franchisee or licensee operating under its trade name if the franchisee or licensee is required to collect the tax under this Part;
pursuant to a contract with a cable television operator located in this State, soliciting orders for tangible personal property by means of advertising which is transmitted or distributed over a cable television system in this State;
engaging in activities in Illinois, which activities in the state in which the supply business engaging in such activities is located would constitute maintaining a place of business in that state; or
beginning October 1, 2018, making sales of service to purchasers in Illinois from outside of Illinois if:
the cumulative gross receipts from sales of service to purchasers in Illinois are $100,000 or more; or
the serviceman enters into 200 or more separate transactions for sales of service to purchasers in Illinois; and
beginning January 1, 2020, a marketplace facilitator, as defined in Section 2d of the Act.
"Use" means the exercise by any person of any right or power over tangible personal property incident to the ownership of that property, but does not include the sale or use for demonstration by the person of that property in any form as tangible personal property in the regular course of business. "Use" does not mean the interim use of tangible personal property nor the physical incorporation of tangible personal property, as an ingredient or constituent, into other tangible personal property:
which is sold in the regular course of business; or
which the person incorporating such ingredient or constituent therein has undertaken at the time of such purchase to cause to be transported in interstate commerce to destinations outside the State of Illinois. [35 ILCS 110/2]
(Source: Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 10710, effective July 2, 2024)