Milwaukee businesses face state-level corporate or franchise tax under Wis. Stat. Ch. 71, plus seller's permits and sales tax under Ch. 77. The city does not levy a separate gross-receipts business tax beyond licenses.
Wisconsin classifies business income under Wis. Stat. Ch. 71. C-corporations pay franchise/income tax at 7.9%; pass-through entities (LLCs, S-corps, partnerships) flow income to owners taxed at individual brackets. Wis. Stat. Ch. 77 requires seller's permits for most sales of tangible goods, with state sales tax at 5%, plus Milwaukee County's 0.5% local option sales tax (recently expanded by 2023 Wis. Act 12 to a 2% city tax for Milwaukee, layered on top). Milwaukee does not impose a city gross-receipts tax. Personal property tax was largely repealed under 2023 Wis. Act 12 effective 2024. Property tax for real estate remains the largest local revenue source, assessed by the city Assessor.
Missing seller's permit, failing to remit sales tax, late payroll withholding, or under-reporting income leads to Wisconsin DOR penalties, interest, and possible license non-renewal in Milwaukee.
See how Milwaukee's business tax classification rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.