"Transfer" means any transfer of the title to property or of the ownership of property whether or not the transferor retains title as security for the payment of amounts due him from the transferee. On and after January 1, 2025, "transfer" also means any transfer of the possession or control of, the right to possess or control, or a license to use, but not title to, tangible personal property.

"Lease" means a transfer of the possession or control of, the right to possess or control, or a license to use, but not title to, tangible personal property for a fixed or indeterminate term for consideration, regardless of the name by which the transaction is called. "Lease" does not include a lease entered into merely as a security agreement that does not involve a transfer of possession or control from the lessor to the lessee.

On and after January 1, 2025, the term "sale", when used in this Act with respect to tangible personal property, includes a lease.

"Cost Price" means the consideration paid by the serviceman for a purchase, including, on and after January 1, 2025, a lease, valued in money, whether paid in money or otherwise, including cash, credits and services, and shall be determined without any deduction on account of the supplier's cost of the property sold or on account of any other expense incurred by the supplier. When a serviceman contracts out part or all of the services required in his sale of service, it shall be presumed that the cost price to the serviceman of the property transferred to him by his or her subcontractor is equal to 50% of the subcontractor's charges to the serviceman in the absence of proof of the consideration paid by the subcontractor for the purchase of such property.

"Department" means the Department of Revenue.

"Person" means any natural individual, firm, partnership, association, joint stock company, joint venture, public or private corporation, limited liability company, and any receiver, executor, trustee, guardian or other representative appointed by order of any court.

"Sale of Service" means any transaction except:

1. (a) A retail sale of tangible personal property taxable under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act or under the Use Tax Act.
2. (b) A sale of tangible personal property for the purpose of resale made in compliance with Section 2c of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act.
3. (c) 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. A limited liability company may qualify for the exemption under this paragraph only if the limited liability company is organized and operated exclusively for educational purposes.
4. (d)
5. (Blank) .

6. (d-1) A sale or transfer of tangible personal property as an incident to the rendering of service for owners or lessors, lessees, or shippers of tangible personal property which is utilized by interstate carriers for hire for use as rolling stock moving in interstate commerce, 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.

   (d-1.1) On and after July 1, 2003 and through June 30, 2004, a sale or transfer of a motor vehicle of the second division with a gross vehicle weight in excess of 8,000 pounds as an incident to the rendering of service if that motor vehicle is subject to the commercial distribution fee imposed under Section 3-815.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Beginning on July 1, 2004 and through June 30, 2005, the use in this State of motor vehicles of the second division: (i) with a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of 8,000 pounds; (ii) that are subject to the commercial distribution fee imposed under Section 3-815.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code; and (iii) that are primarily used for commercial purposes. Through June 30, 2005, this exemption applies to repair and replacement parts added after the initial purchase of such a motor vehicle if that motor vehicle is used in a manner that would qualify for the rolling stock exemption otherwise provided for in this Act. For purposes of this paragraph, "used for commercial purposes" means the transportation of persons or property in furtherance of any commercial or industrial enterprise whether for-hire or not.

7. (d-2) 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 as the shipper or consignor of such property to a destination outside Illinois, for use outside Illinois.
8. (d-3) 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.
9. (d-4) Until January 1, 1997, a sale, by a registered serviceman paying tax under this Act to the Department, of special order printed materials delivered outside Illinois and which are not returned to this State, if delivery is made by the seller or agent of the seller, including an agent who causes the product to be delivered outside Illinois by a common carrier or the U.S. postal service.
10. (e) 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, whether such sale or lease is made directly by the manufacturer or by some other person, whether the materials used in the process are owned by the manufacturer or some other person, or whether such sale or lease is made apart from or as an incident to the seller's engaging in a service occupation and the applicable tax is a Service Occupation Tax or Service Use Tax, rather than Retailers' Occupation Tax or Use Tax. The exemption provided by this paragraph (e) includes production related tangible personal property, as defined in Section 3-50 of the Use Tax Act, purchased on or after July 1, 2019. The exemption provided by this paragraph (e) does not include machinery and equipment used in (i) the generation of electricity for wholesale or retail sale;
11. (ii) the generation or treatment of natural or artificial gas for wholesale or retail sale that is delivered to customers through pipes, pipelines, or mains; or
12. (iii) the treatment of water for wholesale or retail sale that is delivered to customers through pipes, pipelines, or mains. The provisions of Public Act 98-583 are declaratory of existing law as to the meaning and scope of this exemption. The exemption under this subsection (e) is exempt from the provisions of Section 3-75.
13. (f) Until July 1, 2003, the sale or transfer of distillation machinery and equipment, sold as a unit or kit and assembled or installed by the retailer, which machinery and equipment is certified by the user to be used only for the production of ethyl alcohol that will be used for consumption as motor fuel or as a component of motor fuel for the personal use of such user and not subject to sale or resale.
14. (g) At the election of (i) any serviceman not required to be otherwise registered as a retailer under Section 2a of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act; or

15. (ii) beginning January 1, 2026, any servicemen maintaining a place of business in this State who does not make any retail sales of tangible personal property to purchasers in Illinois, 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% (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 (i) has paid or will pay Use Tax on his or her cost price of any tangible personal property transferred to the primary serviceman and (ii) certifies that fact in writing to the primary serviceman. Beginning January 1, 2026, this election shall not apply to any sale of service through a marketplace that has met the threshold in subsection (d) of Section 3 of this Act. All transactions over such a marketplace shall be subject to the tax imposed under Section 3-10 of this Act.

    Tangible personal property transferred incident to the completion of a maintenance agreement is exempt from the tax imposed pursuant to this Act.

    Exemption (e) also includes machinery and equipment used in the general maintenance or repair of such exempt machinery and equipment or for in-house manufacture of exempt machinery and equipment. On and after July 1, 2017, exemption (e) also includes graphic arts machinery and equipment, as defined in paragraph (5) of Section 3-5. The machinery and equipment exemption does not include machinery and equipment used in (i) the generation of electricity for wholesale or retail sale; (ii) the generation or treatment of natural or artificial gas for wholesale or retail sale that is delivered to customers through pipes, pipelines, or mains; or (iii) the treatment of water for wholesale or retail sale that is delivered to customers through pipes, pipelines, or mains. The provisions of Public Act 98-583 are declaratory of existing law as to the meaning and scope of this exemption. For the purposes of exemption (e), each of these terms shall have the following meanings: (1) "manufacturing process" shall mean the production of any article of tangible personal property, whether such article is a finished product or an article for use in the process of manufacturing or assembling a different article of tangible personal property, by procedures commonly regarded as manufacturing, processing, fabricating, or refining which changes some existing material or materials into a material with a different form, use or name. In relation to a recognized integrated business composed of a series of operations which collectively constitute manufacturing, or individually constitute manufacturing operations, the manufacturing process shall be deemed to commence with the first operation or stage of production in the series, and shall not be deemed to end until the completion of the final product in the last operation or stage of production in the series; and further for purposes of exemption (e), photoprocessing is deemed to be a manufacturing process of tangible personal property for wholesale or retail sale; (2) "assembling process" shall mean the production of any article of tangible personal property, whether such article is a finished product or an article for use in the process of manufacturing or assembling a different article of tangible personal property, by the combination of existing materials in a manner commonly regarded as assembling which results in a material of a different form, use or name; (3) "machinery" shall mean major mechanical machines or major components of such machines contributing to a manufacturing or assembling process; and (4) "equipment" shall include any independent device or tool separate from any machinery but essential to an integrated manufacturing or assembly process; including computers used primarily in a manufacturer's computer assisted design, computer assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system; or any subunit or assembly comprising a component of any machinery or auxiliary, adjunct or attachment parts of machinery, such as tools, dies, jigs, fixtures, patterns and molds; or any parts which require periodic replacement in the course of normal operation; but shall not include hand tools. Equipment includes chemicals or chemicals acting as catalysts but only if the chemicals or chemicals acting as catalysts effect a direct and immediate change upon a product being manufactured or assembled for wholesale or retail sale or lease. The purchaser of such machinery and equipment who has an active resale registration number shall furnish such number to the seller at the time of purchase. The purchaser of such machinery and equipment and tools without an active resale registration number shall furnish to the seller a certificate of exemption stating facts establishing the exemption, which certificate shall be available to the Department for inspection or audit.

    Except as provided in Section 2d of this Act, the rolling stock exemption applies to rolling stock used by an interstate carrier for hire, even just between points in Illinois, if such rolling stock transports, for hire, persons whose journeys or property whose shipments originate or terminate outside Illinois.

    Any informal rulings, opinions or letters issued by the Department in response to an inquiry or request for any opinion from any person regarding the coverage and applicability of exemption (e) to specific devices shall be published, maintained as a public record, and made available for public inspection and copying. If the informal ruling, opinion or letter contains trade secrets or other confidential information, where possible the Department shall delete such information prior to publication. Whenever such informal rulings, opinions, or letters contain any policy of general applicability, the Department shall formulate and adopt such policy as a rule in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

    On and after July 1, 1987, no entity otherwise eligible under exemption (c) of this Section shall make tax-free purchases unless it has an active exemption identification number issued by the Department.

    "Serviceman" means any person who is engaged in the occupation of making sales of service.

    "Sale at Retail" means "sale at retail" as defined in the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, which, on and after January 1, 2025, is defined to include leases.

    "Supplier" means any person who makes sales of tangible personal property to servicemen for the purpose of resale as an incident to a sale of service.

    "Serviceman maintaining a place of business in this State" has the meaning given to that term in Section 2 of the Service Use Tax Act.

    "Marketplace" means a physical or electronic place, forum, platform, application, or other method by which a marketplace serviceman makes or offers to make sales of service.

    "Marketplace facilitator" means a person who, pursuant to an agreement with an unrelated third-party marketplace serviceman, directly or indirectly through one or more affiliates facilitates sales of service by the unrelated third-party marketplace serviceman through:

16. (1) listing or advertising for sale by the marketplace serviceman in a marketplace, sales of service that are subject to tax under this Act; and
17. (2) either directly or indirectly, through agreements or arrangements with third parties, collecting payment from the customer and transmitting that payment to the marketplace serviceman regardless of whether the marketplace facilitator receives compensation or other consideration in exchange for its services. "Marketplace serviceman" means a person that makes or offers to make a sale of service through a marketplace operated by an unrelated third-party marketplace facilitator.

(from Ch. 120, par. 439.102)

(Source: P.A. 103-592, eff. 1-1-25; 104-6, eff. 6-16-25.)