1. (1) Definitions. In this section:

   1. (a) “Community-based residential facility” has the meaning in s. 50.01 (1g), Stats.
   2. (b) “Exempt food” means food and food ingredients that are exempt from the sales and use tax as provided in s. 77.54 (20n), Stats.
   3. (c) “Hospital” has the meaning in s. 50.33 (2), Stats.
   4. (d) “Nursing home” has the meaning in s. 50.01 (3), Stats.
   5. (e) “Personal care” means assistance with the activities of daily living, including eating, dressing, bathing, and ambulation.
   6. (em) “Prepared food” has the meaning provided in s. Tax 11.51 (4).
   7. (f) “Retirement home” means a nonprofit residential facility, which as its primary function provides personal care above the level of room and board to retired persons, where 3 or more unrelated adults or their spouses have their principal residence and where support services, including meals from a common kitchen, are available to residents.
   8. (g) “Sanatorium” means an institution for the recuperation and treatment of the victims of physical or mental disorders.

   9. (h) “Taxable food” means food and food ingredients, including candy, dietary supplements, prepared food, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages subject to the sales and use tax.

      Note: See s. Tax 11.51 to determine which items are exempt food and which items are taxable food.

2. (2) Taxable sales.

   1. (a) General. Generally, the sales price from sales of food or beverages shall be taxable when sold by restaurants, cafeterias, lunch counters, coffee shops, snack bars, eating houses, hotels, motels, lodging houses, sororities, fraternities, drug stores, diners, taverns, drive-ins, mobile sales units, clubs, young men’s christian associations, young women’s christian associations, and similar businesses, organizations, or establishments.

   2. (b) Sales by generally exempt seller. Certain foods that have been prepared by a seller by cooking, baking, or other methods shall be taxable as “prepared food” even though the seller is principally engaged in the sale of exempt food. Heated food or beverages mean those products, items, or components which have been prepared for sale in a heated condition and which are sold at any temperature which is higher than the air temperature of the room or place where they are sold.

      Example: When a supermarket roasts chickens on a rotisserie and sells them in a heated condition, the roasted chickens are taxable because they are prepared food.

   3. (c) Prepared food. Sales of prepared food, as provided in s. Tax 11.51 (4), are taxable.

      Examples: 1) Retailer A sells heated food and heated beverages. Heated foods and heated beverages are prepared food and Retailer A’s sales of the heated foods and heated beverages are subject to tax.

      2) Restaurant B sells prepared foods and also other foods and food ingredients, including cartons of milk, cookies, and candy. Restaurant B’s sales of prepared foods, based on Restaurant B’s prior tax year, are more than 75% of its total sales of food and food ingredients. Restaurant B makes napkins and straws available to the purchaser. Restaurant B’s sales of the food and beverages, including the cartons of milk are subject to tax since (a) Restaurant B’s sales of prepared foods are more than 75% of Restaurant B’s total sales of food and food ingredients, based on Restaurant B’s prior tax year; and (b) napkins and straws are available to the purchaser.

      3) Same as Example 2, except that the seller is a convenience store instead of a restaurant. The answer is the same as in Example 2.

      4) Convenience Store C sells prepared foods and other foods and food ingredients, including cartons of milk, cookies, soft drinks, and candy. Convenience Store C’s sales of prepared foods, based on its prior tax year, are less than 75% of its total sales of food and food ingredients. Convenience Store C makes napkins and straws available to the purchaser, but does not physically hand or give the straws or napkins to the purchaser. Convenience Store C’s sales of heated food, heated beverages, soft drinks, and candy are subject to tax, but Convenience Store C’s sales of milk and cookies are not subject to tax since (a) Convenience Store C’s sales of prepared foods are less than 75% of Convenience Store C’s total sales of food and food ingredients, based on its prior tax year; and (b) Convenience Store C makes the napkins and straws available to the purchaser, rather than physically giving or handing the napkins or straws to the purchaser.

      5) Same as Example 4, except that Convenience Store C’s customary practice is to physically give or hand the napkins and straws to the purchaser. Convenience Store C’s sales of heated food, heated beverages, soft drinks, candy, cookies, and cartons of milk are subject to tax since Convenience Store C’s customary practice is to physically give or hand the napkins and straws to the purchaser. The tax applies to these sales even though Convenience Store C’s sales of prepared foods are less than 75% of its total sales of food and food ingredients.

      6) Grocery Store A has a self-service salad bar. Grocery Store A’s sales of prepared foods, based on its prior tax year, are less than 75% of its total sales of food and food ingredients. The plates necessary to receive the food items at the salad bar, along with the forks, knives, and napkins are made available to the purchaser. Grocery Store A’s sales of the self-service salad bar items are subject to tax since the plates necessary to receive the food items at the salad bar are made available to the purchaser.

   4. (d) Caterers. Food and food ingredients, sold by caterers are generally taxable as prepared foods. For purposes of this paragraph:

      1. 1. “Caterer” means a person engaged in the business of preparing meals, food, and drinks, and serving these items on premises designated by a purchaser. When an agreement with a caterer provides that the caterer shall prepare and serve “prepared foods” either for a stated price per meal, for a lump sum, or for a price per plate, the consideration paid shall constitute taxable receipts.
      2. 2. Charges made by a caterer for preparing and serving prepared foods to social clubs, service clubs, fraternal organizations, or other nonexempt purchasers shall constitute exempt sales for resale only if the purchasers are regularly engaged as retailers of prepared foods, hold a seller’s permit and give a properly completed exemption certificate to the caterer.
      3. 3. The tax shall apply to items purchased by caterers, including dishes, silverware, linen napkins, tablecloths, punch fountains, coffee silver service, and glassware, which are used by caterers to serve food or beverages to their customers, or used in conjunction with providing catering service, unless customers are charged a separate and optional amount for their use. In addition, items such as tents, public address systems, portable dance floors, portable bars, chairs, and tables may be purchased without tax for resale, if used exclusively for rental purposes by a caterer and if customers are charged a separate and optional amount for their use. Disposable items transferred to customers for a valuable consideration, including paper and plastic cups and plates, plastic eating utensils, napkins, straws, placemats, and toothpicks also may be purchased without tax for resale.
   5. (e) Vending machine sales. A vending machine operator’s receipts from candy, dietary supplements, prepared foods, and soft drinks are taxable.
   6. (f) Cover and minimum charges. Cover charges or minimum charges, whether listed separately on a bill or collected as an admission fee or fixed charge, which entitle the patron to receive entertainment or to dance as well as to receive prepared food, candy, dietary supplements, soft drinks, or other taxable property, items, or goods, shall be taxable. If prepared food, candy, dietary supplements, soft drinks, or other taxable property, items, or goods are furnished, prepared, or served at locations other than the place of business of the seller or in a room other than a regular dining room and an extra charge is made for the service, the entire amount shall be taxable.

   7. (g) Tips.

      1. 1. A tip which is given directly to an employee in cash or which is added by a customer to a bill which amount is then turned over in full to the employee shall be exempt from the sales tax, if the amount of the tip is wholly in the discretion or judgment of the customer and the customer does not make the payment pursuant to an arrangement made with the seller.
      2. 2. A flat amount or flat percentage, whether designated as a tip or as a service charge, that is added to the price of prepared food or other taxable food or food ingredient under a requirement of the seller or an arrangement made with the seller is a part of the sales price of the prepared food or other taxable food or food ingredient and shall be subject to the tax, regardless of whether the amount or flat percentage may be subsequently paid over in whole or in part by the seller to employees.
   8. (h) Huber law meals. Prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks sold to “Huber Law” prisoners by a sheriff or a governmental unit shall be subject to the tax.

   9. (i) Food and food ingredients to employees. Sales of prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks to employees by an employer for a consideration shall be taxable. For purposes of this paragraph:

      1. 1. A consideration shall be deemed made for prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks if any one of the following conditions is met:

         1. a. The employee pays cash for the prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks consumed.
         2. b. An actual, specific charge for the prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks is deducted from an employee’s wages.
         3. c. An employee receives the prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks in lieu of cash to bring the employee’s compensation up to the legal minimum wage.
         4. d. An employee has the option to receive cash for the prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks not consumed.

      2. 2. In the absence of any of the conditions in subd. 1., a consideration is not deemed made when:

         1. a. A value is assigned to prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks only as a means of reporting the fair market value of an employee’s prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks for FICA, social security, or union contract purposes.
         2. b. An employee who does not consume available prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, and soft drinks has no recourse against the employer for additional cash wages.
   10. (j) Transportation companies. The sale of prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages by transportation companies, such as airlines or railways, to a customer while operating in Wisconsin for a specific charge shall be taxable. These prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages may be purchased by the transportation companies without tax for resale. However, if the sales price of the prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, soft drinks, or alcoholic beverages is not separately stated to the customer, the tax shall apply to purchases of these prepared foods, candy, dietary supplements, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages by transportation companies.

   11. (k) Organizations and their members.

       1. 1. When members of an exempt or nonexempt organization meet at a hotel, restaurant, or other place of business where food or drinks are sold and the members pay for the items, the place of business shall be considered selling directly to the members and not to the organization except as provided in subds. 2. and 3. The sales shall, therefore, be subject to the tax, even if the organization collects from the members, pays the seller, and retains a portion of the collections for its own purposes. In these situations, the organization shall be deemed acting for its members’ convenience and not purchasing and reselling prepared foods.
       2. 2. When an exempt organization as described in s. 77.54 (9a) (f), Stats., pays for food and beverages out of its own funds and provides the items to members or others without charge, the sale of the items by a retailer to the organization is not subject to the tax. If the exempt organization holds a certificate of exempt status issued by the department, it shall give the retailer the certificate number to claim the exemption.

       3. 3. Sales of food and beverages are not subject to tax even though the employee of an exempt organization as described in s. 77.54 (9a) (f), Stats., pays for the sale of the food or beverages provided all of the following are met:

          1. a. The retailer issues the billing or invoice for the food and beverages in the name of the exempt organization.
          2. b. The certificate of exempt status number of the exempt organization is entered on the retailer’s copy of the invoice or billing document.
          3. c. The retailer keeps a copy of the documents described in subd. 3. a. and b.

3. (3) Exempt sales. The following food and food ingredients shall be exempt:

   1. (a) Health care facilities. Food and food ingredients, except soft drinks, fermented malt beverages, and intoxicating liquor, sold by hospitals, sanatoriums, nursing homes, retirement homes, community-based residential facilities as defined in s. 50.01 (1g), Stats., or any facility certified or licensed under ch. 48, Stats. However, if an affiliated organization sells the items, the exemption does not apply.

      Example: If a ladies’ auxiliary of a hospital, separate from the hospital, operates a coffee shop on the hospital premises, although the ladies’ auxiliary is a nonprofit organization, the prepared food and drinks sold at the coffee shop are taxable.

   2. (b) “Meals on wheels.” Prepared food sold to the elderly or disabled by persons providing “mobile meals on wheels.”

   3. (c) Institutions of higher education. Food and food ingredients furnished in accordance with any contract or agreement or paid for to such institution through the use of an account of such institution, by a public or private institution of higher education to any of the following:

      1. 1. An undergraduate student, a graduate student, or a student enrolled in a professional school if the student is enrolled for credit at the public or private institution of higher education and if the food and food ingredients are consumed by the student.
      2. 2. A national football league team.

   4. (d) Groceries. Sales of food and food ingredients, except candy, dietary supplements, prepared foods, and soft drinks are exempt from tax under s. 77.54 (20n), Stats. This includes sales of prepackaged ice cream, ice milk, or sherbet in any size container and also of ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, or yogurt as cones, sundaes, sodas and shakes.

      Note: See s. Tax 11.51 for more information.

   5. (e) Supervised boarding facilities. The portion of the monthly fee charged by a supervised boarding facility for low income adults who are receiving or are eligible for social security, supplemental security income, veterans administration, or other disability and retirement benefits reflecting the value of prepared foods provided.
   6. (f) Food and food ingredients to employees. Purchases by restaurants of candy, soft drinks, dietary supplements, prepared foods, and disposable products that are transferred with such items, are exempt from sales and use tax if the restaurant transfers such items to its employees during the employee’s work hours for no consideration.
   7. (g) Vegetable oil and animal fat. Sales of vegetable oil and animal fat to an individual that will be converted to motor vehicle fuel for use in that individual’s personal motor vehicle if the individual does not sell any of that fuel during the year. This exemption only applies if the motor vehicle fuel is exempt from the motor vehicle fuel tax under s. 78.01 (1), Stats.

   8. (h) Prepared food manufactured by the retailer. Sales of prepared food that is manufactured at one location and sold by the same retailer at a different location, are exempt if all of the following apply:

      1. 1. The prepared food is not candy, a soft drink, or a dietary supplement.
      2. 2. The prepared food is manufactured by the retailer at a building assessed as manufacturing property under s. 70.995, Stats., or that would be assessed as manufacturing property under s. 70.995, Stats., if the building was located in Wisconsin.
      3. 3. The retailer does not make any retail sales of prepared food at the building described in subd. 2.

      4. 4. Either of the following apply:

         1. a. The prepared food is sold by the retailer in a frozen state without eating utensils (i.e., plates, bowls, knives, forks, spoons, glasses, cups, napkins, straws).
         2. b. The prepared food consists of more than 50% yogurt.

4. (4) Specialty situations.

   1. (a) Specialty items. A seller engaged principally in the sale of taxable food may also be engaged in the sale of exempt food.

      Example: A restaurant which specializes in serving pancakes may also sell containers of its specially prepared syrup to take home. Sales of this syrup are not taxable.

   2. (b) Fund-raising events. When a charge to a customer bears little or no relationship to the actual value of taxable food and food ingredients and beverages received, the tax shall be based on the reasonable value of the taxable food and food ingredients and other tangible personal property, items, property, and goods under s. 77.52 (1) (b), (c), and (d), Stats., and taxable services received by the customer. The retailer is responsible for determining the reasonable value and showing that the charge to the patron bears little or no relationship to the actual value received.

      Examples: 1) Company A puts on a fundraising dinner. Individuals wishing to attend the dinner must pay $300 per person to attend. The actual value of the dinner received is $50. Company A may compute the tax that must be remitted on the $50 since that is the actual value of the dinner received. The actual value in this example is based on the amount that an individual would be required to pay for this dinner if it was not a fundraising dinner.

      2) Company B puts on a fundraising dinner and dance. Individuals wishing to attend the dinner and dance must pay $300 per person to attend. The actual value of the dinner received is $50 and the actual value of admission to the dance is $25. Company B may compute the tax that must be remitted on the $75 since that is the actual value of the dinner and admission to the dance that is received. The actual values in this example are based on the amount that an individual would be required to pay for the dinner and to attend the dance if this was not a fundraising dinner and dance.

      Note: Section Tax 11.87 interprets ss. 77.51 (10m), (12m), (14) (b) and (f), and (15b), and 77.54 (20n) and (20r), Stats.

      Note: The interpretations in s. Tax 11.87 are effective under the general sales and use tax law on and after September 1, 1969, except: (a) Sales of meals by retirement homes became exempt April 25, 1978, pursuant to Chapter 250, Laws of 1977; (b) Sales of meals by certain health care facilities off their premises became taxable October 1, 1991, pursuant to 1991 Wis. Act 39; (c) Sales of meals by community-based residential facilities on their premises became exempt June 1, 1994, pursuant to 1993 Wis. Act. 332; (d) The exemption for certain meals, food, food products and beverages furnished by institutions of higher education was revised to apply only if the items are furnished to an undergraduate student, a graduate student or a student enrolled in a professional school if the student is enrolled for credit at that institution and if the items are consumed by that student, or the items are furnished to a national football league team, effective for contracts or agreements entered into on or after October 14, 1997, pursuant to 1997 Wis. Act 27, and further revised to include certain meals, food, food products or beverages paid for to an institution of higher education through the use of an account of the institution, if the items are furnished by the institution, effective December 31, 1997, pursuant to 1997 Wis. Act 41; (e) Sales of certain food combinations became exempt effective August 1, 1997, pursuant to 1997 Wis. Act 237; (f) The exemption for food and food ingredients was revised to exempt all food and food ingredients except candy, dietary supplements, prepared food and soft drinks effective October 1, 2009, pursuant to 2009 Wis. Act 2; (g) The change of the term “gross receipts” to “sales price” and the separate impositions of tax on coins and stamps sold above face value under s. 77.52 (1) (b), Stats., certain leased property affixed to real property under s. 77.52 (1) (c), Stats., and digital goods under s. 77.52 (1) (d), Stats., became effective October 1, 2009, pursuant to 2009 Wis. Act 2; and (h) The exemption for prepared food manufactured and sold by the same retailer under s. 77.54 (20n) (d), Stats., became effective September 23, 2017, pursuant to 2017 Wis. Act 59.

History

History: Cr. Register, March, 1978, No. 267, eff. 4-1-78; renum. (1) (b) to be (1) (g), cr. (1) (b) to (f), am. (3) (a), (b) and (c), Register, January, 1983, No. 325, eff. 2-1-83; am. (2) (d) 3., (g) and (i), Register, June, 1983, No. 330, eff. 7-1-83; am. (3) (d), Register, September, 1984, No. 345, eff. 10-1-84; correction in (1) (b) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats.; am. (1) (intro.) and (f), (2) (a), (b), (c), (d) 1., (g), (j) and (k), (3) (a) and (4) (a), cr. (2) (k) 3., Register, June, 1991, No. 426, eff. 7-1-91; am. (2) (d) (intro.), 3., (f), (i) (intro.), 1. intro. and 2. intro., (k) 2., (3) (a), (b) and (d), cr. (3) (e), Register, December, 1992, No. 444, eff. 1-1-93; renum. (1) (a) to (g) to be (b) to (h) and am. (1) (b), cr. (1) (a), am. (3) (a), (d) and (e), Register, December, 1996, No. 492, eff. 1-1-97; am. (1) (b), (2) (c) and (3) (a), renum. (1) (e) and (f) to be (1) (f) and (e), r. and recr. (3) (c), Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; EmR0924: emerg. am. (title), (1) (b), (e), (h), (2) (a), (b), (d), (f), (g) 2., (h) to (k) 1., (3) (intro.), (a), (b), (c) 1., 2., (d), (e) and (4) (b), cr. (1) (em) and (3) (f), r. and recr. (2) (c), (e) and (3) (c) (intro.), eff. 10-1-09; CR 09-090: am. (title), (1) (b), (e), (h), (2) (a), (b), (d), (f), (g) 2., (h) to (k) 1., (3) (intro.), (a), (b), (c) 1., 2., (d), (e) and (4) (b), cr. (1) (em) and (3) (f), r. and recr. (2) (c), (e) and (3) (c) (intro.) Register May 2010 No. 653, eff. 6-1-10; CR 10-094: am. (2) (a), (j), (3) (a) Register November 2010 No. 659, eff. 12-1-10; CR 12-014: cr. (3) (g), am. (4) (b), cr. (4) (b) (Examples) Register August 2012 No. 680, eff. 9-1-12; CR 19-122: am. (3) (b) Register July 2020 No. 775, eff. 8-1-20; CR 20-018: cr. (3) (h) Register July 2021 No. 787, eff. 8-1-21.