With Kansas food sales tax eliminated, what is the tax on groceries in Topeka?

While the state sales tax on grocery food is now eliminated in Kansas, shoppers will still have to pay any local sales taxes.

In Topeka, that means paying at least 2.85% extra on your grocery bill. In some areas of the city, the receipt will show a tax rate as high as 4.85%.

Kansas eliminated state 6.5% sales tax on food

For the past decade, Kansas has had a 6.5% sales tax that applies to most goods sold in the state. But in 2022, lawmakers and the governor agreed to a gradual elimination of that tax as applied to grocery food. The state sales tax of 6.5% remains in place on other goods, including food at restaurants.

But the law, which went into full effect on Jan. 1, 2025, didn’t exempt groceries from local sales taxes.

Topeka and Shawnee County still tax groceries

Shoppers will still pay local sales taxes on groceries in Shawnee County — and depending on where you shop in the city, your taxes will range from 1.35% to 4.85%.

Shawnee County has a 1.35% countywide sales tax rate that applies to food, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue’s publication on local sales tax information.

Topeka has a 1.5% citywide sales tax that applies to food. For other towns in the county, Rossville and Silver Lake each have a 1% sales tax, and Auburn has a 1.5% sales tax.

There are also several special taxing districts in Topeka that add another 1% or 2% onto the city sales tax.

More: Kansas will finally get rid of its sales tax on food and groceries

Where are the special tax districts in Topeka?

Topeka has the following special tax districts:

• The Crosswinds Common community improvement district, which is at the northwest corner of S.W. 12th and Wanamaker, has a 1% sales tax.

• The Cyrus Hotel community improvement district in downtown has a 2% sales tax. The Downtown Ramada Inn community improvement district also has a 2% sales tax.

• The Holliday Square community improvement district, which is at the southwest corner of S.W. 29th and Topeka Boulevard, has a 1% sales tax.

• The S.E. 29th Street community improvement district, which is on the north side of the street between S.E. Cunningham and a set of railroad tracks, has a 1% sales tax.

• The Sherwood Crossing community improvement district, also known as Villa West, at the northwest corner of S.W. 29th and Wanamaker, has a 1% sales tax.

• The Wanamaker Hills community improvement district, which is at the southeast corner of S.W. 17th and Wanamaker, has a 1% sales tax.

• The Wheatfield Village community improvement district, which is at the northwest corner of S.W. 29th and Fairlawn, has a 2% sales tax.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka grocery shoppers pay local tax after Kansas cut food sales tax