SB2430 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 03189 HLH 13210 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB2430

Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

35 ILCS 145/2	from Ch. 120, par. 481b.32
35 ILCS 145/3	from Ch. 120, par. 481b.33

Amends the Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that, beginning on January 2026, the tax under the Act is also imposed on short-term rentals. Provides that the tax shall be paid by the short-term rental unit provider, unless the short-term rental is secured through a short-term rental marketplace that meets certain thresholds. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning revenue.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax Act is amended by changing Sections 2 and 3 as follows:

(35 ILCS 145/2) (from Ch. 120, par. 481b.32)

Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Hotel" means any building or buildings in which the public may, for a consideration, obtain living quarters, sleeping or housekeeping accommodations. The term includes, but is not limited to, inns, motels, tourist homes or courts, lodging houses, rooming houses and apartment houses, retreat centers, conference centers, and hunting lodges. For the purposes of re-renters of hotel rooms only, "hotel" does not include a short-term rental.

(2) "Operator" means any person engaged in the business of renting, leasing, or letting rooms in a hotel.

(3) "Occupancy" means the use or possession, or the right to the use or possession, of any room or rooms in a hotel for any purpose, or the right to the use or possession of the furnishings or to the services and accommodations accompanying the use and possession of the room or rooms.

(4) "Room" or "rooms" means any living quarters, sleeping or housekeeping accommodations.

(5) "Permanent resident" means any person who occupied or has the right to occupy any room or rooms, regardless of whether or not it is the same room or rooms, in a hotel for at least 30 consecutive days.

(6) "Rent" or "rental" means the consideration received for occupancy, valued in money, whether received in money or otherwise, including all receipts, cash, credits, and property or services of any kind or nature. "Rent" or "rental" includes any fee, charge, or commission received from a guest by a re-renter of hotel rooms specifically in connection with the re-rental of hotel rooms, but does not include any fee, charge, or commission received from a short-term rental by a hosting platform.

(7) "Department" means the Department of Revenue.

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

(9) "Re-renter of hotel rooms" means a person who is not employed by the hotel operator but who, either directly or indirectly, through agreements or arrangements with third parties, collects or processes the payment of rent for a hotel room located in this State and (i) obtains the right or authority to grant control of, access to, or occupancy of a hotel room in this State to a guest of the hotel or (ii) facilitates the booking of a hotel room located in this State. A person who obtains those rights or authorities is not considered a re-renter of a hotel room if the person operates under a shared hotel brand with the operator.

(10) "Hosting platform" or "platform" means a person who provides an online application, software, website, or system through which a short-term rental located in this State is advertised or held out to the public as available to rent for occupancy. For purposes of this definition, "short-term rental" means an owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, or non-owner-occupied dwelling, including, but not limited to, an apartment, house, cottage, or condominium, located in this State, where: (i) at least one room in the dwelling is rented to an occupant for a period of less than 30 consecutive days; and (ii) all accommodations are reserved in advance; provided, however, that a dwelling shall be considered a single room if rented as such.

(11) "Shared hotel brand" means an identifying trademark that a hotel operator is expressly licensed to operate under in accordance with the terms of a hotel franchise or management agreement.

(12) "Residential dwelling" means a cabin, house, or structure used or designed to be used as an abode or home of a person, family, or household, and includes a single-family dwelling, a portion of a single-family dwelling, or an individual residential dwelling in a multidwelling building, such as an apartment building, condominium, cooperative, or timeshare.

(13) "Short-term rental" means means a residential dwelling that is rented wholly or partially for a fee for a period of less than 30 continuous days.

(14) "Short-term rental marketplace" means any person or entity that provides a platform for compensation through which a third party offers to rent a short-term rental to an occupant.

(15) "Short-term rental unit provider" means any person or entity engaged in renting any short-term rental offered through a short-term rental marketplace.

(Source: P.A. 103-592, eff. 7-1-24; revised 10-21-24.)

(35 ILCS 145/3) (from Ch. 120, par. 481b.33)

Sec. 3. Rate; exemptions.

(a) A tax is imposed upon hotel operators at the rate of 5% of 94% of the gross rental receipts from engaging in business as a hotel operator, excluding, however, from gross rental receipts, the proceeds of renting, leasing or letting hotel rooms to permanent residents of a hotel and proceeds from the tax imposed under subsection (c) of Section 13 of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Act.

(b) There shall be imposed an additional tax upon hotel operators at the rate of 1% of 94% of the gross rental receipts received by the hotel operator from engaging in business as a hotel operator, excluding, however, from gross rental receipts, the proceeds of such renting, leasing or letting to permanent residents of that hotel and proceeds from the tax imposed under subsection (c) of Section 13 of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Act.

(b-5) Beginning on July 1, 2024, if the renting, leasing, or letting of a hotel room is done through a re-renter of hotel rooms, then, subject to the provisions of Sections 3-2 and 3-3, the re-renter is the hotel operator for the purposes of the taxes under subsections (a) and (b). If the re-renter is headquartered outside of this State and has no presence in this State other than its business as a re-renter, conducted remotely, then, subject to the provisions of Sections 3-2 and 3-3, such re-renter is the hotel operator for the purposes of the taxes under subsections (a) and (b) if it meets one of the following thresholds:

(1) the cumulative gross receipts from rentals in Illinois by the re-renter of hotel rooms are $100,000 or more; or

(2) the re-renter of hotel rooms cumulatively enters into 200 or more separate transactions for rentals in Illinois.

A re-renter of hotel rooms who is headquartered outside of this State and has no presence in this State other than its business as a re-renter, conducted remotely, shall determine on a quarterly basis, ending on the last day of March, June, September, and December, whether he or she meets the threshold of either paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection (b-5) for the preceding 12-month period. If such re-renter of hotel rooms meets the threshold of either paragraph (1) or (2) for a 12-month period, he or she is subject to tax under this Act and is required to remit the tax imposed under this Act and file returns for the 12-month period beginning on the first day of the next month after he or she determines that he or she meets the threshold of paragraph (1) or (2). At the end of that 12-month period, such re-renter of hotel rooms shall determine whether he or she continued to meet the threshold of either paragraph (1) or (2) during the preceding 12-month period. If he or she met the threshold in either paragraph (1) or (2) for the preceding 12-month period, he or she is a hotel operator in this State and is required to remit the tax imposed under this Act and file returns for the subsequent 12-month period. If, at the end of a 12-month period during which such re-renter is required to remit the tax imposed under this Act, the re-renter determines that he or she did not meet the threshold in either paragraph (1) or (2) during the preceding 12-month period, he or she shall subsequently determine on a quarterly basis, ending on the last day of March, June, September, and December, whether he or she meets the threshold of either paragraph (1) or (2) for the preceding 12-month period.

(b-10) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, beginning on January 2026, the tax under this Act is also imposed on short-term rentals. The tax shall be paid by the short-term rental unit provider, unless the short-term rental is secured through a short-term rental marketplace that meets the threshold set forth in this subsection. If the short-term rental is secured through a short-term rental marketplace that meets the threshold set forth in this subsection, then the short-term rental marketplace shall collect and remit the tax under this Act. The short-term rental marketplace shall collect and remit the tax under this Act if:

(1) the cumulative gross receipts from rentals in Illinois by the short-term rental marketplace is $100,000 or more; or

(2) the short-term rental marketplace cumulatively enters into 200 or more separate transactions for short-term rentals in Illinois.

(c) No funds received pursuant to this Act shall be used to advertise for or otherwise promote new competition in the hotel business.

(d) However, such tax is not imposed upon the privilege of engaging in any business in Interstate Commerce or otherwise, which business may not, under the Constitution and Statutes of the United States, be made the subject of taxation by this State. In addition, the tax is not imposed upon gross rental receipts for which the hotel operator is prohibited from obtaining reimbursement for the tax from the customer by reason of a federal treaty.

(d-5) On and after July 1, 2017, the tax imposed by this Act shall not apply to gross rental receipts received by an entity that is organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes and possesses an active Exemption Identification Number issued by the Department pursuant to the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act when acting as a hotel operator renting, leasing, or letting rooms:

(1) in furtherance of the purposes for which it is organized; or

(2) to entities that (i) are organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes, (ii) possess an active Exemption Identification Number issued by the Department pursuant to the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, and (iii) rent the rooms in furtherance of the purposes for which they are organized.

No gross rental receipts are exempt under paragraph (2) of this subsection (d-5) unless the hotel operator obtains the active Exemption Identification Number from the exclusively religious entity to whom it is renting and maintains that number in its books and records. Gross rental receipts from all rentals other than those described in items (1) or (2) of this subsection (d-5) are subject to the tax imposed by this Act unless otherwise exempt under this Act.

This subsection (d-5) is exempt from the sunset provisions of Section 3-5 of this Act.

(d-10) On and after July 1, 2023, the tax imposed by this Act shall not apply to gross rental receipts received from the renting, leasing, or letting of rooms to an entity that is organized and operated exclusively by an organization chartered by the United States Congress for the purpose of providing disaster relief and that possesses an active Exemption Identification Number issued by the Department pursuant to the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act if the renting, leasing, or letting of the rooms is in furtherance of the purposes for which the exempt organization is organized. This subsection (d-10) is exempt from the sunset provisions of Section 3-5 of this Act.

(e) Persons subject to the tax imposed by this Act may reimburse themselves for their tax liability under this Act by separately stating such tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with any tax imposed pursuant to Sections 8-3-13 and 8-3-14 of the Illinois Municipal Code, and Section 25.05-10 of "An Act to revise the law in relation to counties".

(f) If any hotel operator collects an amount (however designated) which purports to reimburse such operator for hotel operators' occupation tax liability measured by receipts which are not subject to hotel operators' occupation tax, or if any hotel operator, in collecting an amount (however designated) which purports to reimburse such operator for hotel operators' occupation tax liability measured by receipts which are subject to tax under this Act, collects more from the guest or re-renter than the operators' hotel operators' occupation tax liability in the transaction is, the guest or re-renter, as applicable, shall have a legal right to claim a refund of such amount from such operator. However, if such amount is not refunded to the guest or re-renter, as applicable, for any reason, the hotel operator is liable to pay such amount to the Department.

(Source: P.A. 103-9, eff. 6-7-23; 103-592, eff. 7-1-24.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.