FOR ILLINOIS DISPENSARIES
Illinois dispensary POS system and cannabis POS software, compared on the tax set by THC potency
The short answer
In Illinois the potency of each item decides its tax, so a dispensary POS has to read lab data, not just a category. Adult-use cannabis carries a 10% purchaser excise tax at or below 35% adjusted THC, 25% above 35%, and 20% on any infused product, plus the 6.25% state retailers' occupation tax and local cannabis taxes of up to 3% (3.75% in unincorporated county areas). Medical sales pay the 1% state rate and no excise. The state moved dispensaries from BioTrack to Metrc between April and June 2025, and SB 3222, signed June 12 2026, doubled resident limits to 60 grams of flower, 10 grams of concentrate and 1,000 mg of THC in infused products. Published prices that apply in Illinois start at $240 a month (IndicaOnline) and $349 a month (Cova).
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3 rates
Purchaser excise of 10%, 20% or 25%, set item by item by THC potency and product type
June 2025
Illinois dispensaries finished moving from BioTrack to Metrc
60 g
Resident flower limit since SB 3222 was signed on June 12 2026, double the old 30 g
Most states tax cannabis at one rate, so a POS only needs to know whether a sale is adult-use or medical. Illinois taxes by what is in the product. The same $50 ticket can carry $5, $10 or $12.50 of excise depending on whether it is a low-potency pre-roll, an edible or a vape cartridge, and the line between the 10% and 25% rates sits at 35% adjusted THC, a number the register can only get from the lab result attached to the package.
That changes what you should test in a demo, and 2025 and 2026 changed it twice more. Dispensaries cut over from BioTrack to Metrc by June 17 2025, so any vendor still describing BioTrack reporting is working from old material. Then SB 3222 doubled the purchase limits in June 2026 and opened curbside and drive-through sales, which IDFPR has to review before a store can offer them. This page sets out each rule with its source, what it forces the POS to do, and the published prices you can anchor a quote against. We are a directory of licensed dispensaries. We do not sell POS software and take no referral fee from any vendor named here.
Why it works
What an Illinois register has to carry
Tax set by the lab result
The excise rate on non-infused cannabis depends on adjusted THC, which is delta-9 THC plus 0.877 times THCA. A POS that taxes by category instead of by the package's test result will charge 10% on a 36% THC flower that owes 25%.
Metrc, not BioTrack
Dispensaries moved to Metrc between April 25 and June 17 2025, with RFID tags paid for by the state. Ask the vendor to receive a Metrc package live. Any demo that still talks about BioTrack reporting is out of date.
Two limit profiles, now doubled
Since June 12 2026 residents may hold 60 g of flower, 10 g of concentrate and 1,000 mg of THC in infused products, and non-residents half of that. The register has to know which customer it is checking.
Local tax by address
Cities can add up to 3% cannabis retailers' occupation tax and counties up to 3.75% in unincorporated areas or 3% inside a city. A multi-store operator needs a tax profile per location, not one for the company.
Medical is a tax control
Medical cannabis pays the 1% state rate and no excise or local cannabis tax. A verified patient rung as adult-use overpays by roughly a quarter of the ticket, which turns into a refund and a complaint.
Curbside needs approval
SB 3222 lets dispensaries add curbside pick-up and drive-through, but IDFPR says licensees must have their systems reviewed and approved first. The POS has to show how an order is verified and handed over outside the store.
How it works
Four steps, in the order that actually pays
Pull three test packages
Pick a flower that tests just under 35% adjusted THC, a concentrate well above it, and an edible. Bring their Metrc package tags to the demo. Those three items exercise all three excise rates.
Ring them on one ticket
The receipt should show 10% on the flower, 25% on the concentrate and 20% on the edible as separate excise lines, then 6.25% state tax and your local rate. Ask where the system got each THC figure.
Repeat as a patient and a visitor
Ring the same items for a verified medical patient, who should see the 1% rate and no excise, then for a non-resident with 31 grams of flower in the basket, who should be stopped.
Price the whole first year
Software, hardware per register, setup, Metrc integration and payments as separate lines. Anchor quote-only vendors against the two published cards on this page before you negotiate.
The meter test
What dispensary POS software costs a month in Illinois
No vendor publishes an Illinois price, so these are the national prices that apply to a two-register Illinois store. Grey bars are the vendor's own published price. Gold bars are third-party reports the vendor does not confirm.
The numbers
What each Illinois rule forces the POS to do
| Rule | Source | What it says | What the POS has to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excise on lower-potency cannabis | Cannabis Purchaser Excise Tax Law, IDOR | 10% of the purchase price on cannabis other than infused products with adjusted THC at or below 35% | Read adjusted THC from the package's lab result and apply 10% |
| Excise on high-potency cannabis | Cannabis Purchaser Excise Tax Law, IDOR | 25% of the purchase price on non-infused cannabis with adjusted THC above 35% | Apply 25% to concentrates and high-testing flower, item by item |
| Excise on infused products | Cannabis Purchaser Excise Tax Law, IDOR | 20% of the purchase price on cannabis-infused products, whatever their THC | Classify edibles, tinctures and topicals as infused, not by potency |
| State and local tax | IDOR cannabis tax FAQ | Adult-use pays 6.25% state ROT; cities may add up to 3% and counties up to 3.75% (3% inside a city) | Hold a tax profile per store address and update it when IDOR publishes rate changes |
| Medical tax | IDOR cannabis tax FAQ | Medical cannabis is taxed at the 1% state rate for qualifying drugs, with no purchaser excise or local cannabis tax | Tie the tax profile to the verified patient record |
| State tracking system | IDOA bulletin IB-2025-03 | Dispensaries moved from BioTrack to Metrc between April 25 and June 17 2025; RFID tags are state funded | Receive, sell and report against Metrc packages |
| Purchase limits | SB 3222, signed June 12 2026 | Residents 60 g flower, 10 g concentrate, 1,000 mg THC infused; non-residents half | Check resident status and stop the basket at the right profile |
| Curbside and drive-through | SB 3222 and IDFPR guidance | Allowed, but systems must be reviewed and approved by IDFPR before the service starts | Document order verification and hand-off outside the store |
Tax rules from the Illinois Department of Revenue cannabis tax FAQ. Metrc timeline from the Illinois Department of Agriculture informational bulletin IB-2025-03. SB 3222 provisions from the Governor's office release of June 12 2026 and IDFPR guidance to licensees as reported in June 2026. Read in October 2026. A summary for software buyers, not legal or tax advice.
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How does the Illinois cannabis tax work at the register?
Every adult-use item carries its own excise rate. Cannabis that is not an infused product is taxed at 10% of the purchase price if its adjusted THC is 35% or less, and 25% if it is above 35%. Infused products such as edibles, tinctures and topicals are taxed at 20% regardless of strength. The dispensary collects the excise from the buyer, states it separately on the receipt and remits it to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Adjusted THC is not the number printed in large type on most labels. IDOR defines it as the percentage of delta-9 THC plus 0.877 times the percentage of THCA. A flower listed at 38% THCA and 1% delta-9 has an adjusted THC of about 34.3%, so it sits in the 10% band even though the label looks like it belongs in the 25% one. A POS that uses the headline figure, or a category default, will overcharge on that jar.
On top of the excise come the 6.25% state retailers' occupation tax and any local cannabis tax. Cities may impose up to 3%, and counties up to 3.75% in unincorporated areas and 3% inside a municipality. Those local rates change by ordinance, and IDOR publishes each batch of changes in a bulletin, the latest taking effect on January 1 2026.
- 10% excise: non-infused cannabis at or below 35% adjusted THC, most flower and pre-rolls.
- 25% excise: non-infused cannabis above 35% adjusted THC, most concentrates and vape oil.
- 20% excise: every infused product, whatever its potency.
- 6.25% state tax on adult-use, 1% on medical, plus local cannabis tax on adult-use only.
Same $50, three different tax bills
Put three $50 items on one ticket: a pre-roll pack testing at 28% adjusted THC, a vape cartridge at 82%, and a box of gummies. The excise lines are $5, $12.50 and $10. That is $27.50 of excise on $150 of product before state and local tax, and if the POS had applied a single blended rate the error would show up on every return you file.
The real risk sits at the threshold. Flower that tests at 34.8% one batch and 35.4% the next moves from the 10% band to the 25% band, which on a $60 eighth is the difference between $6 and $15. The only way to get that right automatically is for the POS to read the lab result attached to each Metrc package when it is received. Ask every vendor to show where on the product record that figure lives, and what happens when a new batch of the same SKU arrives with a different result.
Does Illinois use Metrc?
Yes, since 2025. The Illinois Department of Agriculture moved the state from BioTrack to Metrc in three phases: transporters and labs from April 1 2025, cultivators, craft growers and infusers from April 25, and dispensaries between April 25 and June 17 2025. The state paid for the Metrc RFID tags, subject to some restrictions, and dispensaries were given time to sell through BioTrack-tagged inventory before everything was retagged.
Vendor material has not all caught up. IndicaOnline's Illinois page describes the BioTrack to Metrc transition correctly. Cova's Illinois page, opened in October 2026, says it is fully integrated with Metrc but still advertises automated reporting to BioTrack a few lines further down. That is most likely leftover copy rather than a sign of a stale integration, but it is a fair thing to ask about in the demo, and it is a reminder to judge every vendor on a live Metrc receive and sale rather than on its state page.
What changed for dispensaries under SB 3222?
Governor Pritzker signed SB 3222 on June 12 2026. For the register, three changes matter. Possession limits doubled: residents may now hold 60 grams of flower, 10 grams of concentrate and infused products containing up to 1,000 mg of THC, and non-residents half of each. Every POS needed its limit tables updated, and stores that run a separate profile for visitors needed both changed.
Dispensaries may now offer curbside pick-up and drive-through, with priority for medical patients. IDFPR told licensees that before offering either service they must have their systems reviewed and approved. That review covers how an order is verified and handed over away from the counter, which in practice means the POS and the online ordering flow it feeds.
The law also lets every Illinois dispensary register to serve medical patients, and makes agent badges follow the person rather than the store. A dispensary that has never handled patients now may, so the patient profile, the 1% tax treatment and the medical limit check move from optional to likely for a lot of stores.
How much is a POS system for a dispensary in Illinois?
About $240 to $1,000 a month per location for software, because no vendor publishes an Illinois price and the national cards apply. On published prices, IndicaOnline Core is $240 a month billed annually or $300 billed monthly with two POS licenses, and Cova's Boutique tier covers two workstations at $349 a month with Cova Pay or $389 without. Third parties report Flowhub at $399 to $499 a month, BLAZE from about $500 a month, and Dutchie at $499 to $1,000 a month per location.
For a two-register store that is roughly $2,900 to $12,000 a year in software. Hardware adds $1,000 to $3,500 per register, and payment processing comes on top. Our page on dispensary POS hardware cost itemizes the register, and cannabis POS pricing lists every published and reported price with who published it.
Which POS is best for a new Illinois social equity dispensary?
The one with a price you can check and a contract you can leave. Many Illinois social equity licensees are opening their first store with limited capital, and SB 3222 codified extensions to give conditional licensees more time to become operational. A first-time operator gains little from a platform priced for a chain and a lot from a short initial term.
On published prices, IndicaOnline has the lowest entry point and an accurate Illinois page, and Cova has flat tiers by workstation with no per-user meter. Flowhub and BLAZE are widely used and quote after a demo. Dutchie leads when online ordering drives sales, which matters more now that curbside and drive-through are allowed. Whichever you shortlist, run the three-package tax test on this page before you sign.
Getting found is the other half of opening. Once the store is open, a claimed listing on a licensed-only directory puts the menu, hours and deals in front of adults searching nearby. Ours is $99 a month, published, which you can set up on our list your dispensary page.
Questions to ask an Illinois POS vendor before you sign
Ask where the adjusted THC figure on each product comes from, and what happens when a new batch of the same SKU arrives with a different lab result. Ring the three-package ticket and check the excise lines. Ring it again for a patient and a non-resident. Receive a Metrc package live. Ask for the monthly figures your accountant needs for the excise and retailers' occupation tax returns, by location. Ask how the system supports a curbside or drive-through order for the IDFPR review. Then ask for software, hardware, setup and payments as separate lines with the renewal terms attached.
If you are switching rather than buying for the first time, plan the cutover around a full physical count reconciled to Metrc on both sides of the move. Our guide to switching dispensary POS systems covers the sequence, and the cannabis POS comparison sets eleven systems side by side on price and billing meter.
Questions owners ask
Illinois dispensary POS, answered
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