Alcohol Beverage Laws for Retailers
Taxes
- What are the tax rates for liquor, wine, and beer?
- Who pays the tax?
- Can I bring liquor, beer, or wine into Wisconsin from another state or another country?
- What are the tax rates for liquor, wine, and beer?
- Liquor: 85.86 cents per liter plus administrative fee of 2.906 cents per liter.
- Wine (14% alcohol or less): 6.605 cents per liter.
- Wine (over 14% alcohol): 11.89 cents per liter.
- Cider: 1.71 cents per liter.
- Beer: $2.00 per 31 gallon barrel. (Most "coolers," sometimes called "wine coolers," are actually fermented malt beverages like beer and are subject to the beer tax.)
- Who pays the tax?
These taxes are paid to the Department of Revenue by the brewers, distillers, and vintners who produce the products. They send us monthly reports and checks for the tax due.
- Can I bring liquor, beer, or wine into Wisconsin from another state or another country?
If you are coming from another state, unless you are moving your home to Wisconsin from that state, you may not bring alcohol beverages of any kind into Wisconsin.
If you are moving from another state or country to Wisconsin, you may bring liquor or wine that is among your household goods into Wisconsin.
If you have spent at least 48 hours in another country, you may come into Wisconsin with up to 4 liters of liquor or wine in sealed containers. You must bring this into Wisconsin with you in your personal possession; you may not send or ship it.
If you were on military duty for at least 48 hours in another country, you may bring up to 16 liters of liquor or wine into Wisconsin.
You may also receive 108 liters of wine in a calendar year shipped to you from a wine direct shipper permitted with the Department of Revenue under sec. 125.535, Wis. Stats.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
Excise Tax Section
Mail Stop 6-107
P.O. Box 8900
Madison, WI 53708-8900
Phone: (608) 266-6701
Fax: (608) 261-7049
Email Additional Questions
Last updated November 20, 2012