Cell phone taxes by state
Taxes, fees and surcharges take an average of 27.6% of a US wireless bill, and where you live changes that enormously: from 16.8% in Idaho to 38.3% in Illinois. On a $60 plan that gap is worth about $3.87 a month in real charges.
Most carriers advertise prices before tax, which is why your bill never matches the ad. AT&T, Verizon, Mint Mobile and T-Mobile's Experience plans add these charges on top. Cricket, Visible and US Mobile include them in the advertised price.
Read these rates correctly
They apply to the taxable portion of a bill. Federal law bars states from taxing internet access, and modern plans are mostly data, so carriers apportion the bill and tax only part of it. A typical bill therefore carries roughly 30% of the headline rate: in Illinois that means about 11.5% in real charges rather than 38.3%. The ranking below is still the right guide to where wireless is taxed most.
Compare plans at their real price
Our free plan finder applies your state's rate to every carrier that bills tax separately, so the totals you compare are what you would actually pay.
Find my real priceEvery state, ranked
| # | State | Headline rate | Typical charge on a $60 plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | 38.3% | +$6.90/mo |
| 2 | Washington | 35% | +$6.30/mo |
| 3 | Arkansas | 34% | +$6.12/mo |
| 4 | New York | 34% | +$6.11/mo |
| 5 | Kansas | 32.1% | +$5.78/mo |
| 6 | Louisiana | 31.9% | +$5.74/mo |
| 7 | Nebraska | 31.6% | +$5.70/mo |
| 8 | Utah | 31.5% | +$5.67/mo |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 31.2% | +$5.62/mo |
| 10 | Texas | 30.8% | +$5.55/mo |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 30.6% | +$5.50/mo |
| 12 | Maryland | 30.5% | +$5.49/mo |
| 13 | South Dakota | 30.1% | +$5.42/mo |
| 14 | North Dakota | 29.8% | +$5.37/mo |
| 15 | Rhode Island | 29.1% | +$5.24/mo |
| 16 | Florida | 28.5% | +$5.12/mo |
| 17 | Missouri | 28.3% | +$5.09/mo |
| 18 | Colorado | 28.1% | +$5.05/mo |
| 19 | Alaska | 28% | +$5.04/mo |
| 20 | New Mexico | 27.7% | +$4.98/mo |
| 21 | Tennessee | 27.4% | +$4.92/mo |
| 22 | Puerto Rico | 27.2% | +$4.90/mo |
| 23 | South Carolina | 27% | +$4.85/mo |
| 24 | Georgia | 26.6% | +$4.78/mo |
| 25 | Mississippi | 26.5% | +$4.77/mo |
| 26 | West Virginia | 26.5% | +$4.77/mo |
| 27 | California | 26.2% | +$4.72/mo |
| 28 | Arizona | 26.1% | +$4.69/mo |
| 29 | Alabama | 26% | +$4.69/mo |
| 30 | Minnesota | 25.7% | +$4.62/mo |
| 31 | District of Columbia | 25.6% | +$4.61/mo |
| 32 | Kentucky | 25.1% | +$4.52/mo |
| 33 | Indiana | 24.6% | +$4.43/mo |
| 34 | Massachusetts | 24.1% | +$4.34/mo |
| 35 | Iowa | 23.4% | +$4.22/mo |
| 36 | Michigan | 23.4% | +$4.22/mo |
| 37 | New Hampshire | 23.4% | +$4.20/mo |
| 38 | Wyoming | 22.7% | +$4.09/mo |
| 39 | New Jersey | 22.7% | +$4.08/mo |
| 40 | Maine | 22.7% | +$4.08/mo |
| 41 | Wisconsin | 22.7% | +$4.08/mo |
| 42 | Ohio | 22.6% | +$4.06/mo |
| 43 | Oregon | 22.5% | +$4.06/mo |
| 44 | Vermont | 22.5% | +$4.05/mo |
| 45 | North Carolina | 22.5% | +$4.05/mo |
| 46 | Delaware | 22% | +$3.96/mo |
| 47 | Connecticut | 21.8% | +$3.92/mo |
| 48 | Hawaii | 21.5% | +$3.87/mo |
| 49 | Virginia | 21.2% | +$3.81/mo |
| 50 | Montana | 20.4% | +$3.67/mo |
| 51 | Nevada | 18.9% | +$3.41/mo |
| 52 | Idaho | 16.8% | +$3.03/mo |
Where the money goes
Every bill carries the federal Universal Service Fund charge (13.36%, identical nationwide, adjusted quarterly), which subsidises phone and internet service for rural areas, schools and libraries. Everything above that is state and local: sales tax, telecom-specific taxes, 911 fees and, in a growing number of states, a 988 crisis-line fee. That local layer is the entire reason an Illinois bill carries more than twice Idaho's tax burden.
Some lines in that block aren't taxes
Look for a Regulatory Recovery Fee, an Administrative Charge or a Telco Recovery Fee. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile each have their own version. No government requires them: the carrier sets the amount, the carrier keeps it, and it can rise at any time. They are printed next to the real taxes, which is what makes them look official. The rates on this page do not include them, so if your own bill works out well above your state's figure, this is usually the reason.
Watch instead
The three kinds of line on your bill, and which one your carrier keeps.
Cell Phone Taxes and Fees Explained (And Which Ones Aren't Taxes)
Source: Tax Foundation, “Taxes on Wireless Services: Cell Phone Tax Rates by State” (2025 edition, rates as of July 2025). Local rates vary within each state, so these are close estimates of a typical bill rather than quotes. We are independent and not affiliated with any carrier.