Utah State Tax Guide

State tax rates and rules for income, sales, property, fuel, cigarette, and other taxes that impact Utah residents.

Bottom Line

Middle-Class Families: Tax-Friendly (Go to the Kiplinger Tax Map for Middle-Class Families)

Retirees: Mixed Tax Picture (Go to the Kiplinger Tax Map for Retirees)

Utah has a flat-rate income tax system (currently 4.85%). But retirees can get stung by the Beehive State's income tax, since Utah is one of only a handful of states that taxes Social Security benefits.

Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Save up to 74%
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/xrd7fjmf8g1657008683.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

Sign up

Sales taxes in Utah aren't exactly steep — but they're certainly not what you'd call low, either. The state's average combined state and local sales tax rate is 7.19%, which is above average.

Residents should like the property tax rates in the state. The median property tax rate in Utah is the eighth-lowest in the nation.

Utah Income Taxes

Utah Income Tax Range

Utah has a flat tax of 4.85% (reduced from 4.95% starting with the 2022 tax year).

Utah Taxation of Social Security Benefits

Social Security benefits are included in Utah taxable income to the same extent they're taxed at the federal level. However, a nonrefundable tax credit is available for Social Security benefits. The credit is calculated by multiplying the Utah income tax rate (currently 4.85%) by the amount of Social Security benefits included in federal adjusted gross income (AGI). The total credit amount is reduced by $.025 for each dollar by which the taxpayer's modified AGI exceeds $31,000 ($25,000 for 2021) for a married person filing a separate tax return, $37,000 ($30,000 for 2021) for a single filer, and $62,000 ($50,000 for 2021) for a married couple filing a joint return or a head-of-household filer. Taxpayers can't claim both the Social Security credit and the general $450 credit for retirees.

Utah Tax Breaks for Other Retirement Income

Income from a qualified retirement plan may be deductible if contributions to the plan were previously taxed in another state.

Seniors born on or before December 31, 1952, can also claim a nonrefundable tax credit of up to $450 ($900 for joint filers). The credit is completely phased-out for single taxpayers with a modified AGI of $43,000 or more, joint or head-of-household filers with modified AGI of $50,000 or more, and married taxpayers filing separate returns with modified AGI of $34,000 or more.

A separate nonrefundable tax credit is available for military retirement pay. The credit is calculated by multiplying the Utah income tax rate (currently 4.95%) by the amount of military retirement pay included in federal AGI. Retirees can't claim both the military retirement credit and the general $450 credit for retirees.

Railroad Retirement benefits are exempt.

Utah Sales Tax

State levy is 4.85%, but a mandatory 1% local sales tax and 0.25% county option sales tax are added to the state tax (for a 6.1% total rate). Plus, localities can add up to an additional 2.95%, making the average combined state and local rate 7.19%, according to the Tax Foundation.

  • Groceries: Taxable (1.75% state tax, plus mandatory 1.25% in local and county taxes)
  • Clothing: Taxable
  • Motor Vehicles: Taxable
  • Prescription Drugs: Exempt

Utah Real Property Taxes

In Utah, the median property tax rate is $520 per $100,000 of assessed home value.

Utah Property Tax Breaks for Retirees

For 2022, homeowners 66 and older (and surviving spouses of any age) who earned $35,807 or less in 2021 can get a "circuit breaker" property tax credit of up to $1,110. An additional credit equal to the tax on 20% of a home's fair market value is also available. Homeowners who qualify for the circuit breaker generally also qualify for an indigent abatement of up to $1,110 or tax deferral.

Homeowners who are at least 75 years old may also have their county property taxes deferred if certain income, liquid asset, and home value limits aren't exceeded.

Utah Motor Fuel Taxes

Gasoline: 31.91¢ per gallon (36.41¢ per gallon effective January 1, 2023).

Diesel: 31.91¢ per gallon (36.41¢ per gallon effective January 1, 2023).

Utah Sin Taxes

Cigarettes: $1.70 per pack

Snuff: $1.83 per ounce

Other tobacco products: 86% of manufacturer’s price

Vapor products: 56% of manufacturer’s price

Beer: $0.42 per gallon

Wine: not available

Liquor: $15.92 per gallon (the liquor tax is an estimate by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and published by the Tax Foundation)

Utah Estate and Inheritance Taxes

No estate or inheritance tax.

Rocky Mengle

Rocky Mengle was a Senior Tax Editor for Kiplinger from October 2018 to January 2023 with more than 20 years of experience covering federal and state tax developments. Before coming to Kiplinger, Rocky worked for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, and Kleinrock Publishing, where he provided breaking news and guidance for CPAs, tax attorneys, and other tax professionals. He has also been quoted as an expert by USA Today, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Reuters, Accounting Today, and other media outlets. Rocky holds a law degree from the University of Connecticut and a B.A. in History from Salisbury University.