County Income Tax

About Porter County’s Local Income Tax (LIT)

Porter County first enacted a county option income tax in 2002, following the Bethlehem Steel bankruptcy and the fiscal crisis that resulted for local government units. The Indiana Legislature offered Porter County taxing units a no-interest "bail out" loan, under the condition that Porter County adopt a county option income tax. The County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) was then established at a rate of .0025 (.25%).

In 2005, Porter County amended the CEDIT rate after Indiana lawmakers established the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA). State legislation allowed Porter County to pay its $3.5 million dues to the RDA with a new income tax that would also include property tax relief for homeowners.

Effective July 1, 2005, the CEDIT rate was set at .005 (.5%).  

A bill that passed the Indiana Legislature in 2015, H.B. 1485, restructured the county option income tax laws. The tax is now known as the "Local Income Tax," or LIT, with different rate components and uses of the revenue. The transition took effect in 2017.

All Indiana counties have adopted a county income tax. In 2020, only one other Indiana county (Warrick County) has the same income tax rate as Porter County. The remaining 90 counties have higher rates, with most in the 1% to 2% range.

To view the state's certified distribution report for Porter County LIT in 2021, click here: Certified LIT 2021

How is the LIT revenue used in Porter County? One-half of the total funding is distributed to the county, cities and towns for their operational needs; of the remaining half, $3.5 million is distributed to the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, with the remainder used for a property tax credit on homesteads. For more information, see "LIT Distributions" and "County Homestead Credit."

The chart here shows the county income tax rates in Indiana's 92 counties in 2021, along with the number of counties in each rate range. Porter County is one of the two counties with a rate of 0.5% (.005).