NoVA shops and malls may be a little more crowded this coming weekend as people take advantage of Virginia’s sales tax holiday to buy back-to-school supplies and clothing.
The annual sales tax holiday starts at 12:01 a.m. Friday, August 2, and runs until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, August 4. You can buy items in store on online.
Here’s what you won’t have to pay sales tax on:
- School supplies that cost $20 or less per item
- Clothing and footwear that costs $100 or less per item
The school supplies do not include computers, and you don’t need to have a student in the family to buy them. Included on the list with book bags, notebooks, and pencils are hand sanitizer soap, disinfectant wipes, and tissues.
There are some exceptions on what qualifies as clothing. Sports clothing and sporting footwear that would be specific to playing a sport, like shin guards or ballet shoes, are not eligible.
Accessory items, such as purses, wallets, and barrettes also are excluded.
See the full list of the school supplies and clothing eligible during the 2024 Virginia sales tax holiday.
If you’ve been looking to spend a day in Middleburg, the sales tax exemption coincides with Middleburg’s Sidewalk Sale.
Emergency Items
You can also purchase hurricane and emergency preparedness items without having to pay sales tax. Here’s what’s on the list:
- Portable generators that cost $1,000 or less per item
- Gas-powered chainsaws that cost $350 or less per item
- Chainsaw accessories that are $60 or less per item
- Other hurricane preparedness items that are $60 or less per item
Many of those other hurricane preparedness items are things you would use around the house, such as batteries, flashlights, fire extinguishers, and bottled water.
See the full list of eligible hurricane and emergency preparedness items.
Other Items Without Sales Tax
Items with Energy Star and WaterSense labels that are $2,500 or less that you buy for personal use will not be taxed.
Air conditioners, ceiling fans, refrigerators, dishwashers, and other items with the Energy Star label qualify, as do sinks, toilets, and irrigation controllers with the WaterSense label.
See the full list of what Energy Star and WaterSense products are eligible during the 2024 Virginia sales tax holiday.
Last year, the three-day sale that exempts the state’s 5.3 percent sales tax and any local taxes didn’t happen in the summer because the legislature failed to put it in the budget. It was later reinstated and happened last October.
Feature image by New Africa/stock.adobe.com
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