Shoppers get excited – the annual sales tax holiday for clothes and back-to-school supplies starts today! In Virginia qualifying school supplies priced $20 or less per item, and clothing/footwear priced $100 or less per item will be exempt for tax this Friday through Sunday. The tax exempt holiday occurs annually during the first full weekend in August.
Virginia’s annual Tax-Free weekends are a great way to easily save money. We have 3 tax holidays here in Virginia: Hurricane and Emergency Preparedness, School Supplies and Clothes, and Energy Star and WaterSense Qualified Products. I have to admit, the School Supplies & Clothing Tax-Free weekend is my favorite of the three. It is a great time to purchase those back-to-school necessities as well as diapers, office supplies and more without paying tax. Qualifying purchases during that weekend will be exempt from the normal VA state and local taxes, typically 5% of the purchase price. Some items that might surprise you, that will be tax-free here in VA include:
- Diapers
- Bibs
- Baby Receiving Blankets
- Aprons
- Costumes
- Bathing Suits
- Wedding apparel, including veils
You can find a list of guidelines and participating items on the VA Department of Taxation’s website.
Other states that have sales tax holiday this weekend include: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Carolina. But if you live in one of these states, be sure to check your state’s department of taxation website for more information, as the dates, maximum price per item, and guidelines vary quite a bit.
Coming up later in August the states of Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland and Texas have tax holidays as well.
Shop during a state sales tax holiday to automatically save money, but make sure you shop strategically by scouting out the sales and using coupons or store promotions, so you can save even more. Remember, there will be a lot of shoppers taking advantage of this special tax exemption holiday, so I recommend going to the store on Friday for the first day of the tax holiday or venturing out during non-peak hours. Have fun shopping tax-free this weekend!
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