See Which Back-To-School Items Qualify For Virginia's 2022 Sales Tax Holiday

VIRGINIA — As families go back-to-school shopping for clothes and school supplies, they can take advantage of Virginia's sales tax holiday. Sales tax will be waived for certain items from Friday to Sunday online, in stores, by phone or by mail order around Virginia.

The annual sales tax holiday starts at 12:01 a.m. the first Friday of August through 11:59 p.m. on the following Sunday. Normally, items are taxed between 5.3 percent and 7 percent, which includes the state's 4.3 percent state sales tax, the 1 percent local option tax, and other applicable regional taxes. Northern Virginia counties and cities have a combined sales tax is 6 percent.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement the sales tax holiday helps families affected by inflation.

"Our administration will continue to stand up for parents trying to buy school supplies for their children, Virginians preparing for upcoming weather-related events, and families struggling with the cost of living challenges," Youngkin stated. "Building on the record tax relief for Virginians in this year’s budget, lowering the cost of living remains a top priority for my administration as we work together to make Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family."

The sales tax holiday applies to qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness products, Energy Star products and WaterSense products.

School supplies must be $20 or less per item to qualify for the sales tax exemption. These can include book bags, calculators, composition books, flash drives, crayons, disinfectant wipes, folders, hand sanitizer, lunch boxes, musical instruments, notebooks, printer paper, pencils, pens, scissors, tissues, workbooks and much more. See the full list of qualifying school supplies.

Certain clothing and shoes priced at $100 or less each can qualify for the sales tax exemption as well. Examples of eligible clothing and shoes are baby clothes, bathing suits, boots, diapers, dresses, jeans, raincoats, shirts and blouses, sneakers and more.

Items not qualifying for the sales tax exemption are labeled as clothing accessories, protective equipment and sports or recreational equipment. Some examples of accessory items not eligible are cosmetics, handbags, jewelry, sunglasses, umbrellas and wallets. Examples of protective equipment are ear and hearing protectors, hard hats, protective gloves, safety belts, safety glasses and goggles, and welders gloves and masks. Some examples of sports and recreational equipment are ballet and tap shoes, cleated or spiked athletic shoes, goggles, life preservers and vests, shin guards, shoulder pads, ski boots and wetsuits.

See the full list of clothing and shoes to see what's eligible for the sales tax exemption.

Other items included in the sales tax holiday are hurricane and emergency preparedness items like portable generators priced at $1,000 or less each, gas-powered chainsaws at $350 or less each, chainsaw accessories at $60 or less each, and other specified items at $60 or less each. Qualifying Energy Star and WaterSense products priced at $2,500 for home or non-commercial use can also be sales tax exempt.

The sales tax holiday is set through Virginia General Assembly legislation. Virginia's sales tax holiday was last extended through July 1, 2023, which means future legislative action is required to hold sales tax holidays in August 2023 and beyond.

See more information on the sales tax holiday from the Virginia Department of Taxation.