Virginia Sales Tax Holiday 2019 Begins: What's Included

VIRGINIA — There's no better like the present to go back-to-school shopping in Virginia. The annual sales tax holiday began at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2 and continues until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4.

Over these three days, there's no sales tax on qualifying clothing, school supplies, appliances and hurricane preparedness items. That means the state's 4.3 percent state sales tax, the 1 percent local option tax, and other applicable regional taxes are waived.

This tax-free offer applies to items specified on the state's detailed list. Clothing and footwear costing $100 or less per item are included in the exemption, as well as school supplies for $20 or less, hurricane preparedness for $60 or less, and appliances with an Energy Star or WaterSense label under $2,500.

Among the eligible school supplies are book bags, calculators, folders, notebooks, textbooks and tissues. There's a long list of clothing and shoes exempt from sales tax, from jeans, shirts and blouses, and jackets to boots and sneakers.

A variety of hurricane preparedness items are specified for the tax holiday. Eligible items include flashlights, waterproof sheeting, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, bottled water, cell phone chargers and more.

Energy Star products included in the offer are air conditioners, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, washing machines, dishwashers, light bulbs and refrigerators. Qualifying WaterSense products are bathroom sink faucets, faucet accessories, showerheads, toilets, urinals and landscape irrigation controllers.

The state's tax holiday guide also names items that are ineligible, such as accessories, protective equipment, and sport or recreational equipment. For example, you must pay sales tax on jewelry, sunglasses, umbrellas, cosmetics, tool belts, life vests and mouth guards.

The Virginia General Assembly extended the annual sales tax holiday through July 1, 2022. Before fiscal year 2016, sales tax holidays happened in May, August and October, but the legislature changed that to one big sales tax weekend in August. Maryland will have its own sales tax holiday Sunday, Aug. 11 through Saturday, Aug. 17.