Virginia Sales Tax Holiday Starts This Weekend

We’ve reached the final month of summer, which means back-to-school shopping season is right around the corner.

Once again, Virginia is aiming to make this hectic shopping season easier on its families by bringing back its annual Back to School Sales Tax Holiday this weekend, Aug. 7-9.

The sales tax holiday traditionally begins on the first Friday in August, and it includes tax exemptions on purchases of school supplies and back-to-school clothing, provided each individual school supply costs under $20 and each item of clothing costs under $100.

The Commonwealth published a list of school supplies that qualify for a tax exemption, and that list includes items like binders, backpacks, dictionaries, compasses, calculators, highlighters and more.

Take a look at the full list of tax exempt school supplies and clothing items here.

Just as important as what’s on the list is what was excluded from the list. The following items will not be included in the sales tax holiday: cosmetics, yarn, sun glasses, umbrellas, wallets, watches and more.

Also included in the weekend-long tax exemption are hurricane and emergency preparedness items, as well as EnergyStar and WaterSense products.

How do you survive the back to school shopping trips? Tell us in the comments.