Virginia’s three-day tax holiday begins next Friday, Aug. 2, marking a weekend of discounted shopping for back-to-school season and hurricane preparedness supplies, among other goods.
Starting Friday and ending on Sunday, Aug. 4, eligible items will be sold across the state without sales tax.
These eligible goods include:
- School supplies for $20 or less per item
- Clothing and shoes for $100 or less per item
- Qualifying Energy Star or WaterSense products for $2,500 or less. These must be purchased for noncommercial, personal use.
The state is also offering tax-free shopping on hurricane and emergency preparedness items. The following items will be sold tax-free during the holiday:
- Portable generators for $1,000 or less
- Gas-powered chainsaws for $350 or less
- Chainsaw accessories for $60 or less
- Miscellaneous hurricane preparedness items for $60 or less
These categories have some nuances. For example, handbags and sunglasses do not qualify as clothing items, and computers and sporting goods are not considered school supplies for the purposes of the holiday.
A complete list of eligible and ineligible items is available online from the Virginia Department of Taxation.
Sales tax rates vary across the state. In Arlington, it is 6%.
The state legislature recently voted to extend the annual statewide tax holiday through 2030. It is scheduled for the first full weekend of August each year.
