Remember that sales tax holiday Virginians are used to getting right before school starts? It’s back, if a bit delayed because of the budget battle, and it runs Friday Oct. 20 through Sunday Oct. 22.
The tax exempt sale applies to purchases in stores, online, by mail order, and by telephone, according to a press release from the office of Governor Glenn Youngkin.
But it doesn’t apply to everything you buy.
What items are eligible?
School supplies, clothing, and footwear
- Qualified school supplies – $20 or less per item
- Qualified clothing and footwear – $100 or less per item
Any item that “meets the definition of clothing and has a sale price of $100 or less per item” should be tax exempt. That definition is “any article of wearing apparel and typical footwear intended to be worn on or about the human body,” according to the state-provided information.
What’s not clothing?
Clothing accessories including jewelry, sun glasses, wallets and watches, handbags and cosmetics, are not eligible. Same with protective equipment from safety glasses and face shields to hard hats and ear protectors. Sport or recreational equipment, including ballet and bowling shoes, cleats and spikes, baseball gloves and boxing gloves (and pretty much any sports-related glove), life preservers, mouth guards, padding of all kinds, wetsuits and waders. Check the link above to see a more exhaustive list.
More items that are tax exempt this weekend include:
Hurricane and emergency preparedness products
- Other specified hurricane preparedness items – $60 or less per item
- Portable generators – $1,000 or less per item
- Gas-powered chainsaws – $350 or less per item
- Chainsaw accessories – $60 or less per item
Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products
- Qualifying Energy Star™ or WaterSense™ products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use – $2,500 or less per item
Detailed lists of qualifying items and more information for retailers can be found in the Sales Tax Holiday Guidelines and on Virginia Tax’s website.