This weekend shoppers can save big during the Virginia sales tax holiday. It usually takes place in August, but lawmakers failed to renew it during budget negotiations over the summer.
When is the sales tax holiday weekend in Virginia?
Virginia’s three-day sales tax holiday is from Friday, Oct. 20 at midnight to Sunday, Oct. 22 before midnight.
Which items are eligible during the Sales Tax Holiday?
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According to a Virginia Department of Taxation video, a sales tax holiday is “a period of time where you can buy certain products without paying any Virginia sales tax on those items.”
The Virginia holiday is available for in-store and online shopping. It can also save shoppers between 5.3% to 7% on purchases, according to the video.
"The VA sales tax holiday starts a week from today! Save money on cold-weather clothing 🧣🧤 & footwear 🥾 to keep you warm this winter!" @VaTax wrote in part on X.
During Virginia's holiday, there are three categories of items that qualify: school supplies, clothing and footwear; hurricane and emergency preparedness products; and Energy Star and WaterSense products. Some of the items are only exempt from sales tax if they do not exceed a certain amount.
For a full list of items eligible during the Virginia sales tax holiday, visit the Virginia Tax website.
Why did Virginia's sales tax holiday go away and later return?
Shoppers in Virginia have relied on the sales tax holiday in August for back-to-school shopping since 2015. That changed this summer when lawmakers did not renew the date on a bill mentioning sales tax holidays, so it expired.
That item was in Section 3-5.25 of the 2022 Appropriation Act. It stated that, "Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, the retail sales and use tax exemption holidays..." authorized by the Code of Virginia, "shall remain in effect through July 1, 2023."
The state budget proposed by the Virginia State Assembly later included renewing the popular tax-free weekend. It also stipulated that the missed August tax holiday would move to late October.
When Governor Glenn Youngkin signed the budget in September it officially reinstated “the state-wide sales tax holiday for school supplies, clothing and footwear,” according to a release.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article said the sales tax holiday ended Sunday, Oct. 22 at noon.
