By 1808Delaware
As the calendar moves toward another school year, families in Delaware County and Franklin County school districts will soon be checking supply lists, replacing outgrown clothing, and preparing students for the return to the classroom.
Ohio’s 2026 sales tax holiday will give them one weekend to complete some of that shopping without paying state or local sales taxes on qualifying purchases.
Three Days Of Savings
The holiday will begin at 12:00 AM on Friday, August 7, and continue through 11:59 PM on Sunday, August 9. During that period, shoppers can purchase qualifying clothing priced at $75 or less per item, school supplies priced at $20 or less per item, and school instructional materials priced at $20 or less per item without paying sales tax.
The price limits apply to each individual item rather than the total cost of the shopping trip. A family could, for example, purchase several articles of clothing costing $75 or less apiece and receive the exemption on every qualifying item, even when the combined purchase totals several hundred dollars. An item priced above its category’s limit does not receive a partial exemption. A shirt costing $75 qualifies, while one costing $75.01 does not. Similarly, a $20 school supply qualifies, but an item priced at $20.01 remains taxable.
What Shoppers Can Buy
The clothing exemption covers apparel suitable for general use, including shirts, pants, coats, jackets, shoes, boots, socks, uniforms, hats, gloves, rainwear, and other qualifying items. It does not cover clothing accessories, protective equipment, sports or recreational equipment, sewing supplies, or items purchased for business use.
Qualifying school supplies include binders, book bags, calculators, crayons, folders, glue, highlighters, lunch boxes, markers, notebooks, paper, pencil boxes, pencils, pens, rulers, scissors, and other specified classroom items costing no more than $20 each. Instructional materials covered by the holiday include textbooks, workbooks, reference books, reference maps, and globes priced at $20 or less.
Discounts and store coupons can also bring an item below the applicable price limit. Manufacturer’s coupons and rebates, however, do not reduce the price used to determine whether an item qualifies for the exemption.
Online Purchases Can Qualify
The holiday is not limited to purchases made inside Ohio stores. Qualifying items purchased by mail, telephone, email, or online are exempt when they are ordered and paid for during the three-day period, even when they are delivered after the holiday ends. The seller’s time zone determines whether an online transaction takes place within the holiday period.
Back To The Traditional Format
The 2026 event marks a return to Ohio’s traditional three-day back-to-school sales tax holiday, as unlike the expanded holidays offered in recent years, there will be no broader exemption for most merchandise priced at $500 or less. This year’s holiday applies only to the designated clothing, school supply, and instructional material categories. For families preparing students for another year at Galion, Colonel Crawford, or Northmor, the August weekend offers an opportunity to reduce the cost of some familiar back-to-school necessities.
A complete list of qualifying items, exclusions, and purchasing rules is available through the Ohio Department of Taxation’s 2026 sales tax holiday information page.
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay
