While there is still time to enjoy what’s left of summer, area kids will soon be heading back to the classroom.

With school just around the corner, many parents are making sure their children have the necessary supplies to start the academic year on the right foot. New school clothing in addition to supplies can be quite costly, which is why it is important to look for discounts or take advantage of this weekend’s Ohio sales tax holiday. The sales tax holiday kicked off at midnight and will last until 11:59 p.m. this Sunday.

The event is a great way for families to save on necessary school expenses. According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, the following items are exempt from sales and use tax:

  • Any item of clothing priced at $75 or less. Clothing includes, but is not limited to, the following: shirts; blouses; sweaters; pants; shorts; skirts; dresses; uniforms (athletic and non-athletic); shoes and shoe laces; insoles for shoes; sneakers; sandals; boots; overshoes; slippers; steel-toed shoes; underwear; socks and stockings; hosiery; pantyhose; footlets; coats and jackets; rainwear; gloves and mittens for general use; hats and caps; ear muffs; belts and suspenders; neckties; scarves; aprons (household and shop); lab coats; athletic supporters; bathing suits and caps; beach capes and coats; costumes; baby receiving blankets; and diapers, for children and adult, including disposable.
  • Any item of school supplies priced at $20 or less. School supplies include only the following items: binders; book bags; calculators; cellophane tape; blackboard chalk; compasses; composition books; crayons; erasers; highlighters; index cards; legal pads; lunch boxes; markers; notebooks; paper, including loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board and construction paper; pencil boxes and other school supply boxes; pencil sharpeners; pencils; pens; protractors; rules; scissors; and writing tablets.
  • Any item of school instructional material priced at $20 or less. School instructional material only includes the following items: reference books; reference maps and globes; textbooks; and workbooks.

Items used in trade or business are not exempt under the sales tax holiday.

Folks who shop online or order items rather than purchasing in brick and mortar locations can still take advantage of the sales tax holiday. According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, “Qualified items sold to consumers by mail, telephone, e-mail, or Internet shall qualify for the sale tax exemption if the consumer orders and pays for the item and the retailer accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period. However, if the order and payment were made before the sales tax holiday, even if the item was delivered during the sales tax holiday, it would not qualify for exemption. Additionally, if an item is backordered and payment does not occur until a later shipment, the item would not qualify for the exemption.”

For more information on Ohio’s sales tax holiday, visit https://tax.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/tax/.

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