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Virginia’s Tax-Free Weekend is this weekend. Tax-Free Weekend began Friday, August 7 at 12:01 a.m. and will last through Sunday, August 9 at 11:59 p.m. Here are more details about what does and does not qualify in Virginia this week. Find a complete list, visit here.
Items that Qualify for Tax-Free Status in Virginia
In Virginia, clothing and footwear up to $100 per item and school supplies of up to $20 per item qualify for tax-free status.
In addition, hurricane preparedness and emergency items are also tax-free this weekend. That includes portable generators of $1,000 or less per item, gas-powered chainsaws of $350 or less per item, chainsaw accessories of $60 or less per item, and other specified hurricane preparedness items of $60 or less per item.
Qualifying Energy Star or WaterSense products bought for noncommercial home or personal use of $2,500 or less per item also qualify for tax-free status this weekend.
Since 2015, Virginia’s hurricane preparedness, back-to-school, and Energy Star/WaterSense tax-free holidays have been combined into one weekend. Find a complete list, visit here.
Here is a list of exempt clothing:
- Aprons
- Athletic supporters
- Baby clothes, diapers, bibs, baby receiving blankets, but NOT diaper bags
- Bandanas
- Bathing suits, coverups, swim trunks, beach capes and coats
- Belts
- Boots
- Choir and altar clothing, clerical vestments
- Clothing in general: shirts, blouses, pants, skirts, coveralls, dresses, jeans, shorts, etc.
- Coats, jackets, and windbreakers
- Corsets and corset laces
- Costumes (sold, not rented)
- Coveralls
- Footlets
- Formal wear for men or women (sold, not rented)
- Fur coats, stoles, shawls, and wraps
- Girdles
- Gloves (general use, not sports gloves), ear muffs
- Golf clothing (caps, dresses, shirts, skirts, pants)
- Gym suits and uniforms
- Hats, caps
- Hosiery
- Insoles and shoe insets
- Jeans
- Lab coats
- Legwarmers, leotards, tights
- Lingerie: bras, garter belts, corsets, hosiery, jogging bras, underwear etc.
- Neckwear: ties, bow ties, scarves
- Pajamas and other sleepwear
- Religious clothing: Choir & altar clothing, clerical vestments, etc.
- Raincoats, rain hats, ponchos
- Robes
- Rubber pants
- Shoes, boots (when general purpose), sandals, shoe laces, steel-toed shoes, thongs, flip-flops
- Scarves
- Socks (including athletic socks)
- Uniforms, athletic and non-athletic
- Wedding apparel that’s purchased not rented (bridal gowns, veils, etc.)
The following are examples of tax-free school supplies.
- Binder pockets
- Binders
- Blackboard chalk
- Book bags, messenger bags, and totes
- Calculators
- Cellophane tape
- Clay and glazes
- Compasses
- Composition books
- Computer storage media; diskettes; recordable compact discs; and flash
drives - Crayons
- Dictionaries and thesauruses
- Disinfectant wipes
- Dividers
- Erasers (including dry erase marker erasers and dry erase marker
cleaning solution) - Folders (expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila)
- Glue, paste, and paste sticks
- Hand sanitizer soap
- Highlighters
- Index card boxes
- Index cards
- Legal pads
- Lunch boxes and lunch bags (including disposable lunch bags)
- Markers (including dry erase markers and dry erase marker kits)
- Musical instruments, musical instrument accessories, and replacement
items for musical instruments - Notebooks
- Paintbrushes for artwork
- Paints (acrylic, tempera, and oil)
- Paper (loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy and printer 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
- Reference books
- Reference maps and globes
- Rulers
- Scissors
- Sheet music
- Sketch and drawing pads
- Textbooks
- Tissues
- Watercolors
- Workbooks
- Writing tablets
Items that Do NOT Qualify for Tax-Free Status in Virginia
In Virginia, clothing that costs more than $100 per item and school supplies that cost more than $20 per item do NOT qualify for tax-free status. Find a complete list, visit here.
Here are examples of clothing and accessories that do NOT qualify for tax-free status:
- Briefcases
- Cosmetics
- Fabric, thread, buttons, yarn for making clothings
- Hair accessories (barrettes, bobby pins, ponytail holders, bows, hair nets, etc.)
- Handbags
- Handkerchiefs
- Jewelry
- Protective equipment (like breathing masks, clean room apparel, ear protectors, face shields, hard hats, helmets, paint respirators, safety glasses and goggles, tool belts, welders gloves and masks, etc.)
- Sports and recreational equipment (like ballet and tap shoes, bowling shoes, cleated shoes, gloves for sports, goggles, hand and elbow guards, life preservers and vests, mouth guards, roller and ice skates, shoulder pads, shin guards, ski boots, waders, wetsuits and fins)
- Sunglasses
- Umbrellas
- Wallets
- Watches
- Wigs, hair pieces
If you buy an item during the exemption and have to exchange it for a similar item after the holiday, you don’t have to pay a tax. However, if you buy an item during the holiday and return it for credit after the holiday, you’ll have to pay tax on your new purchase.
Discounts and coupons can be used to help an item fit in the tax-free status, if the discount lowers its price enough to qualify. But a gift certificate can’t be used to do the same thing.
Buying an item during the tax-free holiday and opting for immediate shipment is eligible, even if the item isn’t actually shipped until after the holiday.
The above rules are subject to change, so double-check on the details here for the latest updates.
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