Ohio Tax Free Weekend 2018: Dates, Times & What Qualifies

Tax Free Weekend

Getty Tax Free Weekend

Ohio’s tax free weekend is this weekend, Friday, August 3 — Sunday, August 5. It began at 12:00 a.m. on Friday and will end Sunday at 11:59 p.m. This means tax free weekend is going on right now. Here is everything you need to know about Ohio’s tax free weekend and what qualifies and what doesn’t.


The Following Are Exempt from Taxes in Ohio This Weekend

  • Any clothing that costs $75 or less per item.
  • Any school supplies that cost $20 or less per item.
  • Any school instructional material that costs $20 or less per item.

These rules are a bit general, so here are some more specifics to help you understand what qualifies. You can get more details here.

Clothing that is tax free includes (but is not limited to): 

  • Any apparel for “general use”
  • Shirts, pants, shorts, skirts, sweaters and the like
  • Uniforms (athletic and non-athletic)
  • Shoes, shoe laces, insoles, slippers, socks, hosiery, footlets
  • Underwear
  • Coats & jackets, rainwear
  • Gloves, mittens
  • Hats, caps, ear muffs
  • Belts, suspenders, ties, scarves
  • Aprons, lab coats
  • Swimsuits and swim caps, beach capes
  • Costumes
  • Baby blankets, diapers (children or adult)
  • Rubber pants
  • Garters, girdles
  • Formal wear
  • Wedding apparel

As you can see, a wide range of clothing qualifies, even wedding clothes.

Note that there is no limit on how many of an exempt item you can buy. For example, any clothing that costs more than $75 per item won’t qualify. But there’s no exemption on how many coats under $75 you could buy tax free, for example.

Also, you can’t average the price of a buy-one-get-one-free item to make it qualify. If you can get two coats for $80 under “buy one get one free,” they won’t qualify, for example. But if a coupon lowers a coat’s price to below $75, then that item does qualify.


The Following Items Are NOT Tax Free in Ohio This Weekend

  • Any items used in a trade or a business.
  • Certain clothing accessories, such as barrettes, hair bows, hair nets
  • Briefcases, purses
  • Jewelry
  • Sunglasses (unless they are prescription)
  • Umbrellas
  • Wallets
  • Watches
  • Wigs and hair pieces
  • Cosmetics
  • Protective equipment (such as breathing masks, hearing protectors, face shields, hard hats, helmets, respirators, goggles, tool belts, masks)
  • Sewing equipment
  • Sports and recreational equipment (such as ballet shoes, cleats, gloves for playing sports, guards, life preservers, wetsuits, fins)
  • Belt buckles that are sold separatelyWhen Is Ohio Tax Free Weekend & What Qualifies?
  • Costume masks that are sold separately (note that costumes are exempt from taxes)
  • Patches and emblems that are sold separately (note that uniforms are exempt from taxes)

For more information, see Ohio’s website here.

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