Gov. Mike DeWine urges Ohio residents to take advantage of sales tax holiday

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is encouraging Ohioans to take advantage of this year’s sales tax holiday, which will take place from midnight Friday, Aug. 7, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026.

The following items qualify for the sales tax exemption during the three-day holiday: 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.

According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, “clothing” includes but is not limited to, aprons, household and shop; athletic supporters; baby receiving blankets; bathing suits and caps; beach capes and coats; belts and suspenders; boots; coats and jackets; costumes; diapers, children and adult, including disposable diapers; earmuffs; footlets; formal wear; garters and garter belts; girdles; gloves and mittens for general use; hats and caps; hosiery; insoles for shoes; lab coats; neckties; overshoes; pantyhose; rainwear; rubber pants; sandals; scarves; shoes and shoe laces; slippers; sneakers; socks and stockings; steel-toed shoes; underwear; uniforms, athletic and nonathletic; and wedding apparel.

“School supplies” only includes binders; book bags; calculators; cellophane tape; blackboard chalk; compasses; composition books; crayons; erasers; folders, expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila; glue, paste, and paste sticks; highlighters; index cards; index card boxes; legal pads; lunch boxes; markers; notebooks; paper, loose-leaf 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; rulers; scissors; and writing tablets.

“School instructional materials” only includes reference books, reference maps and globes, textbooks, and workbooks.

In 2026, the sales tax holiday only applies to the above back to school items. It does not apply to items that are $500 or less, food in restaurants, boats/watercrafts, titled outboard motors, motor vehicles, alcohol, tobacco, vape products, or items with marijuana. It also does not apply to taxable services and items purchased for use in business.

For more information about this year’s sales tax holiday in Ohio, you can visit the Ohio Department of Taxation’s website.