Ohio’s back-to-school sales-tax holiday returns Friday for three days

Ohio’s back-to-school sales-tax holiday begins at 12:00 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. The three-day window gives families a limited opportunity to buy certain clothing and school-related items without Ohio sales tax.

The 2026 holiday is narrower and shorter than the expanded versions offered in 2024 and 2025. Shoppers should check each item’s price and category before assuming a purchase qualifies.

What qualifies in 2026

Ohio state guidance identifies three qualifying categories:

• Clothing: $75 or less per item
• School supplies: $20 or less per item
• School instructional materials: $20 or less per item

The limits apply to each item, not to the total value of a transaction. A $21 school supply does not qualify, even if the rest of the order contains exempt items. Likewise, clothing priced at $76 or more remains taxable under the 2026 limits.

Store discounts may affect an item’s qualifying price, but shoppers should review the Ohio Department of Taxation’s detailed guidance for how specific discounts and unusual transactions are treated.

How 2026 differs from recent holidays

Independent Ohio reporting says the sales-tax holiday lasted 10 days in 2024 and two weeks in 2025. Those expanded events allowed a much broader range of purchases, including many items priced up to $500, and included restaurant purchases.

The 2026 event is limited to three days and to the categories and price thresholds listed above. Shoppers should not rely on the broader rules used during the previous two years.

Online purchases require careful timing

For online shopping, a qualifying transaction must be completed during the official holiday window. Simply receiving an order during the three-day period does not necessarily establish eligibility in every situation.

Check the Ohio Department of Taxation’s detailed FAQs for questions involving shipping, pickup, returns, discounts, back orders and other special circumstances. Retailer systems may also handle mixed baskets differently when some items qualify and others do not.

Not every school-related purchase is exempt

A product’s connection to school does not automatically make it tax-free. Ohio’s guidance includes category definitions and exclusions. The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants identifies sports equipment, business-use purchases, motor vehicles and taxable services among items excluded from the exemption.

Consumers should use the Department of Taxation’s holiday guidance as the primary source for item definitions and exclusions. The department’s tax-rate lookup tool can help shoppers check general sales-tax information by address or ZIP code, but it is not the primary tool for deciding whether an individual item qualifies.

Why the holiday lasts three days

Ohio Revised Code Section 5739.41 establishes the framework for a three-day holiday that includes the first Friday of August and the following Saturday and Sunday. The law also requires the tax commissioner to notify vendors of the holiday dates by June 1.

For 2026, Ohio state guidance identifies Aug. 7 through Aug. 9 as the official window and lists the $75 clothing and $20 school-supply and instructional-material thresholds.

Practical checklist for shoppers

• Plan qualifying purchases for Aug. 7 through Aug. 9, 2026.
• Check the price of each item separately.
• Remember that clothing must be $75 or less, while school supplies and instructional materials must be $20 or less.
• Separate qualifying and nonqualifying items when reviewing an online or in-store order.
• Keep receipts and review retailer policies for returns or exchanges.
• Check Ohio Department of Taxation FAQs before buying an unusual or expensive school-related item.

The holiday may reduce tax on qualifying purchases, but the exact savings depend on the purchase location and applicable local tax rate. Families should compare prices rather than buying an item solely because it is included in the tax-free window.

Sources

• Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: 2026 Ohio Sales Tax Holiday guidance
• Ohio Revised Code Section 5739.41
• 13abc/WTVG: Ohio sales tax holiday returns to 3-day format this year
• Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants: Ohio's back-to-school sales tax holiday returns to three-day format

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