Virginia: Does the state have a sales-tax-free weekend?
Virginia holds a three-day sales tax holiday every August, starting the first Friday, for school, clothing, hurricane, and energy-saving items.
In 2026 the holiday ran August 7 to 9. School supplies qualify at $20 or less, clothing and footwear at $100 or less, portable generators at $1,000 or less, and Energy Star or WaterSense products at $2,500 or less. The law suspends both the state tax and the local sales taxes. The current law runs until July 1, 2030; it replaced earlier holiday laws that expired in 2022.
Conditions
- First Friday in August through 11:59 p.m. Sunday
- School supplies $20 or less; clothing and footwear $100 or less
- Portable generators $1,000 or less; gas chain saws $350 or less; other hurricane items $60 or less
- Energy Star and WaterSense products $2,500 or less, for home or personal use
What the law says
Each year there shall be a three-day period that begins on the first Friday in August and ends at 11:59 p.m. the following Sunday, during which time certain items shall be exempt from the taxes imposed by this chapter or pursuant to the authority granted in § 58.1-605 or 58.1-606.
Sources
- Va. Code § 58.1-639.1 Official · law.lis.virginia.gov
- Virginia Tax: Virginia Sales Tax Holiday Official · tax.virginia.gov
- Va. Code § 58.1-611.3 (expired) Official · law.lis.virginia.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Virginia Department of Taxation (Virginia Tax)
- Phone
- 804-367-8037
- Website
- tax.virginia.gov
How bordering states compare
- Kentucky No tax-free periodKentucky has a 6% sales tax and no sales tax holiday.
- Maryland Has a tax-free periodMaryland has two yearly holidays: a tax-free week for clothing in August and an Energy Star weekend in February.
- North Carolina No tax-free periodNorth Carolina has no sales tax holiday. The law that created its holidays was repealed effective July 1, 2014.
- Tennessee Has a tax-free periodTennessee holds a yearly sales tax holiday on the last weekend of July for clothing, school supplies, and computers.
- West Virginia Has a tax-free periodWest Virginia holds a yearly four-day back-to-school sales tax holiday around the first weekend of August.