Back to school season is in session and that means Ohio's tax-free holiday weekend is here.
Starting this Friday, customers shopping both online and in-store don't have to pay taxes on clothing, school supplies, and instructional materials. The holiday starts at midnight on Friday and runs until midnight on Sunday.
Here are three things you need to know before hitting the stores this Friday:
1- QUALIFYING SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND CLOTHING ITEMS
- According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, “School supplies” include only the following items: 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 ruled 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.
- Clothing, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation, is “all human wearing apparel suitable for general use.” This includes shirts, pants, dresses, uniforms, shoes, underwear, socks, coats, gloves, hats, belts, neckties, scarves, aprons, lab coats, bathing suits, diapers for children and adults, formal wear, etc.
2- QUALIFYING MONETARY VALUES
- An item of clothing priced at $75 or less
- An item of school supplies priced at $20 or less
- An item of school instructional material priced at $20 or less
3- SHOPPING TIPS
- Managers at the local Walmart, Target and Meijer stores state that the best time to shop is Friday morning in order to beat any crowds.
- If you can’t make it to the stores that Friday morning, the next best time is to shop early in the morning Saturday or Sunday when the shelves will be freshly stocked from third shift.
2018/19 SCHOOL SUPPLY LISTS
- Locust Corner Elementary
- Monroe Elementary
- New Richmond Elementary
- New Richmond Middle School