CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Shoppers preparing for the new school year will get a narrower tax break this year, as Ohio’s sales tax holiday reverts to its traditional three-day format after two years of an expanded version, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.
The holiday begins at midnight Friday, Aug. 7, and runs through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, according to the department.
During the three-day window, the state will waive sales tax on 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, the department said. Qualifying instructional materials include reference books, maps, globes, textbooks and workbooks, according to the department.
The 2026 holiday marks a return to Ohio’s original back-to-school tax exemption. In 2024 and 2025, the state expanded the break to cover nearly all tangible personal property priced at \$500 or less over a 14-day period, according to the department. Lawmakers have since scaled the holiday back to the narrower categories and shorter window used in earlier years, the department said.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Ohio Department of Taxation.