OHIO (WOWK) – It’s almost time for kids across the Tri-State to head back to the classrooms, which means Ohio’s sales tax holiday is about to begin.

According to the Ohio Department of Taxation , the Buckeye State’s 2024 sales tax holiday will begin at midnight Tuesday, July 30 and run through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, August 8. Not only is the holiday expanded from the regular three days to 10 days, the department also says more items will be eligible for the exemption this year than in years past.

Many families in states that have a sales tax holiday, such as Ohio and West Virginia, use the holiday as an opportunity to save on school clothing, supplies and more their children may need for the upcoming school year.

The Department of Taxation’s website says exempt items this year include “all tangible personal property that is $500 or less.” However, items such as watercraft or outboard motor, motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vapor products or items containing marijuana do not qualify. The tax exemption also does not apply to taxable services.

The Department of Taxation also says items that cost more than $500 are not exempt on the first $500 of the price, and the sales tax will still apply.

For items that do qualify, the department says the exemption is for each individual item, not the purchase total. For example, if someone purchases six $100 items, bringing their total at the cash register to $600, their purchase still qualifies for the sales tax holiday because each item is below the $500 threshold.

The department also says if Ohioans put items on or pick items up from layaway during the sales tax holiday, they will qualify for the tax exemption.

According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, even dine-in meals are considered exempt during the sales tax holiday as long as each item ordered is less than $500. This does not apply to alcoholic beverages. The department said dine-in meals are included because, under state law, food consumed on the premises where it is sold is considered a taxable item.

The department says if a consumer orders and pays for a qualifying item through mail, e-mail, telephone or Internet and the seller accepts the order, both during the sales tax holiday, the item will also qualify for the exemption. However, if the order was made before the holiday, but arrives during it, or if it is back-ordered and the payment isn’t accepted until after the holiday, the item would not be exempt.

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According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, if someone in Ohio buys a qualifying item at 1 a.m. ET Tuesday, July 30, from someone in the Pacific Time Zone where it would still be only 10 p.m. Monday, July 29, the item would not be exempt due to the seller’s time zone being outside of the designated start time of the sales tax holiday.

The sales tax holiday also includes subscription boxes in some cases. According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, if you subscribed to a subscription box that contains a qualifying item prior to the sales tax holiday and the monthly payment for the subscription box happens to fall within the sales tax holiday, your payment for that month should be tax exempt.

If retailers offer discounts that bring the price of an eligible item below the $500 threshold, it will then qualify for tax exemption during the holiday. Coupons, however, do not reduce sales prices, so if a customer were to use a coupon to bring the item below $500, it still would not be tax-exempt.

For more information on Ohio’s sales tax holiday qualifications, exemptions, etc., visit the Department of Taxation’s website.

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