CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) – Illinois’ back-to-school sales tax holiday begins Friday, giving families a chance to save on clothing, shoes and school supplies ahead of the new school year.
The 10-day tax holiday runs from Aug. 7 through Aug. 16. During that time, the state sales tax rate on qualifying purchases drops from 6.25% to 1.25%.
Most traditional school supplies qualify, including notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, folders, backpacks, calculators, lunch boxes and scissors. There is no price limit for eligible school supplies.
Clothing and certain footwear also qualify, as long as each item costs less than $125. Eligible purchases include shirts, pants, dresses, coats, school uniforms, sneakers, sandals and boots.
Computers, cellphones, textbooks, art supplies and most sports or recreational equipment are not included in the tax holiday.
Gov. JB Pritzker has said the tax break is expected to save Illinois families up to $10 million.
“Surveys show nearly half of parents expect to take on debt or cut back on household essentials just to afford back-to-school shopping,” Pritzker said during a news conference on Monday. “We listened to parents and the state is stepping up to lower costs.”
A full list of qualifying items is available through the Illinois Department of Revenue.
