What to know about the back-to-school and storm preparation sales tax holiday this weekend

The start of school is just around the corner, and that means so is hurricane season. To ease the burden of getting ready for either catastrophic event, the Commonwealth of Virginia will be waiving the sales tax for certain items this weekend. A cart full of pencils and chainsaws would make for a few side glances in the checkout aisle, no?

What items are eligible?

School supplies, clothing, and footwear:

• Qualified school supplies – $20 or less per item
• Qualified clothing and footwear – $100 or less per item

Hurricane and emergency preparedness products:

• Portable generators – $1,000 or less per item
• Gas-powered chainsaws – $350 or less per item
• Chainsaw accessories – $60 or less per item
• Other specified hurricane preparedness items – $60 or less per item

Energy Star™ and WaterSense™​ products 

• Qualifying Energy Star™ or WaterSense™ products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use – $2,500 or less per item

If you’re not sure a school item qualifies for the tax exemption check out this list from the Virginia Tax website.

To find out what your kid needs because you lost that list click the links below. In the case of Chesterfield and Henrico, you’ll need to find the specific school for your child. Additionally, some Richmond schools might have extra items that are required.

Area school supply lists:

• Richmond Public Schools
• Chesterfield County Public Schools
• Henrico County Public Schools (put in your address, pick your school, list are on each school’s website)