Ohio Tax Free Weekend for Back to School Shopping

As I mentioned in my Back to School Tax Free Shopping Days post- in 2015 Ohio jumped on board with offering a Tax Free Shopping Weekend.  In Ohio these dates for 2020 are set for Aug 7-9.  Here are a few tips to get the most out of this weekend.

Know the Ohio Tax Free Details

First you need to know the specifics for the Ohio weekend. You can find the “official” Ohio Sales Tax Holiday info here.  The “holiday” will run from Friday, August 7, 2020 at 12:00 a.m. and ends on Sunday, August 9, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. The following items are exempt from sales tax:

• Clothing priced at $75 per item or less;
• School supplies priced at $20 per item or less; and
• School instructional material priced at $20 per item or less.

So what does that mean?  In Ohio, they are qualifying each item’s maximum and not a total purchase max.  So for instance, if you bought 2 pairs of jeans for $20 each and 2 pairs of shoes for $50 each, all 4 items would be tax-exempt because the items are $75 or less each.

Lots of items qualify as “clothing” including diapers, swimsuits and rain gear!  But things like accessories/jewelry, sports equipment, protective gear and sewing supplies are not included.  You can see all the inclusions/exclusions here.

And the list of school supplies is pretty extensive, so you should be able to get most of the items off your list, including backpacks, lunch boxes, basic calculators and pencil sharpeners.

Remember each item must be $20 or less. Also, this applies to in-store and online purchases too. Just be sure to make the purchase during the Tax Free dates (and not before, even if shipping happens during this weekend).

Stick to Your List

It could be very tempting to justify extra purchases during this weekend.  But remember, you really are only saving 5.75-8.75% (depending on the tax rate where you are shopping).  While the savings is still helpful, it does not warrant extra spending.  Make sure to take inventory of your clothes closets and school supplies lists before shopping.

Stack the Savings

And as I always love to say, you can save more when you stack up the discount opportunities.  Be sure to check out all the current Back to School Sale items that are being offered for that weekend.  And yes you can use the sale promotions and coupons.  Just remember that the price limits are determined by the actual price paid for an item  So if you have 2 pairs of shoes that are $80, but included in a Buy One Get One Free promotion, if the one pair rings up at $80 – it will not be tax exempt.

Also did you know you can shop Tax Free online too? Avoid the crowds and stack up the savings- yes! Be sure to add promo codes for more savings and make your purchase before the Sunday night deadline.

Not in Ohio?  Some of these tips may also apply, but check out my list of Back to School Tax Free Shopping Days to see if your state is participating. Also be sure to watch for a weekly Roundup of School Supply Deals right here on Mission to Save!

Check out my Good Day Columbus segment in 2020 with Tax Free Weekend Tips, including some related to COVID changes with shopping.

More Tips from a GDC segment back in 2016 Good Day Columbus Segment for Tax Holiday Tips (video from 2016, so sales prices are not valid- but tips are!)

Note on Video Below: The ad sale prices are from 2015 in this video.  So the specific deals will be different this year… But the “game plan” tips are good any year!