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How to take advantage of Virginia’s sales tax holiday weekend

Marta Lavandier/AP
People shop for school supplies at a Target store in Miami, Fla., on July 27.

School supplies, clothes, emergency preparedness and energy-efficient items are included in the exemptions.

Shoppers can add hundreds of items to their carts sales-tax free this weekend.

Virginia’s tax-free shopping weekend runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday. It applies in-store and online.

Customers could save 5.3% to7%, according to the Virginia Department of Taxation. Most shoppers in Hampton Roads will save 6%. Williamsburg and James City shoppers will save 7%.

Eligible items, which have price limitations, include:

Virginia is one of 20 states to hold a tax-free weekend in 2026,according to the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for simplifying the tax code.

The cost of 21 common school supplies, such as scissors, pencils and binders, hasincreased an average of 7.7%, according to ananalysis from progressive think tanks Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation. The largest increases were for lunch boxes, one-subject notebooks and index cards.

Ashley White is WHRO’s Education reporter focusing on K-12 and higher education in Hampton Roads. She joined WHRO in 2026 and previously covered education, crime, courts and cops while reporting in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Tallahassee, Florida. She grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, and is a University of Central Florida alumna. When not at work can be found reading with her cats or exploring somewhere new.

You can reach out to Ashley at ashley.white@whro.org or at 757-889-9307.
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