Jul. 28—Ohio’s newly expanded sales tax holiday starts Friday and gives shoppers more time and ways to save money.
Set to launch at midnight Friday and run through 11:59 p.m. Aug. 14, the two-week event is a step up from last year’s 10 days, and a much larger leap from the single weekend it used to be.
That’s welcome news to Ohio shoppers, including lifelong Middletown resident Connie Hamilton.
“I think it’s great,” Hamilton told this news outlet as she shopped Meijer in Middletown. “Since I’m a grandma, I usually shop for the clothing, because they want me to take them shopping.”
Hamilton said she not only uses the sales tax holiday to score discounts on back-to-school clothing, but also does her Christmas shopping then, as well.
That’s because she and other shoppers across the state also can skip the tax on not just school supplies and youth clothing, but most tangible personal property items, including electronics like computers and TVs, books, home goods, furniture, kitchenware, décor, indoor and outdoor plants, sporting equipment, athletic apparel clothing of all kinds and even food and beverages, including dine-in meals, supplements and soft drinks.
Also, last year, the limits of $20-per-school-supply and $75-per-clothing-item were upped to $500 or less for each individual item.
Gov. Mike DeWine, upon announcing the expansion of the sales tax holiday earlier this year, said it is designed to provide “meaningful savings for families across the state.”
“The timing of this year’s sales tax holiday not only supports families preparing for back-to-school, but also provides relief on other important household needs,” DeWine previously said.
Sarah Derringer said lengthening the sales tax holiday means expanding opportunity.
“I like it because some people live on a Social Security or … just having low income,” Derringer said as she shopped Meijer in Springfield with her two sons on Friday. “It just gives them a little bit more time to get the supplies at a little bit of a cheaper cost.”
Cameron Garczyk, the interim state director at the National Federation of Independent Business’ Ohio chapter, said for most of its decade-long existence, the holiday was only three days long and “very limited in scope,” but recent changes have made the event “a major opportunity for Ohio’s small businesses.”
Expanding it to 14 days will be “significant boost” for businesses, because it opens up many more kinds of businesses that can take advantage,” Garczyk said.
“A lot of our members are very excited about this expanded sales tax holiday, and they’re looking at different ways they can promote their products and their business, along with the holiday,” he said. “It’s a great marketing tool for them to promote their products in a new and unique way that they can’t do throughout the year normally.”
John Napier, co-owner of Tuffy Brooks Sporting Goods, said the sales tax holiday generally helps the more than seven-decades-old Dayton store.
“It just generates more business,” he said. “People may not buy something and then realize we’re not getting taxed (during this time) and say ‘We’ll just go ahead and buy it.’
“Anything that stimulates money, especially for small businesses, is great. I think it’s fantastic that they’ll do that for two weeks.”
Garczyk said all Ohio businesses are required to participate in the holiday and the Ohio Department of Taxation has issued updated guidance and resources to increase awareness and support compliance.
Despite the wide array of eligible products, there are still exclusions. Motor vehicles, watercraft, outboard motors, tobacco and vapor products, alcoholic beverages and anything containing marijuana won’t qualify for the tax break.
Services like car repairs and clothing alterations are also excluded.
Shoppers aren’t limited to brick-and-mortar stores, either. Qualifying purchases made online during the sales tax holiday are also exempt, but consumers need to be certain an order is placed within the time frame
Those shopping in Ohio at 1 a.m. Friday may find a seller in a different time zone where it’s still 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. Thursday. That means the holiday hasn’t started there, and the purchase might not be tax-free.
The Ohio Department of Taxation provides a list of answers to frequently asked questions about the Sales Tax Holiday at www.tinyurl.com/taxholiday2025.
Mary Clapsaddle, a lifelong Franklin resident who has five children aged 8 to 25, said the extension of the sales tax holiday is good “because I have more time with living check to check.”
“I’m just buying clothes and back to school supplies, so it does help,” Clapsaddle said. “I don’t have any in college, (but) it’s nice if you have kids in college, because you have to buy extra things. You’ve got to buy storage totes, furniture and things like that.”
Staff photographer Joseph Cooke contributed to this report.