Times Weekly, News
Families are encouraged to take advantage of the State’s Back to School tax holiday, which began Aug. 5 through Aug. 14. The 10-day sales tax holiday – the first for Illinois in over a decade – was created to save families $50 million on school supplies and is part of the $1.8 billion Illinois Family Relief Plan, with relief on gas, property taxes, and groceries.
The state sales tax on school supplies has dropped from 6.25% to 1.25%. Eligible items include qualifying clothing and footwear such as school uniforms, coats, sneakers, rainwear, and winter gear with a retail selling price of less than $125 per item. Eligible school supplies including book bags, calculators, and other items used by students for studying are not subject to the $125 threshold.
A Deloitte survey estimated that parents and guardians spend an average of $661 per child during the back-to-school shopping season. With inflation continuing to impact the lives of families across the state, the sales tax holiday is allowing families to shop for back-to-school supplies at a lower cost, reducing expenses during a high-spend time for most families.
Teachers are also able to take advantage of the tax holiday, saving money on classroom supplies including blackboard chalk, binders, index cards, writing tablets, and more. Teachers can also receive an income tax credit up to $250 for school supplies purchased for their classrooms.
Additional resources for retailers, including a complete list of qualifying items, may be found on the Illinois Department of Revenue’s website tax.illinois.gov.
More information on property tax and income rebates can be found here. Taxpayer representatives can also answer questions and provide assistance at 1- 800-732-8866 or 217-782-3336.
