Information provided by the Governor’s Office
CHICAGO, Ill. (August 4, 2022) – Governor Pritzker joined lawmakers and stakeholders to encourage Illinois families to take advantage of the State’s Back to School tax holiday on August 5 through August 14. The 10-day sales tax holiday — the first for Illinois in over a decade — was created to save families money on school supplies.
Items eligible for sales tax discount
Beginning on August 5, the state sales tax on school supplies will drop 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 full list of eligible items is available at www2.illinois.gov/rev/research/publications/bulletins/Documents/2022/FY%202022-24_N0522.pdf.
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 Illinoisans across the state, the sales tax holiday will allow Illinois families to shop for back to school supplies at a lower cost, reducing expenses during a high-spend time for most families.
Teachers also
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.
Help in hard times
“Our parents shouldn’t have to choose between buying essential school supplies for their children and putting food on the kitchen table. Our teachers shouldn’t have to break the bank to do right by the students that they nurture day in and day out,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Back to school should be as stress free as possible for working families and their children, and this tax holiday will help remove some of that burden.”
Taxpayer representatives are available to answer questions and provide assistance at 1- 800-732-8866 or 217-782-3336.
“As chair of the Senate’s Appropriations Committee, one of my top priorities is helping our residents who face tremendous economic challenges make it through tough times — and providing a sales tax holiday for families as they prepare to send their children back to school does just that. This effort serves the dual purpose of helping families and setting our students up for success, and I am proud we were able to provide this help,” said State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
