Illinois Sales Tax Holiday 2022: Dates, Savings, Eligible Items

ILLINOIS — Mark your calendars: Illinois officials will offer residents a chance to save money on back-to-school items during this year’s sales tax holiday, scheduled from Aug. 5 to 14.

Sales tax holidays are intended to help families save money on school essentials like supplies, clothes, shoes, backpacks and more. The National Retail Federation notes the holidays are especially important during a year when more families are tightening budgets because of inflation.

This year, 18 states will hold sales tax holidays, according to Bloomberg Tax, just one state shy of the record set in 2010.

In Illinois, back-to-school shoppers will save on qualifying items with an individual retail price of less than $125, including jackets, school uniforms, school supplies, book bags, calculators and more.

The state's portion of sales tax on certain items will be cut by 5 percent from 6.25 percent to 1.25 percent, according to the Department of Revenue.

Qualifying items include clothing, coats and gloves, shoes, socks and school supplies ranging from binders to crayons, colored pencils, erasers, folders, glue, highlighters, notebooks, pencils, pens, scissors and more.

Items that do not qualify for the sales tax holiday include protective equipment like masks and face shields, as well as sports equipment, computers and computer supplies and electronics.

Total back-to-school spending in the United States is expected to match 2021’s record high of $37 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $864 on school items, approximately $15 more than last year.

Back-to-school spending has increased dramatically since the onset of the pandemic, as families adjusted to changes from virtual and hybrid learning. Compared to 2019, back-to-school shoppers are expected to spend $168 more on average, according to the National Retail Federation.