If back-to-school shopping is on your to-do list, you’ll want to do yourself a favor: Mark Aug. 7-16 on your calendar.
That’s the period that has been designated as a sales tax holiday in Illinois by the state’s Department of Revenue. That means you can purchase many items — not everything, but the list of eligible items is long — at a reduced rate of state sales tax. During that period, the state’s portion of sales tax is reduced from 6.25 percent to 1.25 percent. Items include qualifying clothing and footwear with a retail selling price of less than $125 per item and certain school supplies used by students in the course of study. School supplies are not subject to the $125 threshold.
Check out our entire Back to School series, presented by Christie Clinic:
- From the Principal: Tips for Ninth Graders
- Illinois Sales Tax Holiday Coming for Back-to-School Shopping
- School Spirit: Where to Purchase Merchandise for Your School
- Save Money on Back to School in Champaign-Urbana: Free Supplies, Backpacks, Haircuts and Health Screenings
- Champaign-Urbana Area School Start Dates
- Back to School: Dental, Vision Exams Required for Illinois Students
- Back to School: Immunizations Required for Illinois Students
- School Physicals: What’s Required for Illinois Students in 2026
Thank you to Christie Clinic for presenting our 2026 Champaign-Urbana Area Back to School series
Resetting sleep schedules and reducing screen time helps kids transition smoothly back into the school routine. Schedule your child’s back-to-school appointment today at christieclinic.com or on their patient portal.
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The so-called holiday is similar to ones that 19 other states have, or will hold, in 2026. Illinois’ last sales tax holiday for back-to-school shopping was in 2022.
According to the Department of Revenue, eligible items for the reduced tax include:
CLOTHING
• household and shop aprons • athletic supporters • bathing suits and caps • belts and suspenders • coats and jackets • gloves and mittens • hats, caps, and ear muffs • lab coats • neckties • rainwear • rubber pants (covers for cloth diapers) • scarves • underwear • school uniforms • shorts and pants • skirts and dresses • hosiery and pantyhose • shirts and blouses
FOOTWEAR
• shoes, sneakers, and shoe laces • sandals • slippers • socks and stockings • footlets • boots and overshoes • insoles for shoes • steel-toed shoes
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
• binders • book bags • calculators • cellophane tape • blackboard chalk • composition books • crayons • colored pencils • erasers • expandable pocket, plastic, and manila folders • glue, paste, and paste sticks • highlighters • index cards and index card boxes • legal pads • lunch boxes • markers • notebooks and notebook paper, including loose leaf notebook, copy, graph, tracing, manila, colored and construction paper, and poster board • pencils and pencil leads • pens, ink, and ink refills for pens • pencil boxes and other school supply boxes • pencil sharpeners • protractors, rulers, and compasses • scissors • writing tablets
The following items are NOT eligible:
CLOTHING
Any clothing item with a retail selling price of $125 or more, and • briefcases • cosmetics • hair notions including, but not limited to barrettes, hair bows, and hair nets • handbags and wallets • handkerchiefs • jewelry and watches • non-prescription sunglasses • umbrellas • wigs and hair pieces
SPORTS OR RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT
• gloves, including but not limited to baseball, bowling, boxing, hockey, and golf gloves • goggles • hand and elbow guards • life preservers and vests • mouth guards • shin guards • shoulder pads • wetsuits
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
• breathing masks • clean room apparel and equipment • ear and hearing protectors • face shields • hard hats and helmets • paint or dust respirators • protective gloves • safety glasses and goggles • safety and tool belts • welder’s gloves and masks
FOOTWEAR
• ballet, tap, cleated or spiked athletic shoes • roller and ice skates • ski boots • waders and fins
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Art supplies: clay and glazes • acrylic, tempera, and oil paints • paintbrushes for artwork • sketch and drawing pads • watercolors
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL
• reference books • reference maps and globes • textbooks and workbooks
COMPUTER AND COMPUTER SUPPLIES
• computers and related supplies • flashdrives and other computer data storage devices • data storage media such as diskettes, and compact disks • boxes and cases for disk storage • external ports or drives • computer cases • computer cables • computer printers • printer cartridges, toner, and ink
ELECTRONICS
• cameras and related supplies such as film and memory cards, video cameras, tapes and videotapes • cell phones • Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s) and handheld electronic schedulers