Illinois families shopping for color-coded notebooks, superhero backpacks and a size up in sneakers will see some relief at the checkout counter under a temporary back-to-school sales tax holiday the state passed as part of its annual budget.
The 5% state sales tax break from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16 generally applies to clothes under $125 and school supplies. Portions of sales tax that go to local governments still apply.
Gov. JB Pritzker, who is running for reelection and is widely seen as a potential Democratic contender in the 2028 presidential election, has framed the discount as part of his efforts to provide relief to families struggling with inflation and rising costs due to war in the Middle East and other factors.
Coats, scarves, ties, belts, bathing suits, school uniforms, pants, dresses and shirts are all included in the sales tax holiday, as long as they sell for less than $125 per item. Qualifying school supplies include colored pencils, pens, folders, calculators, index cards and lunch boxes.
Makeup, hair accessories, purses, cleats and many types of art supplies are not included in the sales tax break. Neither are laptops, cellphones or cameras.
Items that normally wouldn’t qualify but are bundled in a sale under $125 that mostly consists of school supplies or qualifying clothes will also get the reduced tax rate, according to the state Department of Revenue.
The break will lower costs for teachers who have to purchase their own supplies in addition to parents, Democratic state Sen. Mark Walker of Arlington Heights noted Monday. And parents will get to stack the discount with any other back-to-school sales, said Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
Critics during the state’s legislative session framed the sales tax holiday as an election-year political move that would not sufficiently ease the burden of taxes on families in the longer term.
The governor, for his part, has used rising prices as yet another point to criticize President Donald Trump’s economic and foreign policy agendas as Americans have dealt with years of noticeably high inflation.
For Illinoisans deciding whether to pay bills or buy a sports uniform or classroom supplies, “these aren’t just numbers on a chart,” Pritzker said Monday morning at a school supply store in northwest suburban Palatine to promote the tax break.
“We can’t control broader inflation in the economy,” he said, “but there are some things we can do to make life easier, and that’s what we’re trying to do today.”
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