West Virginia gives shoppers four full days instead of the usual three — Friday through Monday at the start of August — and it's one of the few states that puts sports equipment on the tax-free list alongside clothes, supplies, and laptops.
July 31 – August 3, 2026
Friday, July 31 through Monday, August 3
2027 dates aren't posted yet — the Tax Division says the holiday begins each year on the Friday before the first Sunday in August and ends the following Monday, and the state confirms the exact window over the summer.
Do online orders count?
Yes — the Tax Division says items sold by mail, phone, email, or internet qualify if you order and pay and the retailer accepts the order during the holiday for immediate shipment, even when delivery lands after Monday. One catch West Virginia doesn't hide: separately stated shipping and handling charges are still taxable.
| Item | Price cap | Tax status |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing & footwear shirts, pants, dresses, coats, shoes, uniforms, diapers, formal wear | $125 | Exempt |
| School supplies binders, book bags, calculators, crayons, notebooks, lunch boxes, pens, rulers | $50 | Exempt |
| School instructional material just four things: textbooks, workbooks, reference books, and reference maps or globes | $20 | Exempt |
| Laptop & tablet computers | $500 | Exempt |
| Sports equipment cleats, mouth guards, shin guards, shoulder pads, skates, ski boots, waders, wetsuits, life vests, ballet and tap shoes | $150 | Exempt |
| Handbags, jewelry, sunglasses, umbrellas, wallets & watches counted as clothing accessories, not clothing | — | Not exempt |
| Hard hats, helmets, safety glasses & protective gloves | — | Not exempt |
| Sewing supplies — fabric, thread, buttons, patterns, zippers | — | Not exempt |
| Repairs, alterations & rentals | — | Not exempt |
| Anything bought for a trade or business | — | Not exempt |
Source: West Virginia Tax Division, Sales Tax Holiday Questions and Answers — the place to check any edge case.
Because state rules run it Friday through Monday rather than the usual Friday-to-Sunday. The holiday begins on the Friday before the first Sunday in August and ends at 11:59 p.m. the following Monday — in 2026 that was July 31 through August 3.
Yes, and that's unusual. Sports equipment priced at $150 or less is tax-free — cleats, mouth guards, shin guards, shoulder pads, roller and ice skates, ski boots, waders, wetsuits, life vests, and ballet or tap shoes all make the list.
Laptop and tablet computers priced at $500 or less are tax-free. That $500 line is tight, and desktops aren't part of the exemption — it's written for laptops and tablets.
You pay tax on the full $130. West Virginia's $125 clothing cap isn't a discount off the top — go a dollar over and the whole selling price is taxable.
Yes. Mail, phone, email, and internet orders qualify when you order and pay during the holiday and the retailer accepts the order for immediate shipment. Just note that separately stated shipping and handling charges get taxed either way.
No. There's no limit on the size of the purchase — the caps apply to each individual item, so a cart full of $40 shirts is all tax-free.
Checked against West Virginia Tax Division, Sales Tax Holiday Questions and Answers on 2026-08-14. See the national calendar for every state's holidays.