Illinois Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Saved Families $11.4 Million, Pritzker Announces
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced in Chicago on October 26 that the 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday provided an estimated $11.4 million in savings for Illinois families, exceeding the $10 million savings estimate. The tax holiday, held August 7 through August 16, reduced the state sales tax rate on clothing, footwear and school supplies; approximately 2,284 retailers sold an estimated $229.3 million in qualifying items during the 10-day period, with the reduced rate applied to purchases made both in stores and online while local sales taxes still applied.
'Every child deserves to walk into the classroom with what they need to learn, and every parent deserves the breathing room to focus on helping their kids succeed - that is what our Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday delivered,' Pritzker said. 'Illinois working families saved $11.4 million, while our students got what they needed to start the school year off right.' Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton said the holiday was a win for families, educators and businesses across Illinois. Illinois Department of Revenue Director David Harris said the initiative provided taxpayers with meaningful savings as they prepared for the new school year, and Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said retailers are on the front lines of affordability.
During the holiday, the state waived its 5% sales tax on qualifying purchases. Clothing and footwear priced at less than $125 per item were eligible, including shirts, pants, dresses and shoes, and school supplies such as notebooks, folders, binders, pens, pencils and calculators were eligible with no price limit. Retailers automatically applied the reduced rate at checkout.
Enacted as part of the FY27 state budget package, the tax holiday was presented by the governor's office as direct relief for families with school-age children at a time when electricity bills, grocery prices and other everyday costs have risen over the past year.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 家长为孩子选购开学用品（资料图）。美国海军陆战队 Glen Santy 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A family shopping for back-to-school supplies (file photo). Photo by U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Glen Santy, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
