All of Virginia · Tax exemption
Virginia Sales Tax Holiday (ENERGY STAR and WaterSense products)
Run by Virginia Department of Taxation (Virginia Tax)
For three days each August, Virginia drops sales tax on ENERGY STAR and WaterSense products priced $2,500 or less per item, bought for home use. 2026 ran August 7 to 9.
Amounts
How much you get
No Virginia sales tax on qualifying ENERGY STAR or WaterSense items priced $2,500 or less each, bought during the holiday for noncommercial home or personal use.
Eligibility
Do I qualify?
You need to meet all 3 of these.
Your home is in Virginia.
You must buy during the three-day holiday, which starts at 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in August and ends at 11:59 p.m. the following Sunday.
What to doPlan the purchase for the first weekend of August.
The item must be for noncommercial home or personal use. Items bought with a business card or account, items a contractor buys for a real property improvement contract, rentals and custom orders delivered after the holiday don't qualify.
What to doBuy the item yourself with a personal payment method during the holiday, or use a retail-sale-plus-installation contract.
Equipment
What equipment counts
The program sets these minimums for appliances.
ENERGY STAR labeled air conditioners, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, clothes washers, dishwashers, light bulbs or refrigerators; or WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets, faucet accessories, showerheads, toilets, urinals or landscape irrigation controllers. $2,500 or less per item.
Applying
How to apply
The discount comes off at the register. Three days each August, from the first Friday through the following Sunday. 2026 ran August 7 to 9. The holiday is authorized through July 1, 2030.
- Buy a qualifying labeled product during the holiday weekend.
The retailer doesn't charge sales tax; no exemption certificate is needed.
- If you were charged tax by mistake, take your receipt back to the store for a refund.
Forms and instructionsGuidelines for the Combined Sales Tax Holiday (Virginia Regulatory Town Hall guidance document) · Guidelines for Combined Sales Tax Holiday (September 15, 2023)
Stacking
Use it with
Separate from the income tax deduction for sales tax paid on certain energy-efficient equipment.
All of Virginia
Sales Tax Paid on Certain Energy Efficient Equipment or Appliances (income tax deduction)
Amount varies
A Virginia income tax deduction for 20% of the sales tax you paid on certain ENERGY STAR appliances and high-efficiency heat pumps, water heaters, AC, boilers, furnaces and programmable thermostats, up to $500 a year ($1,000 joint).
Checked Oct 20, 2026
Your address
Next steps
Check that it covers your address. Then, if you want, ask for a contractor quote.
Is it available at your address?
Before anything else
Your quote request is in If a contractor we work with serves your ZIP, they can contact you. We take one request per person; contact us to change it.
Get an email if this program changes
We'll write if its amount, status or deadline changes. Nothing else.
FAQ
Questions
How much does Virginia Sales Tax Holiday (ENERGY STAR and WaterSense products) pay?
No Virginia sales tax on qualifying ENERGY STAR or WaterSense items priced $2,500 or less each, bought during the holiday for noncommercial home or personal use.
What’s the deadline?
Due August 9 each year.
Can I combine it with other rebates?
Yes, with Sales Tax Paid on Certain Energy Efficient Equipment or Appliances (income tax deduction). See Use it with.
Is it still available?
Yes. It was open when we last checked, on October 20, 2026.
Plain words
Words used on this page
References
Sources
This page is built from these official pages, run by the program itself.
- Virginia Sales Tax Holiday
- Guidelines for the Combined Sales Tax Holiday (Virginia Regulatory Town Hall guidance document)
- Guidelines for Combined Sales Tax Holiday (September 15, 2023)
When one of these pages changes, we re-check this page against it.
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