In the absence of federal stimulus checks, states are trying to help residents in one way or other to help them offset the rising cost of living. Some states, for instance, are sending tax rebates, child tax credits, direct stimulus checks, or a combination of these to offer relief to residents. Illinois, on the other hand, is providing much-needed relief that parents can take advantage of right now, by offering a sales tax holiday on school supplies. This stimulus check from Illinois, however, is available for the next 10 days only.

Stimulus Check From Illinois: Who Will Get It And How Much?

On Thursday, Illinois state leaders announced a 10-day sales tax reduction on school supplies. As per the plan put together by Democrats (Senate Bill 157), the state sales tax on school materials will be just 1.25%, compared to the usual 6.25%.

“Starting tomorrow, we are drastically reducing the state sales tax on school supplies to just 1.25% for 10 straight days. That’s a reduction of 80% of the usual sales tax,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday.

This type of stimulus check from Illinois has been made possible by four consecutive balanced budgets under Gov. Pritzker. The sales tax reduction starts Friday (i.e. August 5) and will be available only for the next 10 days (until August 14).

“These past two-and-a-half years — for everyone — of managing through the pandemic has been hard,” Pritzker said Thursday. “And the last nine months of inflation on top of that has strained the budgets of parents and teachers alike.”

A reduction of 5% sales tax on school supplies means that on $250 worth of school supplies, parents will be paying just $3.13 in sales taxes, compared to the usual $15.63.

School supplies that are eligible for the sales tax holiday are: lunch boxes, notebooks, calculators, writing utensils, scissors, footwear and clothing under $125 per item, book bags, glue, and manila folders. For more details on the eligible items, visit this link.

A point to note is that this drop in sales tax won’t necessarily reduce the entire sales tax bill because many cities and counties impose their sales tax as well. For instance, the local sales tax in Aurora is 3.25%, in Belleville it is 4.1%, while in Springfield, the local sales tax is 4.75%.

Other Benefits Available To Illinois Residents

In addition to the Illinois sales tax holiday on school supplies, teachers will also get a tax rebate on school supplies that will help to reduce the amount of state taxes they owe. Teachers will get a tax credit of $250 in 2022 and $500 in 2023. On average, teachers spend $750 on supplies and materials to prepare the classrooms.

“A lot of times, those supplies go to students who need help,” Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker said.

The Illinois sales tax holiday on school supplies is part of a $46.5 billion budget signed by Gov. Pritzker in April. Other tax benefits that are part of the budget include a suspension of the state’s grocery tax, a temporary halt on a gas tax hike and a rebate on property and income taxes.

This article originally appeared on ValueWalk

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