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Dining out in Fairfax County now costs more after a new 4% tax took effect at the start of the year.
The tax covers prepared food and drinks sold by restaurants, cafes, bars, food trucks and other businesses offering ready-to-eat meals and beverages. It is charged in addition to Virginia’s 6% sales tax.
Grocery items, snack foods and beverages sold in factory-sealed containers are exempt. The exemption also applies to factory-sealed alcoholic drinks sold to go.
County leaders who supported the measure said it was necessary to balance the budget and would bring Fairfax County in line with neighboring jurisdictions that already tax meals. Officials also presented it as an alternative to raising real estate taxes.
Fairfax County expects the tax to generate about $65 million in fiscal year 2026. Visitors are projected to contribute roughly one-third of that revenue.
Businesses selling or delivering prepared food and drinks must collect the tax and remit it to the county. Owners can begin registering for the county’s online reporting and payment portal Friday.
The tax does not apply in the independent towns of Clifton, Herndon and Vienna, or in Fairfax City and Falls Church.