Ohio stopped collecting its 38.5-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax and its 47-cent-a-gallon diesel tax at 12:01 a.m. on October 4, and the pause runs through January 2. The state is paying for it with a $725 million transfer from state reserve funds, so the roads and local governments that normally live off fuel tax money are meant to be held harmless. Drivers get the savings only if gas stations pass them along, and the pump price will not fall everywhere on the same day. The holiday lasts 91 days, then the full rates return.
What changes at the pump
Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 519 on October 1, a day after the Ohio House and Senate passed it. The Senate vote was 26-5, according to WCPO in Cincinnati. Under the law, the tax drops to one-hundredth of a cent, or $0.0001, per gallon. That is why the state calls it a reduction rather than a repeal. Drivers will still pay federal fuel taxes and whatever the station charges for the fuel itself.
A tax holiday that ends January 2 lowers one household cost for 91 days, and several other costs for older Ohioans are covered by programs that have to be applied for. The Benefits Checklist is a paid 69-page guide to 11 benefit programs, with the 2026 income limits and a 50-state phone directory, and it is a separate product from the Ohio fuel tax relief, which needs no application.
See the 11 benefit programs and 2026 income limits in the Benefits Checklist →…