Mark Your Calendar for Your State’s Tax-Free Weekend (or Week)
Back-to-school shopping may be exciting for the kids who get new gear, but less so for the parents who have to pay for it all.
A survey from the National Retail Federation found that parents with kids in elementary through high school planned to spend an average of $789.49 on clothing, electronics and school supplies last year.
Some shoppers will get a little relief as 16 states have tax-free holidays coming up in July and August, saving consumers from paying sales tax on certain school-related items.
Now, you may not save a ton of money by shopping during tax-free holidays. For example, if you bought $500 worth of clothes, shoes and school supplies during Florida’s tax-free weekend in a county where the sales tax is 6%, you would save about $30. But what parent wouldn’t want to save 30 bucks?
And if you use the tax-free holidays in conjunction with smart budgeting strategies and comparison shopping, you’ll save even more on your back-to-school supplies.
Some states’ tax-free holidays are held over a weekend, while others are a week long. Each state has different criteria for what merchandise won’t be taxed, and many states require the purchases to be under a certain price threshold.
And if you live in Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire or Oregon, every day is a holiday — those states don’t have a sales tax.
Tax-Free Weekends: When, Where and What
The 16 states that have back-to-school tax-free holidays this year are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Alabama
When: July 16-18
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — $100 or less.
- Computers and related equipment — $750 or less.
- School supplies — $50 or less.
- Books — $30 or less.
Arkansas
When: Aug. 7-8
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
- Clothing accessories — less than $50 per item.
- School supplies — no price threshold, but must be on the state’s list of approved items.
- Computers and electronic devices — no price threshold, but must be on the state’s list of approved items.
Connecticut
When: Aug. 15-21
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
Florida
When: July 31-Aug. 9
What is tax-free:
- Computers and related equipment — $1,000 or less per item.
- Clothing, accessories and shoes — $60 or less per item.
- School supplies — $15 or less per item.
Iowa
When: Aug. 6-7
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
Maryland
When: Aug. 8-14
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item.
- Bookbags/backpacks — the first $40 is tax-free.
Massachusetts
When: Aug. 14-15
What is tax-free:
- Most consumer products — $2,500 or less per item.
- Clothing — Massachusetts does not charge any sales tax on clothes under $175 year round.
Mississippi
When: July 30-31
What is tax-free:
- Clothing, shoes and school supplies — less than $100 per item.
Missouri
When: Aug. 6-8
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item.
- School supplies — $50 or less per purchase (exception: graphing calculators must be $150 or less).
- Computers and related equipment — $1,500 or less per item.
- Computer software — $350 or less.
New Mexico
When: Aug. 6-8
What is tax-free:
- Clothing, accessories and shoes — less than $100 per item.
- School supplies — less than $30 per item (exceptions: backpacks, maps and globes must be under $100 and calculators must be under $200).
- Computers — $1,000 or less per item.
- Computer hardware — $500 or less per item.
Ohio
When: Aug. 6-8
What is tax-free:
- Clothing — $75 or less per item.
- School supplies — $20 or less per item.
- School instructional materials — $20 or less per item.
Oklahoma
When: Aug. 6-8
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
South Carolina
When: Aug. 6-8
What is tax-free:
- Clothing, accessories and shoes — no price threshold.
- School supplies — no price threshold.
- Computers and related equipment — no price threshold.
- Bedding, pillows, bath towels, wash cloths and shower curtains — no price threshold.
- Books and musical instruments — no price threshold (if they are for school assignments).
Tennessee
When: July 30-Aug. 1
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item.
- School supplies — $100 or less per item.
- Computers — $1,500 or less per item.
Texas
When: Aug. 6-8
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
- School supplies — less than $100 per item.
Virginia
When: Aug. 6-8
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item.
- School supplies — $20 or less per item.
Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
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