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.
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