It’s that time of the year again… Time to start thinking about back-to-school shopping. And you know what that means, don’t you? Time for a sales tax holiday! What follows is an alphabetical listing of states with sales tax holidays, along with a brief summary of what is included in each. Note that there are a few differences from last year, though the number of participating states (16) hasn’t changed.
Sales tax holidays, state-by-state
Alabama: August 5-7. Clothing up to $100/item, computers up to $750/item, school supplies up to $50/item, books up to $30/item. (link)
Arkansas: August 6-7. Clothing up to $100/item, school supplies. (link)
Connecticut: August 21-27. Clothing and footwear up to $300/item. (link)
Florida: August 12-14. School supplies up to $15/item, books and clothing up to $75/item. (link)
Iowa: August 5-6. Clothing up to $100/item. (link)
Louisiana: August 5-6. All “tangible personal property” up to $2500/item. (link)
Maryland: August 14-20. Clothing and footwear up to $100/item. (link)
Mississippi: July 29-30. Clothing and footwear up to $100/item. (link)
Missouri: August 5-7. Clothing up to $100/item, computers up to $3500/item, school supplies up to $50/item. (link)
New Mexico: August 5-7. Clothing up to $100/item, computers up to $1000/item, school supplies up to $15/item. (link)
North Carolina: August 5-7. Clothing and school supplies up to $100/item, instructional material up to $300/item, computers up to $3500/item, other computing supplies up to $250/item, sports equipment up to $50/item. (link)
Oklahoma: August 5-7. Clothing up to $100/item. (link)
South Carolina: August 5-7. Clothing, school supplies, computers, bedding, linens, etc. (link)
Tennessee: August 5-7. Clothing and school supplies up to $100/item, computers up to $1500/item. (link)
Texas: August 19-21. Clothing, school supplies, and backpacks up to $100/item. (link)
Virginia: August 5-7. Clothing up to $100/item, school supplies up to $20/item. (link)
This should be a fairly comprehensive list, but it’s always possible that I missed something. If so, please let me know and I’ll update it ASAP. Note that a few states – including Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia – have at least one other sales tax holiday during the year. These extra holidays cover things like Energy Star appliances, hurricane preparedness, and/or hunting supplies.
And now for some final words of wisdom… Just because you don’t have to pay sales tax doesn’t mean you’re getting a great deal. In fact, some stores may avoid running sales on certain items during the sales tax holiday in hopes of capitalizing on the holiday buzz. In other words, saving 6% (or whatever) on sales tax, but missing out on a 20% off sale the week before (or after) isn’t a very good deal.
