Several states have sales-tax holidays in July and August for back-to-school shoppers.
In many states, the first weekend of August will be a great time for families to do their back-to-school shopping. That’s because many items will be exempt from sales tax.
Sixteen states will have sales-tax holidays this year — and 11 will fall on the first weekend of August, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Arkansas joins the list of states exempting back-to-school purchases such as clothing, computers and school supplies from sales taxes this year (Illinois drops off the list).
See the list below to find out which states will have sales-tax holidays and when. Even if your state isn’t on the list, you might be able to take advantage of a sales-tax holiday by crossing state lines (as long as all your savings aren’t blown on travel costs).
July
Mississippi: July 29-30. Clothing and footwear $100 or less exempt.
August
Alabama: August 5-7. Clothing, computers, school supplies and books exempt (up to a certain dollar amount).
Arkansas: August 6-7. Clothing purchases of $100 or less and school supplies are exempt.
Connecticut: August 21-27. Clothing and footwear less than $300 exempt.
Florida: August 12-14. Clothing, books and school supplies exempt (up to certain dollar amounts).
Iowa: August 5-6. Clothing and footwear $100 or less exempt.
Louisiana: August 5-6. Most items less than $2,500 exempt.
Maryland: August 14-20. Clothing and footwear $100 or less exempt.
Missouri: August 5-7. Clothing, computers and school supplies exempt (up to certain dollar amounts).
New Mexico: August 5-7. Clothing, computers and school supplies exempt (up to certain dollar amounts).
North Carolina: August 6-8. Clothing, computers, school supplies and sports equipment (up to certain dollar amounts).
Oklahoma: August 5-7. Clothing and footwear less than $100 exempt.
See a list of tax-exempt items.
South Carolina: August 5-7. Clothing, computers and school supplies exempt.
Tennessee: August 5-7. Clothing, computers and school supplies exempt (up to certain dollar amounts).
Texas: August 19-20. Clothing, footwear, backpacks and school supplies less than $100.
Virginia: August 5-7. Clothing, footwear and school supplies (up to certain dollar amounts).
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