Tax Planning How the Tax-Free Weekend Can Boost Your Back-to-School Savings Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by Zina Kumok Published Jul 17, 2023 - [Updated Aug 7, 2023] 4 min read Reviewed by Katharina Reekmans, Enrolled Agent Inflation is affecting every corner of the economy, and that includes back-to-school shopping. Parents expect to spend $597 per student in grades K-12, down 10% from last year, according to a 2023 Deloitte Back-to-School Survey of 1,212 U.S. parents. If you’re looking to mitigate this cost increase, you might want to consider taking advantage of the “tax-free weekend” offered in many states. Let’s take a look at how these weekends work, which states offer them, and what type of purchases are eligible. What is a Tax-Free Weekend? Most states charge sales tax, which is a tax levied on items you purchase. The more you spend, the more you’ll pay in taxes. To help struggling consumers, many states offer a tax-free weekend during which they will not charge sales tax. Tax-free weekends are usually held right before school starts, so that parents and students can save on clothes, laptops, school supplies and other necessities. The tax holiday applies to both in-store and online purchases. If you purchase an item online, the tax discount will still apply even if the item is delivered after the holiday is over. Every state has its own limits on what you can buy tax-free. For example, most states have a limit of $100 for each clothing item. If you buy a $125 winter coat, you’ll still have to pay taxes on it. However, in most states, adults can also save money during the tax-free weekend because the discount doesn’t just apply to children’s clothing and accessory items. They can also purchase electronics and office supplies without paying a sales tax. Teachers and childcare professionals can also buy classroom supplies during this time. You don’t have to be a resident of the state to benefit from the tax holiday. If you live near a state with a tax-free weekend, you can still take advantage of the discount. Before you hit the stores, you should ensure that the tax-free discount doesn’t lead you to buy more than you can actually afford. Write out what you truly need to buy beforehand. Remember, you’re not saving money if you end up spending more than you would have otherwise. Find Your State Table of Contents AlabamaArkansasConnecticutFloridaIowaMarylandMassachusettsMississippiMissouriNew JerseyNew MexicoOhioOklahoma South CarolinaTennesseeTexasWest Virginia Alabama Dates: July 21-23 Tax rate: 4% Eligible items: School supplies $50 or less per item Clothing $100 or less per item Computers $750 or less Learn more Arkansas Dates: Aug. 5-6 Tax rate: 6.5% Eligible items: Clothing items $100 or less Clothing accessories $50 or less per item Certain school supplies including pencils, notebooks, binders and more Learn more Connecticut Dates: Aug. 20-26 Tax rate: 6.35% Eligible items: Clothing or shoes $100 or less per item Learn more Florida Dates: July 24-Aug. 6 Tax rate: 6% Eligible items: School supplies $50 or less per item Clothes or accessories $100 or less Learn more Iowa Dates: Aug. 4-5 Tax rate: 6% Eligible items: Clothes and accessories $100 or less per item Learn more Maryland Dates: Aug. 13-19 Tax rate: 6% Eligible items: Clothing and shoes $100 or less per item The first $40 of a backpack Learn more Massachusetts Dates: Aug. 12-13 Tax rate: 6.25% Eligible items: Certain retail goods worth $2,500 or less Massachusetts always exempts the first $175 of a clothing item Learn more Mississippi Dates: July 28-29 Tax rate: 7% Eligible items: Clothing, shoes, or school supplies $100 or less per item Missouri Dates: Aug. 4-6 Tax rate: 4.225% Eligible items: Clothes $100 or less School supplies $50 or less per purchase Computers $1,500 or less Software $350 or less Graphing calculators $150 or less Learn more New Jersey Dates: Aug. 26-Sept. 4 Tax rate: 6.625% Eligible items: Clothes and shoes School supplies Certain computers and supplies Instructional materials Some sports and recreation equipment Learn more New Mexico Dates: Aug. 4-6 Tax rate: 5.125% Eligible items: Clothing or shoes $100 or less per item Computers or tablets $1,000 or less Computer hardware $500 or less School supplies $30 or less per item Learn more Ohio Dates: Aug. 4-6 Tax rate: 5.75% Eligible items: Clothes $75 or less School supplies and instructional materials $20 or less Learn more Oklahoma Dates: Aug. 4-6 Tax rate: 4.5% Eligible items: Clothing or shoes $100 or less per item Learn more South Carolina Dates: Aug. 4-6 Tax rate: 6% Eligible items: School supplies, clothes and computers Learn more Tennessee Dates: July 28-30 Tax rate: 7% Eligible items: Clothing $100 or less School and art supplies $100 or less Computers $1,500 or less Learn more Texas Dates: Aug. 11-13 Tax rate: 6.25% Eligible items: Clothing, shoes, school supplies and backpacks $100 or less Learn more West Virginia Dates: Aug. 4-7 Tax Rate: 6% Eligible Items: Clothing of $125 or less Laptop and tablet computers of $500 or less School supplies of $50 or less Learn More NO SALES TAX HOLIDAY: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Previous Post Your Summer Travel Can Save You at Tax Time Next Post How Your Lottery Winnings Are Taxed Written by zinakumok Zina Kumok is a freelance writer specializing in personal finance. A former reporter, she has covered murder trials, the Final Four and everything in between. She has been featured in Lifehacker, DailyWorth and Time. Read about how she paid off $28,000 worth of student loans in three years at Conscious Coins. More from zinakumok Visit the website of zinakumok. 11 responses to “How to Boost Your Back-to-School Savings” Is Washington state included? Reply Where is my state ? Wisconsin is not listed in any category…… Reply Hi Paul, Unfortunately at this time it does not appear that Wisconsin has any sales tax holidays scheduled for 2023. Please check back as we will continue to update this information. Sincerely, Katharina Reekmans Reply Wisconsin, I believe will fall under Minnesota. My state, NY will definitely not do a tax free weekend. They are looking for money. Reply Arizona State doesn’t have this! Being so close to the border and all the parents from Mexico coming here to buy school supplies would really help! Reply you may be able to enjoy tax free shopping for school supplies in several states. If you have several kids going to school this year, you can boost your savings picking up paper, pens, calculators, and back packs. Reply How this work Reply Figures that Calif does not do this. For a state that is already broke (well that is what they tell us) helping schools for a change, would be just so not them. With all the money the lottery gives, why could they not help “Families” who live in this state. That would be to much like right… Reply You said, in your email, that I could find out if my state offered the school purchases sales tax saving. Why, then, am I unable to find that information? Reply This is confusing — according to this site Oklahoma is 8/1, but on the OK Sales Tax website it is 8/7 to 8/9 Reply Ok Reply Leave a ReplyCancel reply Browse Related Articles Education Back-to-School Savings: Tax Tips for Parents and Stude… Tax Reform Tax Reform 101: How the New Tax Reform Law Changed 529 … Family Your New Baby Can Bring You Joy and Savings Education Tax Breaks for Parents and Their College Students Tax Refunds 5 Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund Deductions and Credits Get Educated on College Savings Tax Breaks Education Tax Extender: Educator Expense Deduction Set to Expire Tax Planning College Student Budget 101 (How to Create a College Bud… Tax Deductions and Credits Tax Extenders Passed: This Could Mean More Money for Yo… Deductions and Credits A New Baby and Tax Breaks
Hi Paul, Unfortunately at this time it does not appear that Wisconsin has any sales tax holidays scheduled for 2023. Please check back as we will continue to update this information. Sincerely, Katharina Reekmans Reply
Wisconsin, I believe will fall under Minnesota. My state, NY will definitely not do a tax free weekend. They are looking for money. Reply
Arizona State doesn’t have this! Being so close to the border and all the parents from Mexico coming here to buy school supplies would really help! Reply
you may be able to enjoy tax free shopping for school supplies in several states. If you have several kids going to school this year, you can boost your savings picking up paper, pens, calculators, and back packs. Reply
Figures that Calif does not do this. For a state that is already broke (well that is what they tell us) helping schools for a change, would be just so not them. With all the money the lottery gives, why could they not help “Families” who live in this state. That would be to much like right… Reply
You said, in your email, that I could find out if my state offered the school purchases sales tax saving. Why, then, am I unable to find that information? Reply
This is confusing — according to this site Oklahoma is 8/1, but on the OK Sales Tax website it is 8/7 to 8/9 Reply
