2018 Tax Free Back to School Shopping Schedule

One way that some states help families save money during back to school shopping is to offer sales tax holidays.  This helps families save on things they need for their kids like supplies, clothes and even electronics.

Many states suspend the collection of state, county or local sales tax for a few days each summer.  This can help families keep a bit more money in their own pockets when getting the items your child needs for school.

If you do plan on shopping on any of these dates, keep in mind that the stores will be very, very busy.  It can be a scene similar to Black Friday when it comes to the number of people who shop.  You have to decide if you want to deal with it or not by determining the savings.

For example, if sales tax is 10% where you live and you spend $600, you can save a total of $60.  For some, it is not worth the chaos of shopping with that number of people. For others, it is well worth it.  Only you can decide what works for you.

Below, you will find a sales tax map. To find out if your state participates, simply place your mouse on it.  If the pointer shape changes then you are in luck!  Your state participates and you can click to go directly to that states’s details including included and excluded items as well as the dates when the sales tax holiday will be offered.

STATES PARTICIPATING IN BACK TO SCHOOL TAX FREE WEEKENDS

 

 

You can also find a list of participating states below, along with some of the details you will need to know:

State	Dates	Details	State Links
Alabama	July 20 - 22, 2018	Clothing under $100 School supplies under $50 Books under $30 Computers/computer equipment under $750	Alabama Sales Tax Holiday Details
Arkansas	August 4 - 5, 2018	Clothing and footwear (priced at less than $100 per item) Accessories (priced at less than $50 per item) School supplies	Arkansas Sales Tax Holiday Details
Connecticut	August 19 - 25, 2018	Up to $300 worth of clothing and footwear	Connecticuit Sales Tax Holiday Details
Florida	TBD	Clothing, footwear, wallets and bags ($60 or less) School supplies ($15 or less) Computers no longer included	Florida Sales Tax Holiday Details
Iowa	August 3 - 4, 2018	Clothing under $100 Shoes under $100	Iowa Sales Tax Holiday Details
Louisiana	August 3 - 4, 2018	Purchases under $2,500	Louisiana Sales Tax Holiday Details
Maryland	August 12 - 18, 2018	Clothing priced at $100 or less Footwear priced at $100 or less	Maryland Sales Tax Holiday Details
Mississippi	July 27 - 28, 2018	Clothing under $100 Shoes under $100	Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday Details
Missouri	August 3 - 5, 2018	Clothing under $100 School supplies under $50 Computer software under $350 Computers/computer equipment under $3,500	Missouri Sales Tax Holiday DetailsÌÎå«ÌÎ_
New Mexico	August 3 - 5, 2018	Clothing up to $100 Computers up to $1,000 School supplies up to $30	New Mexico Sales Tax Holiday Details
Ohio	August 3 - 5, 2018	Clothing up to $75 Instructional Materials up to $20 School supplies up to $20	Ohio Sales Tax Holiday Details
Oklahoma	August 3 - 5, 2018	Clothing up to $100	Oklahoma Sales Tax Holiday Details
South Carolina	August 3 - 5, 2018	Clothing School supplies Computers	South Carolina Sales Tax Holiday Details
Tennessee	July 27 - 29, 2018	Clothing up to $100 School supplies up to $100 Computers up to $1,500	Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday Details
Texas	August 10 - 12, 2018	Clothing, backpacks and school supplies up to $100	Texas Sales Tax Holiday Details
Virginia	August 3 - 5, 2018	Clothing up to $100 School Supplies up to $20	Virginia Sales Tax Holiday Details

WHAT IS TAX-FREE WEEKEND?

This is the one period of time where states sales tax is suspended on the purchase of select items.  These often include:

• Clothes
• Shoes
• Select Electronics (computers, tablets)
• School Supplies
• Backpacks
• and more!

ARE THERE RESTRICTIONS?

There are often purchase limits placed on items.  For example, sales tax suspension may apply only to the first $100 on shoes you buy.  That means, if they cost $120, you will pay regular sales tax on $20 of your purchase.

 

DOES THIS MEAN COMPLETELY NO SALES TAX?

No. It does not.  Cities and counties may still collect sales tax on your purchases.  The tax-free weekend only applies to state taxes.  You will need to check with your local jurisdiction to find out more.

As we move into Back to School season, you will want to bookmark and check our Back to School database, which is updated every week with the most recent sales, coupons and deals so you know where to shop to find the absolute lowest price!