Tax-Free Days That Can Save You Money on Clothing and Computers

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ScoreCard Research

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 $874.68 on clothing, electronics and school supplies in 2024.  

Some shoppers will get a little relief as 17 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 17 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, Virginia and West Virginia.

Alabama

When: July 19-21

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes – less than $100 per item.
  • School supplies – less than $50 per item.
  • Computers, software, computer supplies – less than $750.
  • Books – less than $30 per item.

Arkansas

When: August 3-4

What is tax-free:

  • Certain electronics, school supplies, art supplies, instructional materials and clothing.

Connecticut

When: August 18-24

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.

Florida

When: July 29-August 11

What is tax-free:

  • Computers and related equipment — $1,500 or less per item.
  • Clothing, accessories and shoes — $100 or less per item.
  • School supplies — $50 or less per item.

Iowa

When: August 2-3

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
A person shops for a book bag.
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Maryland

When: August 11-17

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item.
  • Bookbags/backpacks — the first $40 is tax-free.

Massachusetts

When: August 10-11

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 12-14

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing, shoes and school supplies — less than $100 per item.

Missouri

When: August 2-4

What is tax-free:

  • Partial sales tax may still be charged in some areas.
  • 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: August 2-4

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: July 30- August 8

What is tax-free:

  • Any “tangible personal property” items valued at under $500, excluding watercraft, cars, alcohol, tobacco, or vapor and marijuana products.

Oklahoma

When: August 2-4

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.

South Carolina

When: August 2-4

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 — no price threshold.
  • Musical instruments — no price threshold (if they are for school assignments).
A little girl tries on shoes.
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Tennessee

When: July 26-28

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: August 9-11

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
  • School supplies and backpacks — less than $100 per item.

Virginia

When: August 2-4

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and footwear — less than $100 per item.
  • School supplies — less and $20 per item.

West Virginia

When: August 2-5

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes – less than $125 per item.
  • School supplies – less than $50 per item.
  • Computers – less than $500 per item.
  • School instruction material – less than $20 per item.
  • Sports supplies – less than $150 per item.

Nicole Dow is a former senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Senior writer Mike Brassfield contributed to this article. 


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