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 $848.90 on clothing, electronics and school supplies in 2021, the most recent year available.
Some shoppers will get a little relief as 18 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 18 states that have back-to-school tax-free holidays this year are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Alabama
When: July 15-17
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 6-7
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
- Clothing accessories — less than $50 per item.
- School supplies — no price threshold, but must be on the state’s list of approved items.
- Computers and electronic devices — no price threshold, but must be on the state’s list of approved items.
Connecticut
When: August 21-27
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
Florida
When: July 25-August 7
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.
Illinois
When: August 5-14
What is tax-free
- Sales tax reduced by 5 percentage points on clothing and shoes less than $125 per item.
- School supplies also receive the sales tax reduction but do not have a price limit.
Iowa
When: August 5-6
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
Maryland
When: August 14-20
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item.
- Bookbags/backpacks — the first $40 is tax-free.
Massachusetts
When: August 13-14
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 29-30
What is tax-free:
- Clothing, shoes and school supplies — less than $100 per item.
Missouri
When: August 5-7
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 5-7
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: August 5-7
What is tax-free:
- Clothing — $75 or less per item.
- School supplies — $20 or less per item.
- School instructional materials — $20 or less per item.
Oklahoma
When: August 5-7
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
South Carolina
When: August 5-7
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, wash cloths and shower curtains — no price threshold.
- Books and musical instruments — no price threshold (if they are for school assignments).
Tennessee
When: July 29-31
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 5-7
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item.
- School supplies — less than $100 per item.
Virginia
When: August 5-7
What is tax-free:
- Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item.
- School supplies — $20 or less per item.
West Virginia
When: August 5-8
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 Robert Bruce contributed to this article.
